West Coast vibes mark Old Dominion‘s new single “Never Be Sorry,” the fourth from their self-titled album. Strong songwriting is a given for this group, but warm, vibrant accents allow this subtle heartbreaker to stand out from others in their catalog.
Singer Matt Ramsey wrote “Never Be Sorry” with bandmates Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi, plus Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. Easy metaphors mix with specific memories to create a very personal lyric for the group to sing at a rapid clip.
The guitar chords that set the pace during each verse are toned much differently than those typically found on country radio, and authentic percussion is mostly sidelined in favor of a generated beat. It all fuses together with thick, but still buoyant, pop-friendly harmonies as the song builds toward the chorus.
Listen closely to hear a pinch of regret that this relationship ended, but Ramsey makes no excuses for his full court press when it came to loving his mate. There’s something very California about the way he strolls past the hurt amid a landscape of manufactured sounds and warm breezes. The passivity found on “Never Be Sorry” is Old Dominion introducing something new as they work toward a new studio project.
Old Dominion have seven Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 hits out of nine songs released to country radio. “Snapback” peaked at No. 2, while “Some People Do” peaked at No. 28.
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Old Dominion’s “Never Be Sorry” Lyrics:
We swung our feet off of the edge of the moon / We got that high for a minute / Sometimes forever gets away from you / No matter how hard you grip it / Sorry the sky fell down / Sorry I don’t know why / All we do is apologize
Oh, but I’ll never be sorry for my hands in the pockets / Of your hoodie, called you “Sugar” just to make you smile / And I’ll never be sorry for the shoes that I bought you / In Chicago, we were walking down the Miracle Mile
Chorus:
Oh I, oh I / I’ll never be sorry, I’ll never be sorry / I’ll never be sorry for loving you / I’ll never be sorry, I’ll never be sorry / I’ll never be sorry for loving you
Sometimes two people end up victims of love / It don’t work out like you planned it / Just ‘cause we couldn’t get the stars to line up / Don’t mean we leave empty-handed / Sorry the sun came up / Sorry the second verse / Just wasn’t as sweet as the first
Oh, but I’ll never be sorry for that night in Santa Barbara / We got locked out of your car in the pouring rain / And I’ll never be sorry for missing the party / ‘Cause the way your body looked in that dress blew me away
Repeat Chorus
Oh, but I’ll never be sorry for my hands in the pockets / Of your hoodie, called you “Sugar” just to make you smile / And I’ll never be sorry for the shoes that I bought you / In Chicago, we were walking down the Miracle Mile
Repeat Chorus
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