Released June 28, 1999 Recorded 1999 Length 3:03 | Format CD Single Genre Country Label Curb | |
"Something Like That" is a song written by Rick Ferrell and Keith Follesé, and performed by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in June 1999 as the second single from McGraw's album A Place in the Sun. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart. It also reached number one on the Canadian RPM Country Singles and peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit. According to Nielsen BDS, the song was the top-played radio single in any musical genre in the 2000s with 487,343 spins from January 1, 2000, to December 17, 2009.
Contents
Concept
The song recounts the narrator’s youthful experience of falling in love for the very first time at age seventeen. The man sees a woman at a county fair on Labor Day weekend when he is seventeen, and then five years later, sees her on a plane, while the man is heading to Mardi Gras. The bridge talks about how a love can never go away no matter how long the two people are apart.
Critical reception
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A grade, saying that "through its vivid, detail-laden approach, the lyric effectively hones [sic] in on the fact that the experience of one’s first love is, in itself, unforgettable." He goes on to say that the point of the song "is driven home by a sprightly piano hook, toe-tapping rhythm, and wildly catchy singalong-friendly chorus – a one-two punch that helps the record make an impression both as a great lyric and as a fun, catchy listen."
Music video
This was the first video to be directed by Scott Scovill. It features McGraw during his 1999 tour. This was also McGraw's last video, until 2001's "The Cowboy In Me," which was also shot on tour.
Chart performance
"Something Like That" re-entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks as an official single at number 68 for the week of July 3, 1999.