Lainey Wilson is the latest artist to give new life to a song that was lost in time.
On Thursday, Apple Music unveiled a recording of “I Would If I Could” by the CMA Entertainer of the Year as its fifth release from its Lost and Found program, which spotlights unreleased tracks written by some of the best songwriters in Nashville and re-recorded by today’s biggest artists.
“I Would If I Could” was originally written in 1996 by award-winning songwriters Skip Ewing and Dean Dillon. In an upcoming interview on Today’s Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen, Wilson explained why she chose that track.
“When you listen to the first line of the song, it is classic… And it feels like a song that should already be a song. Two of the most incredible songwriters that have ever existed,” the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer said. “I look up to them a whole lot. And I wanted to record something that was done a long time ago, that still stood the test of time, is timeless; this melody.”
Wilson — who was 4 years old when the song was written — joked she was “probably picking my nose and everything else” at the time.
Bannen also asked the “Heart Like a Truck” singer how she resonates with the lyrics.
“Have you ever felt this way about someone like, ‘I’m giving you a gift by walking away?'” the host said.
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Wilson replied, “Oh, yes… There’s only one boy that I kind of, like, when I think about that time of our life, I smile and I think, ‘That was fun, but I knew that you didn’t need me.’ But yeah, I think everybody’s felt that way.”
Wilson’s full interview on Today Country Radio with Kelleigh Bannen will air Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
In a separate interview on Lost & Found Radio, Wilson reflected on her choice to participate in the program.
“This town is full of so many songs that will never see the light of day,” she said. “I’m a songwriter first and foremost, and I want to be known as a songwriter, and I want to shine light on songs that for some crazy reason, didn’t see the light of day. Let’s bring it to the light.”
After searching through multiple song options, Wilson knew this was the one.
“I just knew, I was like, this is it. It just felt classic. And just like you said too, it was coming from a dude’s perspective. But I love showing the other side of that. That way people can feel it from a different angle,” she said.
The full interview on Lost & Found Radio will air Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
Wilson’s recording of “I Would If I Could” is out tonight on Apple Music.
