Blake Shelton is no stranger to heartfelt country songs, but his latest track may be the most emotionally intense of his career—and possibly the most medically alarming.
“Let Him In Anyway,” an unreleased cut from Shelton’s upcoming album For Recreational Use Only, has already left a trail of tears—and one emergency hospital visit—before its official debut.
Written by a powerhouse team including Hardy, Zach Abend, Kyle Clark, and Carson Wallace, the song tackles a deeply spiritual and emotional subject: grappling with the loss of a loved one who may not have lived a perfect life, and praying for divine mercy anyway. The lyrics, raw and unflinching, offer a plea that’s resonated with nearly everyone who’s heard it:
“Hey, God / I know you know what I’m ’bout to pray, God / I just had to suck it up and say goodbye to my best friend / And I don’t ever wanna never see him again / And I know the only way to get in is through you / And he wasn’t quite the Christian he was supposed to be / And Lord, it ain’t my place / But could you let him in anyway?”
Shelton’s wife, Gwen Stefani, had a visceral reaction when she first heard the song—one so powerful it threatened to ruin her evening makeup. “She cried the first time she heard it,” said Jon Loba, President of Frontline Recordings North America. “Then she played it again and cried. Then again. Blake had to tell her, ‘Sweetie, you gotta get yourself together. We gotta go to this event.’”
But the song’s most dramatic impact was on Chris Oglesby, Sr. VP of Creative at BMG, who heard it just weeks after delivering a eulogy for his brother-in-law. Knowing Oglesby had been struggling, Loba played the track for him privately.
“He starts to bawl his eyes out,” Loba recalled. “I bawl my eyes out. He says thank you and leaves.”
Minutes later, Oglesby returned to hear the song again during another listening session. But mid-way through, he abruptly stood up and left. What initially seemed like an emotional overload turned out to be far more serious.
Soon after, Loba got word from a colleague: Oglesby was driving himself to the hospital, convinced he was having a heart attack.
“He planned to go to Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown but had to stop at Vanderbilt University Medical Center instead,” Loba said. “Turns out, he was having a heart attack. They put in two stents, and two weeks later, they added two more.”
Oglesby later admitted he’d felt some minor heart flutters earlier in the week, but said it was the overwhelming emotional weight of the song that tipped him over the edge.
Fortunately, Oglesby is now on the mend—and feeling better than ever. Loba quipped that Shelton and the team behind the track were “almost brought up on murder charges.”
As for the song, its resonance only continues to grow. Before it’s even hit streaming platforms, “Let Him In Anyway” has proven that country music can still touch the soul—and, in rare cases, shake it to its very core.
Blake Shelton’s For Recreational Use Only is set to release later this year. But one thing’s already certain: it won’t be a record anyone forgets.
