Photo Credit: Jim WrightCole Swindell always believed his new single would resonate with his fans, but the response so far has been even greater than he imagined. Not only was “You Should Be Here” the most added at country radio last week, the song about dealing with the sudden death of his father has inspired a huge following on social media. Thousands have shared their personal stories on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #YouShouldBeHere.

“I don’t know that you ever get over something like that,” he says of losing his dad, in the latest installment of his YouTube series Swindell Vision. “But I’m at least to the point to where I want to help others that have been through the same thing.”

The authenticity of the song is carried through in the music video that follows Cole as he travels back to his hometown of Glenville, Georgia, for the first time since his dad’s funeral.

“That’s all this video is, is real moments. There’s nothing fake about it. It’s my real family. It’s really me seeing them for the first time in a little while….That first scene, I’m pulling up to my brother’s house on the bus and you see my nephews and niece, you see everybody coming out getting excited to see me.”

Cole says that’s also true of the footage of him sobbing at his father’s gravesite. “Literally the first time I walked up there, that’s what’s in the video — you know, me breaking down, that’s all real.”

Even though he co-wrote the song, Cole admits his composition is still speaking to him today.

“I’ve waited to release this song that was powerful that could help somebody through a tough time maybe. And here I’ve been thinking the whole time, ‘Finally I get to release a song that’s gonna help folks,’ but after shooting the video, this song is looking like it may be helping me more than it is anybody else,” he muses.

“You Should Be Here” is the first single from Cole’s sophomore album, due sometime in 2016. This weekend, he wrapped up his Down Home Tour in Greenville, South Carolina.

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