From Luke Combs To Gabby Barrett: The Story Behind “Dance Like No One’s Watching”

Gabby Barrett shared the story of how she got her hands on “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”

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Melinda Lorge

Melinda Lorge is a Nashville-based freelance writer who specializes in covering country music. Along with Music Mayhem, her work has appeared in publications, including Rare Country, Rolling Stone Country, Nashville Lifestyles Magazine, Wide Open Country and more. After joining Rare Country in early 2016, Lorge was presented with the opportunity to lead coverage on late-night television programs, including “The Voice” and “American Idol,” which helped her to sharpen her writing skills even more. Lorge earned her degree at Middle Tennessee State University, following the completion of five internships within the country music industry. She has an undeniable love for music and entertainment. When she isn’t living and breathing country music, she can be found enjoying time outdoors with family and friends.

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Posted on March 13, 2024

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Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs; Photos by Andrew Wendowski

Gabby Barrett previewed her latest album, Chapter & Verse ahead of its release earlier this year. On the project is a tender-hearted ballad called “Dance Like No One’s Watching,” featuring background vocals by country music superstar Luke Combs.

The Story Behind Gabby Barrett’s “Dance Like No One’s Watching”

The nostalgic tune tugs at the heartstrings with its sweet message, highlighting the special bond between a father and daughter and the way in which life brings them full circle. It’s no question the song makes for the perfect fit for Barrett’s voice, especially given the success of other sentimental tracks like “The Good Ones,” “Pick Me Up,” “Growin’ Up Raising You,” and “Glory Days.” But it turns out that Barrett didn’t pen “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”

That was the work of James McNair, Emily Weisband, and duet partner Combs. However, when Combs got together with his co-writers to write the lyrics, they had one person in mind for the recording — Barrett.

While speaking in Nashville, Tenn., as part of promotion for her sophomore album and follow-up to 2020’s Goldmine, Barrett shared the story of how she got her hands on “Dance Like No One’s Watching.”

Combs Gifted Barrett The Track

Speaking with Music Mayhem and other media outlets, she says that Combs and his wife, Nicole Hocking Combs, were expecting a child at the time of the co-write, but they weren’t sure what the gender of their impending newborn would be. After finding out they were having a son — Tex Lawrence Combs, who was welcomed in the summer of 2022 — Combs chose Barrett as the lead vocalist for the track.

But, first, she had to say, ‘Yes.’

“He said, ‘I really wanted to share this with you. We wrote this at a time when my wife was pregnant with our first, and we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, and come find out it was a boy,’” Barrett recalled of her phone exchange with the famous father of two. “So he was like, ‘This song is not going to make sense for me to sing.’ But he thought of me, kindly. And I was like, ‘Wow, thank you so much’.”

How Luke Combs Got “Dance Like No One’s Watching” To Gabby Barrett

Gabby Barrett says that she received the link to the demo track while “I was in the bathtub and just very lax, calming down from the day, and I picked up my phone and Luke [Combs] had sent me a text…he just sent a paragraph with a link, and I read it, and he just said, ‘Hey, I wrote this song with a group of buddies’… He was like, ‘We told our publishers, do not share this with anybody. We have her in mind for this.’”

Barrett was undoubtedly flattered by Combs’ offering, but she hadn’t yet heard the tune, despite already thanking the two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year. She admits she was crossing her fingers in hopes she would connect with the song enough to cut it for herself.

“I was like, ‘Please be a great song [and]’ I wouldn’t expect anything less [and] I was like, ‘Please be so good’ and I clicked it, and it was,” she said, sharing her relief. “I love the message of this song so much. It was one of those songs. And it’s the best thing when you hear it for the first time, and you’re just like, ‘Yes, everything connects, verse to chorus.’”

Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs; Photos Provided
Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs; Photos Provided

Gabby Admits She’s “Very Thankful” For Combs Gave Her The Song

Barrett is very thankful that Combs thought of her to cut the tune.

“Sometimes, as a writer, I listen to songs or songs that have been said to me from outside to cut. [And] I’m like, ‘Okay, I like the verse… then it goes into the chorus, and I’m like, ‘No… missed,” she reasoned of her initial hesitation.

The Pennsylvania native added, “And so it’s one of the most satisfying things to the brain when everything’s just perfectly melodic, and it’s just beautiful, and the lyrics and everything goes together perfectly. That’s how this song was. I was greatly impacted by it the first time that I heard it. It’s just a wonderful song, and I’m very thankful that he thought of me and chose me to be the one to put the voice to it.”

Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs; Photos by Andrew Wendowski
Gabby Barrett, Luke Combs; Photos by Andrew Wendowski

Music Video Is On The Way For The New Single

Barrett, who adds that she connected with the song because of her strong relationship with her father, hasn’t yet released the music video for “Dance Like No One’s Watching,” but she promises it will be just as heartwarming as the song.

“We’ve already filmed the music video, and I hope you enjoy it. I think it connects… It’s obviously about dad and daughter,” the mother of three revealed. “I grew up very close to my dad, so I was very, very daddy/daughter. And then now I get to watch my husband and my daughter have that relationship that’s just irreplaceable. So it’s really sweet, but I think it can connect to any parent with any child as well.”

Gabby Barrett 'Chapter & Verse' Album Art
Gabby Barrett ‘Chapter & Verse’ Album Art

Fans can find “Dance Like No One’s Watching” on Barrett’s latest album, Chapter & Verse, which dropped on Feb. 2, 2024, via Warner Music Nashville.

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Melinda Lorge is a Nashville-based freelance writer who specializes in covering country music. Along with Music Mayhem, her work has appeared in publications, including Rare Country, Rolling Stone Country, Nashville Lifestyles Magazine, Wide Open Country and more. After joining Rare Country in early 2016, Lorge was presented with the opportunity to lead coverage on late-night television programs, including “The Voice” and “American Idol,” which helped her to sharpen her writing skills even more. Lorge earned her degree at Middle Tennessee State University, following the completion of five internships within the country music industry. She has an undeniable love for music and entertainment. When she isn’t living and breathing country music, she can be found enjoying time outdoors with family and friends.

See more posts from Melinda Lorge

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