Damned If I Do (Vincent Mason song)

Last updated
"Damned If I Do"
Vincent Mason - Damned If I Do.jpg
Promotional single by Vincent Mason
from the album There I Go
ReleasedJuly 18, 2025
Genre Country
Length3:37
Label
Songwriters
  • Vincent Mason
  • Jacob Hackworth
  • Lauren Hungate
Producers
  • Mason
  • Jake Gear
  • Brett Truitt
Music video
"Damned If I Do" on YouTube

"Damned If I Do" is a song by American country music singer Vincent Mason, released on July 18, 2025 as the second promotional single from his debut studio album There I Go (2025). He wrote the song with Jacob Hackworth and Lauren Hungate and produced it with Jake Gear and Brett Truitt.

Contents

Background

According to Vincent Mason, when he composed the song he "wanted something different musically that I could look forward to playing every night". [1] He also said of the song:

It felt like a rock song from the beginning, and I felt like that was great for where I was at. People have started calling me 'the Heartbreak Kid,' and I love those kind of sad songs. This one's less wide-eyed and heartbroken and surprised and sad. It's more pissed off and frustrated. You've seen it go wrong a few times. It's the natural process of getting your heart broken a lot. You eventually stop being sad. I think people need to know that I can get pissed off. And for me, that grittier sound up against my vocals, which are pretty soft, it fits. [2]

Composition

The song features an electric guitar throughout, [1] with a prolonged instrumental intro. [3] Lyrically, Vincent Mason revolves around his lingering heartbreak from a past love affair and struggle to move on. [3] [4] In the first verse, he expresses he has no motivation to go outside despite the pleasant weather and is always reminded of her. [1] [3] In the chorus, he metaphorically emphasizes his intense emotional pain and acknowledges that he will remain heartbroken, whether he chooses to let her go or not. [1] [3] [4] As he tries to adjust to being single, Mason then considers the type of woman he will meet in a future relationship. [1]

Critical reception

Noah Wade of Euphoria Magazine praised the song for its "heartbreakingly bitter hook that manages to sneak up on the listener as toe-tappingly singable despite its subject matter." He added, "Whether the listener has lived to tell the tale of their own, 'I wish to move on, but how?' story, or perhaps they're in the middle of one at this very moment, it is a song that is irrefutably human: 'I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't.' Mason's vocals, distinctly in peak form in the midst of a heightened working year, are one of a number of highlights, as his conversational tone throughout the chorus disguises the otherwise tricky melodic patterns consistently keeping him at an impasse of upper baritone chest voice." [3]

Charts

Chart performance for "Damned If I Do"
Chart (2025)Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [5] 16
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] 33

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Farthing, Lydia (July 17, 2025). "'Damned If I Do' by Vincent Mason - Lyrics & Meaning". Holler. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Crutchmer, Josh (November 10, 2025). "Vincent Mason Is 'Letting the Dream Win' With Debut Album and Tour With Morgan Wallen". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Wade, Noah (July 23, 2025). "Vincent Mason – Damned If I Do". Euphoria Magazine. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 Black, Lauren Jo (July 22, 2025). "Vincent Mason Faces Heartbreak Head-On In New Song, 'Damned If I Do'". Country Now. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bubbling Under Hot 100: Week of January 17, 2026". Billboard . January 17, 2026. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Hot Country Songs: Week of January 17, 2026". Billboard . January 17, 2026. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
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