It’s hard to remember a time before Kenny Chesney dominated the country airwaves. The East Tennessee native has come a long way since performing for free enchiladas in the ’90s. Chesney’s crossover abilities are a major contributor to his staying power. That all started with “How Forever Feels,” the lead single from his 1999 album Everywhere We Go. The track peaked at No. 27 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, making it Chesney’s first successful pop crossover hit. It’s only been up from there.
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However, fans may not know that Chesney almost missed out on recording the song at all.
Kenny Chesney Only Recorded “How Forever Feels” After Tim McGraw Decided Not To
Wendell Mobley and Tony Mullins wrote “How Forever Feels,” about a young man who has lived a great life, but eventually realizes he wants to find a lover to spend the rest of that life with.
In a 1999 interview with Billboard magazine, the “When the Sun Goes Down” singer said he almost didn’t get to release the song.
Chesney knew immediately he wanted to cut the track because “it’s the only love song I know of that has both Jimmy Buffett and Richard Petty in it.”
However, Tim McGraw had gotten to it first. Fortunately for Chesney, the “Live Like You Were Dying” singer decided not to release his version.
Even after Chesney’s version topped the country charts, McGraw didn’t regret his decision. “I’m glad you cut it. It just didn’t work for me,” he told Chesney.
Kenny Chesney is Still Going Strong
Chesney, 56, recently dropped his 19th studio album, Born, Friday (March 22.) The album was four years in the making, as the four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year took advantage of the downtime offered by the 2020 pandemic.
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“The process wasn’t so focused on ‘We’re making a record.’ Instead, I could go in and cut songs just because I loved them and not think about how they would fit on the record,” Chesney told Holler. “To record stuff for the sake of loving the song, or thinking the arrangement would be cool, is a pretty great freedom to have. It’s rare, even when you’re starting out, so I decided to really lean into that notion.”
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