Country artists often put a lot of thought into which songs they release as singles, and which ones are meant to just be on a country album. But sometimes, songs take on a life of their own, regardless of the artist’s intention.
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These three country album cuts all went on to become accidental hits at country radio.
“If You’re Reading This” by Tim McGraw
“If You’re Reading This” is on Tim McGraw’s Let It Go album. The song is written by McGraw, along with Brad Warren and Brett Warren, better known as the Warren Brothers. “If You’re Reading This” is written from the perspective of a soldier, who didn’t make it home from war.
The song says, “If you’re reading this, my Momma’s sitting there / Looks like I only got a one-way ticket over here / Sure wish I could give you one more kiss / And war was just a game we played when we were kids / I’m laying down my gun/ I’m hanging up boots / I’m up here with God and we’re both watching over you / So lay me down / In that open field out on the edge of town / And know my soul / Is where my momma always prayed / That it would go / And if you’re reading this / I’m already home.“
McGraw performed “If You’re Reading This” on the ACM Awards, joined by 100 soldiers. Although he did not intend to release it as a single, a live version of the song began playing a recording of McGraw’s performance during the ACM Awards. After the song hit the Top 40, McGraw decided to release the song as a single, becoming a Top 5 hit for him.
“The Big Revival” by Kenny Chesney
“The Big Revival” is the title track of Kenny Chesney’s 16th studio album. Out in 2014, “The Big Revival” is written by Dennis Linde.
The song says, “Get ready for the big revival / Everybody get in the van / There’s a little church on Eagle Mountain / It’s called The Blood of the Blessed Land / If your faith ain’t strong enough, child, you might wind up dead / Praise the Lord and pass me a Copperhead.”
“The Big Revival” is the first song on the record, an intentional decision by Chesney.
“The philosophy behind putting ‘The Big Revival’ first was to set a tone,” Chesney says (via Songfacts). “There’s things about religion that I don’t necessarily agree with or understand, but I’m a big believer in spirituality — I’ve seen songs change people, and that’s spiritual.”
Although never released as an official single, “The Big Revival” became a Top 30 single for Chesney.
“Maggie’s Song” by Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton includes “Maggie’s Song” on his 2020 Starting Over record. Written by Stapleton, the song is about his sweet dog, Maggie, who passed away.
“Maggie’s Song” says, “She put her head on my hand / Like she’d done so many times / I told her she was a good dog / Then I told her goodbye / Run, Maggie, run / With the heart of a rebel child / Oh, run, Maggie, run / Be just as free as you are wild.”
Although never released as a single, “Maggie’s Song” became a Top 10 hit for Stapleton.
Photo by John Shearer/WireImage
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