Songfacts®:

• "What Could Go Right" is a musical meditation on that most perilous of human endeavors: transitioning from friendship to romance. It is the sound of sweaty palms and nervous laughter, that exquisite tightrope walk between Should we? and What if we ruin everything? The song was inspired by the early days of Thomas Rhett's relationship with his wife Lauren back when they were still navigating the murky waters of "just friends" before upgrading to something more.
• Rhett wrote the song with John Byron (Morgan Wallen's "Last Night," Post Malone's "Pour Me A Drink"), Josh Kerr (Kelsea Ballerini's "Love Me Like You Mean It," Dylan Scott's "My Girl") and Rocky Block (Teddy Swims' "Bad Dreams," Morgan Wallen's "Smile").
  
  "I've tried to write that song a million different times, and it has always come out extremely corny and extremely cheesy," Rhett told Apple Music.
• The song originated with Rhett regaling his fellow writers with the tale of a pivotal night with Lauren - one where both had become newly single and were tiptoeing around the question of Should we try again? (they'd dated a little bit in high school).
  
  "I was telling the guys on the bus this story, and my buddy John is just writing, taking notes, soaking it all in," Rhett recalled. "And I went to go get some food, and I came back, and they had written the verse and the chorus, and they were like, 'Does this do it for you?' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh. It's amazing.'"
• Dann Huff and Josh Kerr produced the song with additional production by Julian Bunetta. Their production has a pop-leaning feel, creating a catchy and upbeat vibe similar to Rhett's earlier work like "Get Me Some of That" and "Craving You."
• Rhett included "What Could Go Right" on his seventh album, About a Woman, released on August 23, 2024. He later teamed up with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Lanie Gardner for a new version.
  
  Rhett first came across Gardner via her viral cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," which sent him down the internet rabbit hole of her original work. He was, in his own words, "an instant fan" and immediately thought, What could that sound like on my song? Gardner soon found herself in the studio laying down vocals for a fresh take on "What Could Go Right," released on March 21, 2025.