It’s no secret that Tim McGraw is one of the most recognizable stars in country music. The icon broke into the music scene with the single “Indian Outlaw,” which secured No. 8 on the charts. However, his second track, “Don’t Take the Girl,” put his name on the map back in 1994, when he reached No. 1 on the “Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart” for the very first time. Little did the rising star know that this was just the start of his successful career as a musician.
The Country superstar appeared on the latest episode of Essentials Radio on Apple Music to reflect on some of the most meaningful songs and moments of his career.
“Don’t Take The Girl” – 1994
McGraw turned back time to kick off the interview and brought to light the power of releasing “Don’t Take the Girl” after his groundbreaking single “Indian Outlaw.”
“To have “Indian Outlaw” come out and do well, but to also be sort of a novelty kind of song. Who knows what people are going to think of you after doing a song like that? What kind of artist are you going to be,” McGraw told Alecia Davis from Apple Music.
“To have that song come second, right behind “Indian outlaw,” I think just that one-two punch, and that juxtaposition of those two songs, I think, really made my career, put my career on a path that ended up where it’s at,” ge adds.
Craig Martin, Larry Johnson wrote this heartfelt track about two young lovers going through life together, and of course, McGraw recorded the vocals. While reaching max success with the single, the album Not a Moment Too Soon, which includes “Don’t Take The Girl,” became the best-selling country album of the year and received an ACM for “Album of The Year” as well.
“Where The Green Grass Grows” – 1997
In every genre of music, there are songs that are considered “timeless,” Tim McGraw’s single “Where The Green Grass Grows” from his Everywhere album falls into this specific category.
“I can’t recall a time that it wasn’t in my setlist. I can’t imagine a time that it won’t be in my setlist,” the country icon said. “The cool thing is, that song was recorded 20 to 25 years ago…1997… and you see teenage kids just know every word to it, and that’s pretty gratifying for an artist.”
“Highway Don’t Care” at the ACMs With Taylor Swift and Keith Urban – 2013
As fans of Tim McGraw, we have seen him do some unforgettable collaborations with several different artists throughout the years. For instance, Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Kenny Chesney, and even his wife, Faith Hill. However, his outstanding “Highway Don’t Care” performance at the 2013 ACMs with Keith Urban and Taylor Swift still goes down in country music history.
The chilling performance included McGraw center stage, Swift on the chorus, and the one and only Keith Urban breaking it down on the guitar.
“Keith Urban playing the guitar on that; I mean, he just absolutely ripped the face off of it on the lead guitar,” shared McGraw. “I was just thrilled to have those guys on stage with me and to do that song.”
“Highway Don’t Care” was penned by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear, Brad and Brett Warren. Along with the legendary performance, the single swept the award show by winning “Collaborative Single of the Year,” “Collaborative Video of the Year,” and the “Songwriters Award.”
Tim McGraw Tells Apple Music About Taylor Swift
During the interview with Apple Music, Tim McGraw proves that he is indeed a “Swifty.” In the early 2000s, Taylor Swift embarked on the Soul2Soul Tour with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Swift opened for the lovely couple, and she immediately blew them away with her acoustic guitar and outstanding stage presence.
“I think that she has such a unique way of connecting with her audience, and her songwriting ability and her intuition is just so incredible,” McGraw said. “I just think she’s one of the greatest artists to come along in a long time.”
While we only highlighted certain milestones in his music career, we want to know your favorite Tim McGraw memory, song, or even album.
Let us know how much you love Tim McGraw’s music by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @CS_Country.
