Lainey Almost Missed Her 1st Hit

Hard to believe, but when Lainey Wilson was recording her first album, it didn’t include her first hit “Things A Man Oughta Know.” She tells the story behind the song to Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton:

I grew up in a family where it was just me & my sisters, so my daddy raised us like we were boys. It’s not about how to change a tire, but about having good character. It’s not just about what a man oughta know, but what everyone should know. We should be nice to each other.

What this the obvious single? We went with this song because so many people were messaging me, the song was on an EP I recorded, every age range, men, women, people were connecting in ways I couldn’t imagine. I even had a man say I’d ruined his marriage. It seemed like the song that laid the foundation to what I want to say and how I want to say it.

Nominated for CMA Song of the Year: Crazy. It’s just the song that continues to change my life. I didn’t know it would change my life. When we decided to make the record, this song was not on the list. Two weeks before we were going to record the record, I said I don’t know why I feel this way, but this song has to be on the record and we have to make room for it.

What changed your mind? I don’t know. I remember where I was. I was heading downtown for a co-write, it hit me in the face, and there was something telling me you gotta record this song. That’s when I called them and told them we had to add this. It was written in 2018.

Why do you think it resonates? I think when you hear the first line, it makes people’s ears perk up. I think there are so many angles for people to connect to, and I’m glad it was my first song to introduce me to folks.

Category: CO-HOST