Blake Shelton Reflects on ‘Let Him In Anyway’ as HARDY Opens Up About Writing the Song and Its Impact [Exclusive]
The two share a clear mutual respect, with Shelton praising HARDY’s writing and HARDY crediting Shelton’s support of his music.
Blake Shelton, HARDY; Photos Provided
Blake Shelton continues to turn heads with his latest single, “Let Him In Anyway,” as it climbs into the Top 30 at country radio and beyond. The song continues to gain momentum thanks to its faith-filled storyline, something Shelton admits immediately drew him in when he first heard it.
As he explained to Country Now while backstage at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas in mid-May, he originally received the song after someone at his record label sent it his way. At first, he thought it was intended for another artist before quickly realizing, “That sounds like HARDY on that demo.”
Shelton recalls being “floored” by the song for several reasons, including the fact that it explores new ground for him as an artist, diving into themes of grief, keeping faith, and the hope for mercy after losing someone you love. In the song, the narrator sends a plea to God, asking to let his friend into heaven anyway despite an imperfect life.
“I love to be able to record a song that’s kind of an area, a subject that I haven’t covered yet. I mean, when you’ve been doing this a hundred years like I have, it’s hard to find something you haven’t said before and so this is definitely something that hasn’t been said. I don’t know that it’s ever been said in any song that I’ve ever heard before.”
Shelton has a long history with HARDY, having previously recorded several HARDY co-writes, including “God’s Country,” “Hell Right,” and “Come Back As A Country Boy.”
“It wasn’t presented to me as HARDY and once I heard it, I immediately said, ‘If I can, I’d like to record that song.’ And then a month or two went by before the session came up and HARDY texted me a day or two before we went into the recording session and said, ‘Man, are they messing with me? Are you really going to record this song?’ I go, ‘Man, I’m absolutely going to record that song,’” Shelton recalled.
“He said, ‘Well, man, that song means a lot to me. I wrote it with some friends and I’m really excited that you’re cutting it.’ He goes, ‘I just didn’t believe them for … I thought they were messing with me’ or whatever, which I don’t know why he thought that. I’ve cut a bunch of his songs over the years. He’s an incredible talent.”
For HARDY, who co-wrote “Let Him In Anyway” with Zach Abend, Kyle Clark, and Carson Wallace, the song carries a deeply emotional and polarizing message, one that he says resonates with many listeners.
“It’s a very polarizing song. And to be honest, when I sent that to Blake, I didn’t know about his story about his brother and all of that,” he explained to Country Now while backstage at CMA Fest. “It’s just a very polarizing song, but it’s a message that I think a lot of people deal with when they lose somebody that’s too early or maybe not, but that was a little bit wild and you kind of, I mean the first lines of the song are crazy thing, when somebody goes wondering where their soul went, and there’s a lot of wonder when it comes to that kind of thing. I think more than anything, it speaks to like if you have a message that you want to tell, convey to one of your friends, whether that’s witnessing to them or even just telling them to calm down a little bit or whatever it may be, I think it’s just a good message to send out to the world.”
HARDY also expressed deep gratitude for Shelton, crediting him for supporting his songwriting throughout his career.
“Blake has blown me away at how he’s just taken to my songs and my music…I moved to town to write, I wanted to write a song for Blake Shelton,” HARDY explained. “That’s who I model it after, and that gets into like the songwriters themselves and Craig Wiseman and all these people that wrote these great Blake Shelton songs. But he has really taken a chance on me and time after time I hear interviews of him just saying good things about me. So I love Blake. I love him.”
“Let Him In Anyway” is featured on Shelton’s latest album, For Recreational Use Only. The Oklahoma native recently brought the song to life in a music video, which can be viewed below.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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