Format Digital download Genre Country Label Warner Bros. Nashville | Recorded 2015–16 Length 3:47 | |
Released May 2, 2016 (2016-05-02) | ||
"Middle of a Memory" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Cole Swindell. The song was released to radio on May 2, 2016 as the second single to his second studio album You Should Be Here. The song was written by Swindell, Zach Crowell and Ashley Gorley. It received positive reviews from critics praising Swindell's improvements as a storyteller.
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"Middle of a Memory" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, giving Swindell his fifth number-one country hit overall. It also reached numbers 3 and 46 on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. It has sold 328,000 copies in the United States as of December 2016. The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 33 on the Canada Country chart and number 98 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Michael Monaco.
Critical reception
Taste of Country thought that the song showed Swindell's improved storytelling, and that he chose songs that represent the album as a whole. Similarly Annie Reuter of Sounds Like Nashville also found that the song has a "vivid storyline" where the maturity of Swindell's songwriting "shines through." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock thought the song fit Swindell as a vocalist, and that its story of a girl who left before a man could express an interest in her is "a song most people have lived" and therefore would like to keep hearing on the radio.
Commercial performance
The song debuted at No.34 on Country Airplay for chart dated May 21, 2016, It enter at No. 31 on the Hot Country Songs chart a week later on the release of the album, You Should Be Here, selling 12,000 copies in for the week. It also debuted at number 99 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of August 13, 2016. The song has sold 365,000 copies in the US as of January 2017.
The song debuted at number 33 on Canada Country chart and at number 98 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of November 9, 2016.
Music video
The music video was directed by Michael Monaco and premiered in August 2016.