The Real Meaning Behind Old Dominion's 'Never Be Sorry'
Country music band Old Dominion wants you to know that breakups don't always have to be that bad with their song "Never Be Sorry." In the song, the band chooses to focus on the good, which includes memories of happier times together, even if it didn't necessarily work out in the end.
While the topic is somewhat of a downer, the music behind the lyrics is quite upbeat. Guitarist Brad Tursi told Billboard, "A happy sound with a sad lyric is, to me, a cool juxtaposition." Guitarist-keyboardist Trevor Rosen also explained why they didn't want "Never Be Sorry" to just be another sad breakup song. He revealed to Radio.com (via Sounds Like Nashville), "It's like they can't all be super slow sad songs. You gotta wrap it up and disguise it as a happy dance song."
While "Never Be Sorry" ended up being a hit for them, it wasn't easy for the band to put it together. Tursi told ABC News Radio, "That one was the kind of hardest to wrangle in the studio." Yet in the end the band was able to release a catchy song with a positive message for anyone experiencing heartbreak.
Old Dominion explained on Twitter, "Ending a relationship can be hard & frustrating, but this song reminds you not to forget you loved that person – and you shouldn't be apologetic for that. Forever slips away sometimes, but never be sorry for falling in love." A positive thought for someone who may be full of regret.
'Never Be Sorry' reminds you to remember the happier times
Old Dominion's song "Never Be Sorry" is about remembering the good parts of a relationship and not being sorry for loving someone even if it didn't work out. Singer Matthew Ramsey revealed (via ABC News Radio) that it "is about that unfortunate realization when sometimes you're in a relationship that just wasn't what you thought it was and also wasn't what it used to be."
When he sings, "Sometimes forever gets away from you. No matter how hard you grip it," it represents that sometimes things aren't meant to be. But the lyrics, "I'll never be sorry for my hands in the pockets of your hoodie" shows that you don't have to regret it. Ramsey explained, "Remembering those details, and the good parts that made the relationship unique and special, is what keeps it alive in some way."
The song continues, "I'll never be sorry for the shoes that I bought you in Chicago." Ramsay told Billboard, "There's something there that's really nurturing and caring, I think, about buying a pair of shoes for your girl." The song also references "that night in Santa Barbara. We got locked out of your car in the pouring rain." Songwriter-producer Shane McAnally gushed that when it comes to California, "there's so much nostalgia."
The chorus repeats, "I'll never be sorry." Co-writer Josh Osborne explained, "The way this song was going to work was if that chorus was just relentless." The song definitely works as a happier take on a breakup.