Virtually everything that Diane Warren touches turns to gold, and “How Do I Live” is no exception. Pitched for the 1997 action thriller Con Air, the country-pop ballad did have a unique chart journey, however. On this day (June 14) in 1997, two of ’90s country’s hottest “it” girls—Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes—each debuted their own distinct renderings of “How Do I Live” on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. And so began an unprecedented chart battle—of which many deemed Yearwood the victor, despite Rimes’ historic run.
How Did Trisha Yearwood and LeAnn Rimes End Up Recording the Same Song?
According to a September 1997 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Trisha Yearwood didn’t exactly relish going head-to-head on the charts with LeAnn Rimes, then a 14-year-old rising ingenue.
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“I would not have chosen to go up against LeAnn Rimes,” she said.
Rimes was the first to record “How Do I Live” for the Con Air soundtrack. However, producers ultimately decided they preferred a more mature voice, so they brought in Yearwood, then 32.
Unaware that producers were considering releasing Rimes’ version as a single, Yearwood gladly took it on. During a later tour of Europe, the “X’s and O’s” singer was bewildered to learn that the teenager had released a video for “How Do I Live”.
“The Nashville rule is, if somebody has a song on hold, you don’t record it,” Yearwood said. “There’s this kind of gentlemen’s agreement that if somebody has it, you don’t mess with it… Then our version comes out, and it’s like it becomes this big battle between record labels.”
Head-to-Head Competition
LeAnn Rimes’ version, released by Curb Records, became a massive crossover hit, spending an astonishing 69 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two.
At the time, Rimes set a record for the longest chart run in Hot 100 history at the time. No song spent more time on the all-genre chart until Jason Mraz eclipsed the mark with “I’m Yours” in 2009.
Still, Trisha Yearwood’s version, recorded with MCA Nasvhille, far outpaced Rimes’ on country radio. Despite its rapid ascent on the pop charts, MCA refused to issue further copies of the single, citing fear of cannibalizing album sales.
[RELATED: The Bizarre Reason Why Diane Warren Almost Always Writes by Herself]
As a result, Yearwood’s rendition sold out quickly, booting it from the Hot 100 after 12 weeks. However, it continued to thrive on country radio, peaking at number two. She would also win the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Although Yearwood would have preferred not to get involved in the chart competition, both women left their own personal mark on “How Do I Live”.
Billboard praised Rimes’ “youthful exuberance and wide-eyed innocence,” whereas Yearwood brought “passion and subtle nuances” to the song.
Featured image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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