"What If I Never Get Over You" is a song written by

Ryan Hurd Ryan James Hurd (born November 2, 1986) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In addition to writing No. 1 singles for Blake Shelton, Lady A, and Luke Bryan, Hurd has recorded for RCA Records Nashville. Career Hurd was born in C ...

, Sam Ellis,

Laura Veltz Laura Veltz is a Grammy-nominated American songwriter and musician. She previously was the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist of family pop-rock group Cecilia. She was nominated for the first ever Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year at the 65 ...

and Jon Green, and recorded 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, ...

trio

Lady Antebellum Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar) ...

. It was released to country radio on May 17, 2019 and serves as Lady Antebellum's first single on BMLG Records after signing with the label in August 2018, and it features lead vocals from both Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley. The song serves as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

for the group's eighth studio album, ''

Ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

''.

Background

"What If I Never Get Over You" was written by singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd with Sam Ellis, Laura Veltz and Jon Green for Universal Music Publishing Nashville. The track was written to depict the "portrait of perpetual, never-ending heartbreak" Hurd imagined he would feel if he were to separate from his wife, fellow singer Maren Morris. During the development process, Veltz proposed grafting the word "what" onto the beginning of the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

and title to reflect the song's open-endedness. Originally sung by Hurd as a solo male

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

, the song was pitched to Lady Antebellum by one of BMLG Records's senior A&R executives and adapted to a male-female duet. The group worked with producer

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...

for the track and recorded it on March 4, 2019 at Starstruck Recording Studios in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. Lady Antebellum performed the song at the

53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards The 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on November 13, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognizes some of the best country music released during the eligibility period. Carrie Underwood ho ...

alongside pop singer Halsey.

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' wrote that the song opens a "new, more personal and revealing chapter" in the band's discography, adding that the song's production leads to a "slow rise of emotions" and enjoyable "tension" between the singers. Chris Parton of ''Sounds Like Nashville'' wrote that the song represents a return to the "rich, smooth sound" of the group's earlier hits. Both publications, as well as ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' and ''

The Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, ...

'', remarked favorably upon the song's thematic and sonic similarities to Lady Antebellum's 2009 breakout hits "

I Run to You "I Run to You" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 26, 2009, as the third and final single from the group's self-titled debut album. Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, who ...

" and " Need You Now", with Cindy Watts writing for the latter that, "fans can hear the difference – and the familiarity – on Lady Antebellum's new single."

Commercial performance

"What If I Never Get Over You" debuted at number 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart and number 86 on the Hot 100 chart following its release. The song has since reached a peak position of 7 on the Hot Country Songs chart. On the Country Airplay chart, the song debuted at number 25 and topped the chart in January 2020, becoming the group's first number one single since "

Bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

" in September 2014. "What If I Never Get Over You" has sold 154,000 copies in the United States as of February 2020.

Music video

An accompanying music video directed by Sarah McColgan premiered alongside the song's release on May 17, 2019. The clip follows the story of a woman moving out of a shared home with her now ex-boyfriend with intercut scenes of the former relationship and the woman attempting to move on with a new man.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Lady Antebellum 2019 songs 2019 singles Lady A songs Big Machine Records singles Songs written by Ryan Hurd Songs written by Sam Ellis (songwriter) Songs written by Laura Veltz Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Country ballads Male–female vocal duets