Cole Swindell Is Still Waiting for His Own Last ‘Single Saturday Night,’ But it Was Love at First Listen With His New Single

Cole Swindell’s newest single name-checks a certain alcoholic seltzer beverage that’s very trendy these days. In real life, however, the singer admits it might take a more classic drinker — like a girl sipping on a whiskey or a beer — to turn his head.

“Probably a girl drinking a Whiteclaw is not gonna settle me down,” he joked during a recent virtual press event. “But hey, if that’s how it starts. If that’s how I meet her, I’m down. And I’ve got the song for it.”

That tune, “Single Saturday Night,” was written by an ace trio of songwriters including Hardy, Ashley Gorley and Mark Holman, and Swindell says that even though a Whiteclaw-drinking woman might not be likely to catch his eye, the smart, playful lyricism of the song certainly did.

The first time he heard his new single, Swindell was relaxing at home after a night out at Loser’s Bar in Nashville, where he’d been celebrating singer-songwriter Rhett Akins’ 50th birthday with a group of fellow country artists.

“I’m sitting there on my couch watching TV at, like, 11 something [PM], and this song comes through from [Ashley] Gorley. And he’s like, ‘Yours if you want it,’” the singer remembers. “I hadn’t even listened to it yet when Hardy sent me a text that was like, ‘Hey, check this out, brand new.’

“So I was like, ‘These guys, two of my favorite songwriters, just sent me a song at the same time. I should probably listen to it.’…I didn’t even listen to it on my headphones. I heard it on my phone. That’s not how you want people to listen to songs when you send them, you want them to listen to it how it’s supposed to be heard, but I knew it from one listen,” he adds.

In some ways, Swindell wasn’t surprised that he loved the song so much: An unbeatable team of writers had penned it. Gorley is among Swindell’s frequent collaborators and songwriting idols, co-writing several of the hits that cemented Swindell’s career, like “You Should Be Here” and “Middle of A Memory.” The first time he heard “Single Saturday Night,” Swindell believed that the talented team of writers had once again tapped into a rich creative vein.

“I was like, ‘If I feel like this about it, somebody else will,’” he remembers.

“The line, the twist at the end [of the song] from going to church [with a new partner] to picking out one [to get married in], I thought that was brilliant, in a fun song like this. I just feel like it’s for everybody,” the singer goes on to say. “Whether you’ve had your last single Saturday night or you’re still looking for it, whatever side you’re on, I think everybody can enjoy it.”

Swindell’s own “last single Saturday night” is still in the future, and the singer says he’s not necessarily in a rush to get there.

“I’ve had a lot of single Saturday nights, and they’re not all bad. Do I really want ‘em to end? Kind of on the fence on that one,” he says, cracking a grin. “But uh, you know, with the virus, I might need to settle down. I don’t know…That’s the thing about this song, that even though I haven’t had my last single Saturday night, like a lot of other people, hopefully someday soon.”

As for the kind of partner who would make Swindell want to have his last single Saturday night? Aside from the fact that she probably doesn’t drink Whiteclaws, Swindell says he’d love to find someone who’s on the same page when it comes to music.

“It’s gonna take the right girl, I guess, that can understand that I love music the way that I do,” he reflects, going on to acknowledge that he knows his work-life balance might need to shift once he gets into a relationship.

“All I’ve ever put everything into is my music, my career. I’ve been told before, ‘Hey, you can be good at more than one thing,’” he says. “I need to probably look into that a little more. So, if it comes along, great. But right now, I still got places I want to be, career things I wanna do, goals, stuff like that. Hopefully [finding love] will happen somewhere along the way. That’s all I can ask for.”