Riley Green is sharing the story behind “Don’t Mind If I Do,” his second duet with his friend and tourmate, Ella Langley.
Green admits that he had been a fan of Langley “for a long time,” even before they shared the stage together on tour. He says instantly became a fan after meeting her through a mutual friend.
“I heard her voice and her twang and how country she sounded, and also that she loved what I would call traditional country music,” he recalled.
Green later invited Langley to join him on tour and in the midst of it, they recorded their chart-topping, platinum-selling, CMA Award-winning smash, “You Look Like You Love Me.”
On that same tour, Green wrote “Don’t Mind If I Do” and asked Langley to step in to help him figure out what key to write it in.
“I think I got her to come in the day I wrote it and just kind of hum to see if it was something,” the Alabama native revealed.
When it was time to lay down vocals in the studio, Langley stepped in once more.
“When I was in the studio recording it, I just called her to come by to put a vocal on it so I could play it for whoever I was going to pitch it to as far as the female and she just crushed it. I remember sitting there and she was like in a sweatsuit. She came by from the house and sang it and it was just…I couldn’t imagine anybody doing it better than she did,” Green marveled.
Recognizing that Langley’s voice was the perfect match for the song, Green decided to keep the track unchanged and released it as the title song of his latest album. Now, looking back, he feels like the stars aligned for it all to happen.
“It was cool for her to be on the song,” he said. “Also, having her out with all the success on the other song…so it’s kind of cool to have that accidentally work out.”
“Don’t Mind If I Do” is a stunningly beautiful heartbreak ballad that focuses on trying to move on in the aftermath of a breakup. Green wrote the song by himself and throughout the lyrics, he admits to struggling with missing his ex and dealing with the undeniable pain of not being together. Despite attempts to numb the pain with alcohol, the ex-lovers wind up admitting to missing each other and yearning for at least one more night together.
Of the song, Green shared, “I think a lot about the song’s cool to me. I like how it feels like an older country song. It’s got that traditional feel to it, but I’ve never heard a duet where the female just sang the last chorus and it was from her perspective.”
Riley Green and Ella Langley will perform “Don’t Mind If I Do” on the finale of NBC’s The Voice on December 10. Next year, fans can catch them on tour together once again on Green’s Damn Country Music Tour.
