Second Guessing (song)

"Second Guessing" is a song recorded by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. The song originated from the duo's appearance on American television series Songland, where singer-songwriter Griffen Palmer pitched the original song to them. It appeared on the duo's 2020 extended play 6-Pack and their subsequent fifth studio album Life Rolls On.

Background

Griffen Palmer, one of the song's original writers, performed the original version of the song on NBC's television show Songland on May 18, 2020, in front of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line as well as the show's cast of songwriters: Ryan Tedder, Shane McAnally, and Ester Dean. After re-working the song with McAnally, Palmer and "Second Guessing" were selected as the winner of that episode by Florida Georgia Line, who chose to record it over competing songs by Shawn Austin, Lukr, and Victoria Banks.

Commercial performance

"Second Guessing" peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart for the week of May 30, 2020, directly following its release. It peaked at number 29 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the same week. It spent two weeks on both charts. In Canada, the song entered and peaked at number 99 on the all-genre Canadian Hot 100 for the same week.

Music video

The official music video for "Second Guessing" premiered on YouTube on May 18, 2020.

Credits and personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.

Adam Ayan – mastering engineer
David Cook – mixing assistant
Corey Crowder – composition, editing, production, programming, recording
Ester Dean – composition
Andrew DeRoberts – composition, electric guitar, programming
Tyler Hubbard – composition, production
Jeff Juliano – mixing
Brian Kelley – composition, production
Alyson McAnally – production coordination
Shane McAnally – composition
Griffen Palmer – composition
Doug Rich – production coordination
Ben Simonetti – composition
Janice Soled – production coordination
Ryan Tedder – composition
Geoff Warburton – composition
Derek Wells – dobro, electric guitar
Alex Wright – Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer

Griffen Palmer version

Canadian country singer-songwriter Griffen Palmer released his own version of the song after signing with Big Loud Records. It is his debut single, and the lead single off his debut album Unlearn, which was released on April 28, 2023.

Background

Palmer remarked that the song is "such an important part of my story as an artist," and that he was "excited to put my own spin on it and put it out." He added that after his appearance on Songland, people often asked him if he would release his own version of the song, and he was thus happy to release it for them.

Critical reception

Erica Zisman of Country Swag reviewed Palmer's release of the song favourably, stating that it is a "confident portrayal of what it feels like to be with the right person," and that "Palmer's knack for songwriting is obvious," while "he has the vocals to back it up." Maxim Mower of Holler also gave the song a positive review, writing that Palmer's version "feels noticeably smoother and slicker than Florida Georgia Line's rendition."

Live performance

Palmer performed the song live on season 27 of ABC's reality television show The Bachelor on February 6, 2023, with his performance being part of a special "one-on-one date" between members of the cast.

Music video

The official video for Palmer's version of "Second Guessing" was released concurrently with the song on YouTube on January 13, 2020.