Later On

Album: The Swon Brothers (2013)
Charted: 86
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Muskogee, Oklahoma Country sibling act Zach and Colton Swon grew up right down the street from Carrie Underwood, and the three shared a stage many times together throughout their childhood years. Traveling with their parents' southern gospel group Exodus, the boys were singing and writing songs practically as soon as they could walk. In 1995, the Swon Brothers' parents formed a family-style variety show called Westwood Music Show, in which the pair first started performing in the country music genre. Five years later when they were 12 and 15, the siblings started calling themselves The Swon Brothers, and appeared in various venues.

    Auditioning in 2007 for American Idol after witnessing Carrie Underwood's massive success on the talent competition, Colton made it all the way to the Top 48. Zach never tried out because he didn't feel comfortable without an instrument in his arms.

    The Swons spent the subsequent years performing around their home state and releasing a couple of independent albums that were well-received among their ever-growing fan base. The sibling pair achieved national fame in 2013, when they finished in third place on the fourth season of The Voice.

    The duo signed a record deal with Arista on November 1, 2013 and released this romantic-night-in story as their first official single, the following month. The song shot to #1 on iTunes' Country Top Songs within 24 hours.
  • The song officially impacted Country radio on March 3, 2014. It received 81 combined Country Aircheck and Billboard adds in its first seven days on radio, the most one-week adds of any debut single in Country Aircheck history.
  • The tune was penned by Ryan Hurd (Jake Owen's "Surefire Feeling") and newcomers Joey Hyde, and Justin Wilson. It was produced by Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Sara Evans).
  • The Swon Brothers knew as soon they heard this song that they wanted to cut it. "What made us pick 'Later On' was just those harmony-driven lines," Zach said. "It's just one of those songs that stuck with us, you know. We listened to over a thousand songs probably, to put on the record. We just had an attraction to it and loved it."

    "It's simple enough for people to remember," he added. "It also just hits this sweet spot that me and Colton create this brother harmony together that I think really compliments us."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.