Released July 13, 2009 Genre Alternative rock Label RCA | Format Digital download Length 3:54 | |
Writer(s) Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, Dave Matthews, LeRoi Moore, Tim Reynolds, Boyd Tinsley | ||
"Why I Am" is the second single from American rock band Dave Matthews Band's album Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King. It hit radio stations on July 27, 2009. The song is a tribute to former band member LeRoi Moore, who died on August 19, 2008. The song discusses death and the urgency of living. It was written before Moore's death and features his playing on it.
The song debuted live on April 14, 2009 at Madison Square Garden, alongside two other album songs, "Funny the Way It Is" (the first single) and "Spaceman". The song was performed by the band on The Today Show, Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Austin City Limits and Ellen, as well as Fuse Presents..., a show on the US television channel Fuse, which occurred on the same day as the release of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King (June 2, 2009).
The song has so far charted at number 6 on the Triple A chart and number 34 on the Rock Songs chart.
A music video for the song was recorded live in London, England and made its American debut on August 14, 2009 via MySpace.