Born from a chance encounter in a stairwell, “The Thing That Wrecks You,” available everywhere now, brings reigning CCMA Entertainer of the Year Tenille Townes and GRAMMY Award winner Bryan Adams together on a vocal performance that matches the energy of the song’s lyrics, describing the moment love careens headfirst towards heartbreak.
Originally recorded by Lady A on their ‘Ocean’ album it was criminally ignored by the trio, although that album was so strong that it must have been hard for them to choose which songs to push and which to leave. We’re thrilled Tenille has decided to record her own version. The addition of Adams as a duet partner only strengthens the emotional impact of the song to our ears.
“I was recording a song for a Hallmark Movie in Vancouver last summer and found myself completely enamored by the recording space we were in,” remembers Townes. “Later in the day, I found out that it was Bryan Adams’ Warehouse Studio, and I actually ran into Bryan himself on the staircase on my way out. We talked for just a few minutes, and I was so happy to meet him because his path as a fellow Canadian has been incredibly inspiring to me, with a collection of songs that have impacted the world in such a huge way.
“Later that night, I thought about ‘The Thing That Wrecks You,’ a song I’d written a while before with Kate York and Daniel Tashian, and how the spirit of that song made me think about his voice,” she continues. “I decided to go out on a limb and sent him the song along with a letter asking if he might be up for singing on it with me. Fast forward to now, where not only have I gotten to sing with a hero of mine, but I have also found a mentor and friend through this whole adventure. This song is evidence to me that putting a wild thought out in the atmosphere and believing in it is a powerful thing.”
Just shy of four minutes, the driving track produced by Townes and her band’s guitarist, Jaxon Hargrove, was recorded with her touring band joining her in-studio as well as with Adams adding his own guitar prowess to the song alongside his vocals. Trading opening lines, the pair come together for a stirring duet on the chorus:
We’re running down a darker road
Where even angels fear to go
And stars fall like a lonely tear
When they’re crashing through the atmosphere
It looked just like a dream come true
But love can lead you straight into
The thing that wrecks you
The song offers a preview at new music from Townes, whose most recent project ‘Masquerades’ was released in April 2022 via Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville in partnership with RCA Records. Fans can also catch her on the road this summer, including at major festivals such as Cavendish Beach Music Festival, Faster Horses Festival, Watershed Festival and more.
For more information, visit TenilleTownes.com and follow on social media @TenilleTownes.
