rowdawg21
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Post by rowdawg21 on Jul 11, 2008 19:49:45 GMT -5
"You Had To Be There" is now registered on Mediabase, so it's safe to say it will be the lead single for Tim's new album. According to ads in Country Aircheck for the last two weeks, the song will be sent out to radio on Tuesday (7/15). I think this is a strong song that should get Tim back to the top 3, and probably #1. The lead singles for Tim's last two studio albums ("Live Like You Were Dying" and "Last Dollar") both hit #1, so I don't see why "You Had To Be There" will be any different. You can watch a live performance of the song here. Lyrics: |
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Jul 11, 2008 20:07:35 GMT -5
Talk about some powerful lyrics. Great song.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Jul 11, 2008 20:35:08 GMT -5
Very powerful stuff. As I listen to the song more, I'm probably going to take some issue with the perspective of the song. But at the same time, there's a lot of poignancy in a flawed or incomplete perspective -- it makes the voice seem more human.
I'm not a huge fan of Tim McGraw's voice, but at his best, there is a really moving honesty in his singing, and this is the kind of song that brings it out.
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DCXfan
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Post by DCXfan on Jul 11, 2008 20:37:42 GMT -5
Wow. Tim hit a home run with this one.
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S4C
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Post by S4C on Jul 11, 2008 20:42:05 GMT -5
I'm not going to listen to the live version, but wow. I really like those lyrics. This could be my favorite single from him since... (goes to Wikipedia...) Dang, probably since "Unbroken."
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Jul 11, 2008 20:42:57 GMT -5
As I listen to the song more, I'm probably going to take some issue with the perspective of the song. I was going to mention that but I would have to write paragraphs to explain it so I decided to pass for now. |
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kw9461
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Post by kw9461 on Jul 11, 2008 20:50:56 GMT -5
Dang, that sounds really good. Those verses are downright poetic, especially given Tim's relationship with his own father. If Tim does the lyrics justice, I see no reason why this shouldn't get him back to #1.
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kim8
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Post by kim8 on Jul 11, 2008 21:08:11 GMT -5
Awesome, glad to hear it's official. I've been hearing about this song for some time now. It seems to have already impressed a lot of people. I hope it does well for him and can't wait to hear the studio version!
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Marv
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Post by Marv on Jul 11, 2008 22:35:51 GMT -5
This is his best single in almost two years, going back to 'My Little Girl'.
It will be enormous at country radio--no doubt about it.
I'd expect it to be #1 by the time the new CD comes out on October 21st.
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ClevelandRox
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Post by ClevelandRox on Jul 12, 2008 0:40:28 GMT -5
Thank GOD Let it Go is DEAD.
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Post by rockingcountry on Jul 12, 2008 14:27:18 GMT -5
Awesome lyrics! This is a guaranteed #1 for Tim!
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dunny1286
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Post by dunny1286 on Jul 13, 2008 7:13:58 GMT -5
cant wait to hear it...is this on tim's label or curb?
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jul 13, 2008 10:02:42 GMT -5
I thought Curb was Tim's own label...  |
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Massikur
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Post by Massikur on Jul 13, 2008 11:34:35 GMT -5
While I have yet to listen to the song, I can already tell that I'll love it. The lyrics are moving and poignant, just overall beautifully written. I look forward to hearing the production of this song. If it's given any justice there will be a nice orchestration to accompany it.
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dunny1286
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Post by dunny1286 on Jul 13, 2008 18:38:44 GMT -5
no, curb is mike curb's label, and i thought that tim deal was up with them after releasing "Let it Go"...tim's own label is stylesonic
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Jul 13, 2008 18:48:02 GMT -5
no, curb is mike curb's label, and i thought that tim deal was up with them after releasing "Let it Go"...tim's own label is stylesonic I know, I was joking. Curb might as well be Tim's label, since he's the only artist they bother to promote. |
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_adriano.
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Post by _adriano. on Jul 13, 2008 19:41:19 GMT -5
This may actually give Just A Dream a run for its money.
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Massikur
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Post by Massikur on Jul 13, 2008 22:36:50 GMT -5
This may actually give Just A Dream a run for its money. You could be right, but I think both songs will hit #1. |
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dunny1286
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Post by dunny1286 on Jul 14, 2008 5:56:04 GMT -5
the title reminds me of that ol lorrie morgan song lol...glad they finally saw the light with "kristofferson" and realized it was a lemon... gets my vote for worst single released in 2008!
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Post by rockingcountry on Jul 14, 2008 6:18:07 GMT -5
I agree. I'm really glad that they realized how bad the single choices were for the last album. It's about time things turned around.
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WotUNeed
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Post by WotUNeed on Jul 14, 2008 9:24:47 GMT -5
Very powerful stuff. As I listen to the song more, I'm probably going to take some issue with the perspective of the song. The implications already rub me the wrong way... ...but... ... there will be a lot of people who will relate positively to this song. So, as much as it offends me, I do appreciate that it will hopefully help and touch someone. I just hope more people feel unlike me than like me. |
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Post by MusicRules on Jul 14, 2008 10:34:40 GMT -5
Killer lyrics! Who wrote it?
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Kyla
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Post by Kyla on Jul 14, 2008 11:30:10 GMT -5
The implications already rub me the wrong way... What do you mean? |
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someguy
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Post by someguy on Jul 14, 2008 11:53:05 GMT -5
I love the lyrics to this one. I'm looking forward to hearing the actual song (as well as the album). I thought that overall Let It Go was stellar (except for the single choices), so I have high expectations for this one.
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kim8
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Post by kim8 on Jul 14, 2008 12:18:14 GMT -5
I have high hopes too. Always look forward to Tim's new CDs. I know he has been singing Southern Voices or something like that in concert and Still. I've heard Still and love it! Haven't heard the other one. By the lyrics to Southern Voices, it sounds like a funny song.
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Post by 43dudleyvillas on Jul 14, 2008 12:25:07 GMT -5
OK, since I was already explaining this in PM, here is what bothers me about the lyrics of this song.
In this song, you have a son abandoned by his birth father and raised by a young single mom. The son grows up to become a criminal and is now in jail. The birth father is attempting to reconnect with his son on reading about his crimes. The son talks to his birth father about the consequences of his abandonment.
The trouble I have with the perspective of the song is the implication that the son would have turned out fine if his father had just been there. It just seems to me that it glibly glosses over the role of the mother and how plenty of single moms manage to raise good, non-criminal kids. Actually, the whole treatment of the mother's role in the chorus (that she wouldn't know how to throw a ball, the implication that all she did was pray that he would turn out OK) is troubling to me. I understand the line about his mother not having the time (to play with him) as a reference to her having to work constantly to make ends meet, but even that's not clear.
I am trying to take it as just a son's perspective, hitting out at his birth father in the context of his abandonment. I don't think the song is an attempted statement on the limitations of a single mother. It's just unfortunate that a powerful song about this moment when a birth father tries to reconnect with his wayward son is marred by an overly simplistic side treatment of how it is growing up in a single parent household. I'm not going to sit here and deny the value of a male role model in a young child's life. It just seems to me that the perspective expressed in this song is flawed.
I'm not sure how distracting that will be to me as I listen to the song more. Nor am I sure whether this issue will be distracting to the audience at large. It's just something that hit me at first impression.
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libby
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Post by libby on Jul 14, 2008 14:09:55 GMT -5
You said earlier “But at the same time, there's a lot of poignancy in a flawed or incomplete perspective -- it makes the voice seem more human.” It may be flawed, but that was what he was feeling at that time. I think the line “He went on like some big hero, who flew in to save the day” sets up the anger. If the father had tried to connect differently, maybe his reaction would have been different. My take on it is this is the first time his father had ever approached him.
Anyways, I love the song.
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DCXfan
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Post by DCXfan on Jul 14, 2008 15:00:09 GMT -5
You said earlier “But at the same time, there's a lot of poignancy in a flawed or incomplete perspective -- it makes the voice seem more human.” It may be flawed, but that was what he was feeling at that time. That's my take on it as well. Dudley is right in that the chorus of the song inherently undervalues the role of the mother, and if it were sung from a third-person point of view, I'd have a problem with it. But with it being told from the standpoint of the kid in jail, I wouldn't expect him to have proper perspective yet. I especially wouldn't expect that in the heat of the moment -- which is what the song is about. Yes, this song overly simplifies a complex issue -- but that's something we all tend to do initially in very emotional situations. The slight logical fallacies amidst the truth of the larger picture make the song more honest and more human, at least to me. |
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sbp17
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Post by sbp17 on Jul 14, 2008 17:08:18 GMT -5
I, too, have a slight issue with the lyrics but for a different, yet related, reason. Mine has to do with accountability. The father certainly bears some (if not a lot) of the responsibility of the boy's current situation and I understand that's the overall message to the song. But there's not even a hint of self-awareness that it was ultimately the boy's own actions that landed him in prison. In fact, the song is not about a 16 year old in a juvenile facility but a 21 year old in prison so he's well past the age where he should understand the consequences of his actions. The many references to what the father should have done seem to overtly send the message that it was his fault that the boy committed the crime.
The lack of personal accountability is less forgiving as the lyrics present a very perceptive young man.
"It's about a teenage girl against the world who was left there high and dry, About a kid who might have stood a whole lot better shot at life, but You had to be there."
That's not a quote from someone who doesn't fully understand right from wrong or the consequences of serious actions.
I still enjoy the song as the underlying message does ring true and I realize it is not so easy to tie up loose ends in a four minute song but from a very personal experience, I wish there was at least a hint of self-acknowledgement of the boy's own contribution to his situation.
As an aside, a fellow poster pointed out a similar flaw in Reba/Kelly's Because Of You that I overlooked because frankly I overlook almost any flaws in Reba's music. That song too seems to focus a little heavy on blame.
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ClevelandRox
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Post by ClevelandRox on Jul 15, 2008 9:13:54 GMT -5
Has the studio leaked yet? It's today, right?
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