"Thinking 'Bout You" is a song written by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Dustin Lynch Dustin Charles Lynch (born May 14, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Broken Bow Records. Lynch has released four albums and one EP for the label: a self-titled album in 2012, '' Where It's At'' in 2014, '' Curren ...

with

Andy Albert Andrew Paul Albert is an American country music singer and songwriter from Roswell, Georgia, United States. His songwriting repertoire includes writing for artists such as Blake Shelton, Dustin Lynch, and Carrie Underwood. Albert grew up in Ros ...

, Hunter Phelps, and Will Weatherly. It was first recorded by Lynch as a duet with fellow American country singer

Lauren Alaina Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth (born November 8, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower,'' was released on October ...

for Lynch's fourth studio album, '' Tullahoma'' (2020). Due to promotional conflicts, the song was re-recorded in 2021 featuring Canadian country singer

MacKenzie Porter MacKenzie Lea Porter (born January 29, 1990) is a Canadian country singer, songwriter, and actress. She has released one self-titled album and achieved four Canada Country number ones with " About You", "These Days", " Seeing Other People", and " ...

for release as the album's fifth single. The single version with Porter debuted to American country radio on May 3, 2021. The latter version of the song was also included on Lynch's 2022 album '' Blue in the Sky'' as its lead single.

Background

Lynch co-wrote "Thinking 'Bout You" with Andy Albert, Hunter Phelps, and Will Weatherly for his fourth studio album, ''Tullahoma''. The song is structured as a "call-and-response" conversation between ex-partners and represents the first true duet Lynch has recorded. It was originally recorded as a duet between Lynch and

. When the song was selected as the next single from ''Tullahoma'', Alaina had recently released her latest single (at the time) " Getting Over Him" with

Jon Pardi Jonathan Ryan Pardi (born May 20, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Capitol Nashville, he has released four studio albums: ''Write You a Song'' (2014), ''California Sunrise'' (2016), ''Heartache Medication'' (2 ...

and Alaina's

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

had concerns over her having two male-female duets at radio concurrently. As a compromise between the artists, "Thinking 'Bout You" was re-recorded for its single release. Lynch held a

blind audition In a blind audition the identity of the performer is concealed from the judges so as to prevent bias. The performance takes place behind a curtain so that the judges cannot see the performer. Blind auditions have become standard in symphony orchestr ...

for a new female vocalist and ultimately chose Canadian singer and actress

as his new duet partner. The remix with Porter was released to digital retailers and streaming services March 19, 2021, and was serviced to American country radio on May 3, 2021.

Critical reception

Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'' praised the combination of Lynch and Porter's voices and described the song as "catchy and worthy of the repeat button." ''Off the Record UK'' wrote that the "passionate power duet" featured "heart-pounding hooks and memory-soaked vocals."

Chart performance

"Thinking 'Bout You" became Lynch's eighth number one hit (and Porter's first) on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart dated December 11, 2021, and stayed at the top for six consecutive weeks. It is Lynch's longest-running number one on the chart and has spent a record-breaking 28 weeks in the top ten, besting Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood's " If I Didn't Love You". With a peak of number 30, it is Lynch's highest charting single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Music video

An accompanying music video premiered March 19, 2021, concurrent with the remix's digital release. Directed by Justin Nolan Key, the "cinematic" video builds on the song's conversational tone and features Lynch and Porter as former lovers reminiscing over the phone.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Dustin Lynch songs MacKenzie Porter songs Lauren Alaina songs Songs written by Dustin Lynch Songs written by Andy Albert 2020 songs 2021 singles BBR Music Group singles Male–female vocal duets