20 Years Ago, Keith Urban Released a Record-Setting Hit That He Wrote for Nicole Kidman

On August 2) in 2006, Keith Urban released “Once in a Lifetime” as the lead single from his album Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing. On September 2, it debuted at No. 17 on the Hot Country Songs chart, setting a new chart record. A little more than a month later, it peaked at No. 6.

Before Urban released “Once in a Lifetime,” Garth Brooks and Eddie Rabbit were tied for the record of highest-debuting single. Rabbit’s “Every Which Way but Loose” set the record in 1978 when it debuted at No. 18. Then, in October 2005, Garth Brooks tied that record with “Good Ride Cowboy.”

Urban didn’t hold the record for long. In September 2007, Kenny Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” peaked at No. 16. Then, a week later, Brooks’ “More Than a Memory” became the first song in chart history to debut at No. 1.

“Once in a Lifetime” Was a Special Song for Keith Urban

Keith Urban co-wrote the record-setting single with John Shanks. According to Songfacts, a conversation with his then-fiancée Nicole Kidman inspired the lyrics.

“Nic was getting very nervous about marrying me,” Urban recalled. “She was saying things like, ‘It’s a long shot,’ but I knew she loved me and was just nervous. I did everything I could to remind her that I was going to be her man forever,” he added. The next day, he sat down and wrote “Once in a Lifetime.”

The song is a declaration of devotion. Lines like “I know that you’re scared / But you’ve never been this loved,” and “I know we have a once in a lifetime love” illustrate the spirit of the single.

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They tied the knot in June 2006, months before he released the song. Their divorce was finalized earlier this year, just a few months shy of their 20^th anniversary.

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