My Reflection Of Dan + Shay's Growth On Song "How Not To": From Its 2016 Release To A 2021 Acoustic Video Clip Of The Track

Dan + Shay started off their career with love songs "Nothin' Like You" and "From The Ground Up" reaching the number one spot on the Mediabase Country chart in December, 2015 and August 2016 respectively. Early on, some of their other radio-charting love songs that did not hit number one, but were ear candy included the fun, quirky "Show You Off" and their nostalgic storytelling debut single "19 You + Me".

The first single from the duos sophomore album Obsessed was "From The Ground Up". After the success of the song that many couples have danced to at their weddings, the duo decided to show a different side of them for the second single "How Not To". Whether it is one member of the duo, the other, or both of them, they are known to have at least one of their names on each song they have put out, alongside the other prolific co-writers they collaborate with in Nashville. However, "How Not To" is the first song they released that they did not write. The song, which explores the struggles of letting go after a breakup, was written by Adam Hambrick, Paul DiGiovanni, and Kevin Bard. Because I was so used to a combination of Dan + Shay writing all of their songs, I did not know what to expect when they sang a song that they did not have a hand in writing. After hearing "How Not To" for the first time in 2016, the guys absolutely blew me away with their rendition. They pulled from past experiences and put their whole hearts and souls into the song's story and production. Smyers and Mooney made the song their own as if they had written it.

Below is a short clip of the duo performing the end of the first verse and the chorus of "How Not To" from one of their iPhones courtesy of Dan + Shay's YouTube channel. The guys posted this video five years after the song was initially released. Listening to Mooney's emotional, passionate vocals alongside Smyers' harmonies with the same emotions and his acoustic guitar playing, the guys took the song to a new level five years later. I can hear the growth in their voices from June, 2016 when the album was released to this clip that was posted on March 30, 2021. 

While I love hearing the duo singing backed by Smyers' fresh, innovative production, I think I love hearing them sing even more Acapella, just a guitar, piano, or a combination of the voice. Listening to the pure, rawness of their voices brings me back to why I became a fan of them in the first place. There were a few things that drew me in initially, with their fresh, unique sounding voices grabbing me first, followed by the songwriting, and production.