#TBT: What I Meant To Say by Wade Hayes (@wadehayes1)

Back in 1995 and 1996, Wade Hayes came out with two gold records right out of the shoots. It’s a dream start for any new country artist and Wade Hayes would go on to have a really solid career. It was a big time in country music and there were a lot of hit songs, but not all the songs still get played today.

But a handful of Wade’s songs are still played regularly. And that’s saying something. Fans loved his music back then and they still seem to want to hear those good old songs.

One of my favorites of Wade’s was What I Meant To Say.

It was the fourth and final single off Wade’s debut album. It was also one of four straight top ten hits from that album. Talk about a strong debut. The single would go on to make it all the way up to #5 on the Billboard charts.

The song is a sad one about a guy realizing too late that he’s messed up. He wasn’t paying enough attention to what was happening in his relationship and the woman ended up leaving or for whatever reason they’re not together anymore.

Now the guy knows that he should have said something. He should have been there for her in her time of need, but he’s too late now or it appears that way.

This song is a great example of how the message in a lyric can be strong enough to carry a song. It’s really about the voice and the lyric. It’s a simple melody that kind of takes a backseat on this one and that’s okay.

I hope you enjoy this flashback to late 1995 and early 1996.

What I Meant To Say – Wade Hayes