SONG PREMIERE: Florence Dore Poetically Explores What Could’ve Been On “The Worst Mistake I Never Made”

Florence Dore has lived many lives throughout her musical career. While crafting her signature country-rock and cementing her place in the burgeoning contemporary scene as a thriving member of punk, rock, and country bands alike, Dore was earning a doctorate in American Literature. Her academic explorations of some of the best writers in history should come as no surprise, as the multi-faceted artist has proven to have an empathetic penchant for storytelling on albums like her 2000 debut, Perfect City, and 2022’s Highways & Rocketships. Being the busy-body she is, every new release from Dore feels like a celebration, another chance to enter into the mind of an educated songwriter with an innate ability to hone complex emotions into digestible, dusty slices of twangy rock, and that’s exactly what she’s aiming to do on Hold The Spark, her long-awaited third album, set for release on May 1. 

Before we all bask in the glory of Dore’s poetry in its entirety, the acclaimed artist explores what could have been on “The Worst Mistake I Never Made,” the final single before Hold The Spark. It’s one thing to look at yourself in the mirror and accept your flaws. Still, Dore takes it one step further, living with the ever-stinging regret of not appreciating the moment, of failing to express yourself when you needed to the most, and of watching someone you love suffer the consequences. Glide is proud to host the world premiere of “The Worst Mistake I Never Made,” which can be heard for the first time below. 

“When I was a young songwriter, I used to think you had to write songs about broken hearts. So I just kept having one disastrous relationship after another, which was great — for writing. Not so great for my life,” explains Dore when asked about her latest single. “When I finally settled down (I’ve been happily married to my drummer for more than twenty years), I realized you could write about other things: other people’s disastrous relationships, other aspects of life, and, actually, emotional scenarios invented from creating characters who have nothing to do with me.” That’s the kind of transportive magic held on “The Worst Mistake I Never Made.” The vibrant storytelling highlights the visceral nature of love and all the unavoidable pitfalls that come with a false sense of it. 

“I built the story around a line, and it ended up being about regret. I woke up hearing ‘the worst mistake I never made’ and thought it sounded like a good song line, continues Dore. “The story came easily because the line was strong, I think—someone who regrets not having a love affair in their youth. When I was opening for Steve Earle in Wisconsin a couple of years ago, his manager, Danny Goldberg, found me after I performed and said (of “Worst Mistake”), ‘That’s a great song.’ There’s a guy who’s heard a lot of songs and who must surely find it difficult to care about many new ones, so that made me feel pretty proud.” 

The long-awaited release of Hold The Spark is right around the corner, and Dore delivers one more reason to be excited about this LP. “Worst Mistake I Never Made” fascinates with the possibilities it explores, and further proves Dore as an imaginative, poetic songwriter and a vital part of contemporary country.