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Tim McGraw

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"Tim McGraw" is the first track from American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's self-titled debut studio album, Taylor Swift, released on June 19, 2006, through Big Machine Records, as well as Swift's debut single.

Background[]

The idea for the song came to Taylor during math class. Sitting in her math class she just started to sing to herself "When you think Tim McGraw" over and over. Soon after she left the classroom and recorded a voice memo about the song. After school she went downtown with her co-writer Liz Rose, sat down at the piano and they had finished the song within 15 minutes. The song was also created with the help of her friend in her class named Ariana Ginett.

Swift initially titled the track "When You Think Tim McGraw", a decision that Rose considered "weird" but also "bold".[1] She approached the producer Nathan Chapman to record the song. Chapman had produced demos for other artists in Nashville, and his studio was a converted one-car garage at the back of the Sony/ATV offices.[2] He said that when Swift first played the song to him, he was astonished by the emotional engagement and thought of the song as a refreshing way to depict a romance between two people. He arranged the instruments, played both acoustic and electric guitars, and sang background vocals; other instruments recorded for "Tim McGraw" include fiddle, mandolin, bass guitar, Dobro guitar, and drums.

The track had the inicial piano demo worktape leaked online and the first demo produced by Nathan Chapman. It has a different lyrics on the end of the chorus, where she says "When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think me" without the of in the final version.

"The song means so much to me and that's why we wanted it to be the first track on the album," Swift said. In a meeting that Swift had with Big Machine's head Scott Borchetta to discuss which songs would be featured on her debut album, she performed "Tim McGraw" for Borchetta on ukulele. As soon as Swift finished singing it, Borchetta decided that it would be her first single.[3] He suggested that Swift rename it "Tim McGraw", deeming it a move that could make fans of McGrawā€”a contemporary country "superstar"ā€”immediately become curious in her name.[4] Swift initially did not believe that "Tim McGraw" was an appropriate choice for a single, but she retrospectively reflected that it was a right decision.[5]

Theme and Lyricism[]

In in interview for AskMen,com, Swift said:[6]

ā€œ I wrote the song in my freshman year of high school. I was dating a guy who was about to go off to college. I knew we were going to break up so I started thinking of all the things that I knew would remind him of me. Surprisingly, the first thing that came to mind was that my favorite country artist is Tim McGraw. ā€

The song is centered on a summer romance is actually about her boyfriend, Drew Dunlap, who moved away. Swift said that when the subject of "Tim McGraw" learned about the song, he thought it was "cool" and kept his friendship with her despite their breakup.[7]

Hidden Message[]

The hidden message in the lyrics on the booklet of the CD for this song, is "Can't tell me nothin'", referencing Taylor's favorite song by the titular singer Tim McGraw.

Release[]

Big Machine released "Tim McGraw" to country radio in the United States on June 19, 2006.[8] It is first on the track listing of Taylor Swift, released on October 24, 2006. After the 2019 dispute regarding the ownership of Swift's albums that Big Machine had released, "Tim McGraw" was reissued on 7-inch vinyl by Big Machine on August 16, 2019.[9]

To promote the single, Swift spent mid-2006 sending promotional copies of "Tim McGraw" to country radio stations across the United States: "With every envelope that I would seal I would look at the address and the station on there and think, 'Please, please just listen to this one time.'"[10] She also encouraged her fans via Myspace to request their local radio stations to play the song.[11] She also encouraged her fans via Myspace to request their local radio stations to play the song.[12]

In a 2021 interview with Apple Music, McGraw said that he initially had some reservations about the song ("Have I gotten to that age now to where they're singing songs about me? Does that mean I've jumped the shark a bit?"), but he ultimately enjoyed it and became friends with Swift.[13]

Commercial Performance[]

In the United States, "Tim McGraw" debuted at number 60 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated July 1, 2006.[14] It reached the top 10 of Hot Country Songs by December 2006 and peaked at number six on the chart dated January 27, 2007.[15][16] On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single debuted at number 86 on the issue dated September 26, 2006, peaked at number 40 on January 13, 2007, and spent 20 weeks.[17][18] It was one of the Award-Winning Songs at the 2007 Country Awards by Broadcast Music, Inc., which honored the most-played country songs on United States television and airplay of the year.[19] The single had sold 1.6 million digital copies by November 2017[20] and was certified double platinum, for surpassing two million units based on sales and streaming, by the Recording Industry Association of America in March 2020.[21] Elsewhere, the single peaked at number 10 on the Canada Country chart[22] and has been certified gold in Australia.[23]

Critical Reception[]

Music critics generally praised "Tim McGraw" as a solid debut single. There were positive comments regarding the production: Rob Sheffield of Blender wrote that the song "hit [...] hard" because of Swift's "personality and poise",[24] and Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine highlighted its "massive pop hooks".[25] Multiple critics praised Swift's vocals; Jeff Tamarkin of AllMusic considered them both girlish and mature,[26] and Keith Groller of The Morning Call deemed Swift's voice youthful but also a "good fit" for the melancholy and reflective sentiments of the subject matter.[27] Roger Holland of PopMatters said that its "suitably twangy and atmospheric" qualities made it comparable to "some of the best country singles of recent years", but he said the title "causes [him] to break out in hives from time to time".[28]

The lyrics also received positive reviews for their nostalgic sentiments. Jon Bream of the Star Tribune hailed the song as "an ingenious way of mixing a clever hook with believable sentiment"[29] and included the song in his list of the "12 singles that made me turn up the radio".[30] Tamarkin thought that associating a musician like McGraw with lost romance was a familiar songwriting device, but Swift managed to make it sound original and considered it a successful hook.[31] The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley contended that the vulnerability portrayed made the song relatable.[32] Rolling Stone selected the track as an example of Swift's early success for "sounding bright-eyed but remarkably seasoned".[33]

Multiple critics have considered "Tim McGraw" a blueprint for Swift's songwriting about lost love, romantic longing, and nostalgia, which came to define much of her artistry.[34] In this regard, the communication scholar Keith Nainby considered "Tim McGraw" her signature song. Some reviews have commented that the title was an ingenious move for Swift to attract early attention from country music fans.[35] Rolling Stone featured "Tim McGraw" in two of its all-time rankings: "100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time" (2020), on which "Tim McGraw" is ranked at number 11,[36] and "200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time" (2024), on which the song is ranked at number 124.[37]

Music video[]

The accompanying music video for "Tim McGraw" was directed by Trey Fanjoy.[38] In regards to the video's concept, Swift stated, "It deals with the haunting power of music and how hearing a song years after it was first popular can have such an emotional appeal."[39] Clayton Collins portrayed Swift's love interest in the music video. He was cast because of his physical resemblance to the real subject of the song, in that they were both tall with dark hair.[40] The video begins with Swift, dressed by a white sundress, as she lies on the grass of a lake-bed and holds a transistor radio. Suddenly, the setting is switched to Collins as he drives a white and orange 1970 Chevrolet CST-10. He then turns his radio on and ceases driving, coming to a complete stop on a road. As Collins facial expressions become more serious, he flashbacks to memories with Swift. Swift and Collins are seen frolicking in a field, lying beside another on the back of Collins' CST-10, staring at the stars together, holding hands as they walk, and slow dancing. When the song is in its final chorus, Collins arrives at a wooden cabin in his pick-up truck. He runs up the staircase to discover an enveloped letter next to the door. He then sits on the staircase, opens the envelope, and reads the letter. The video transcends towards Swift playing an acoustic guitar as she leans against the wooden cabin. Cut-scenes feature Swift lying on the lake-bed and performing with a guitar next to the wooden cabin. The video concludes with Swift, once again, lying on the initial setting.

The video premiered on July 22, 2006, on Great American Country. The video received a nomination for "Number One Streamed Video From a New Artist (Rookie of the Year Award)" at the web-hosted 2006 CMT Online Awards, but lost to Lindsey Haun's video for "Broken".[41] At the 2007 CMT Music Awards, the video won the CMT Music Award for "Breakthrough Video of the Year".[42] To date, the video has over 44 million views on YouTube.

Gallery[]

Alternate versions[]

On the album version of the song, the first stanzas are sung a second time at the end; the radio edit ends after the last chorus.

The line "Someday, you'll turn your radio on" in the final chorus was altered in some markets, with "your radio" being replaced with either the name of the radio station or some popular show or host featured on that station. A similar change was made for the song on Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40, a radio countdown show, wherein the line was altered to "And turn the Bob Kingsley Countdown on." When Swift performed at Wembley Arena in 2009, she changed these lyrics to "Turn London radio on."

Audio[]

<spotify uri="https://open.spotify.com/track/5snvk8cRgAg1AoR8o0cIcA" height="80" width="300">

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
He said the way my blue eyes shined
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said, "That's a lie"
Just a boy in a Chevy truck
That had a tendency of getting stuck
On backroads at night

[Pre-Chorus 1]
 And I was right there beside him all summer long
And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone

[Chorus]
But when you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
The moon, like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
Think of my head on your chest
And my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me

[Verse 2]
September saw a month of tears
And thankin' God that you weren't here
To see me like that
But in a box beneath my bed
Is a letter that you never read
From three summer's back

[Pre-Chorus 2]
 It's hard not to find it all a little bittersweet
And looking back on all of that, it's nice to believe

[Chorus]
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
The moon, like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
Think of my head on your chest
And my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me

[Bridge]
And I'm back for the first time since then
I'm standing on your street
And there's a letter left on your doorstep
And the first thing that you'll read is
"When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think my favorite song
Someday, you'll turn your radio on
I hope it takes you back to that place"

[Chorus]
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
Think of my head on your chest
And my old faded blue jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me
Oh, think of me, mmm

[Outro]
He said the way my blue eyes shine
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said, "That's a lie"

Note: Lyrical changes between versions have been italicized.

[Verse 1]
You said the way my blue eyes shined
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said, "That's a lie"
Just a boy in a pickup truck
That had a funny way of getting stuck
On backroads at night

[Pre-Chorus 1]
I was right there beside you all summer long
Then, in time, we woke up to find that summer gone

[Chorus]
When you think Tim McGraw
Hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
The moon, like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
The one you said you liked best
Next to my old faded pair of jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me

[Verse 2]
September saw a month of tears
Thanking God that you weren't here
To see me like that
In a box beneath my bed
Sits a letter that you never read
From three summer's back

[Pre-Chorus 2]
It's hard not to find it all bittersweet
But looking back on all of that, it's nice to believe

[Chorus]
When you think Tim McGraw
Hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
The moon, like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
The one you said you liked best
Next to my old faded pair of jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me

[Bridge]
Been back a couple times since then
And I didn't look you up
But some trains you can't catch again
You gotta leave it as it was

[Chorus]
But when you think Tim McGraw
Hope you think my favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
The moon, like a spotlight on the lake
When you think happiness
I hope you think that little, black dress
The one you said you liked best
Next to my old faded pair of jeans
When you think Tim McGraw
When you think Tim McGraw
When you think Tim McGraw
I hope you think of me

[Outro]
You said the way my blue eyes shined
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night
I said, "That's a lie"

Live performances[]

"Tim McGraw" was performed many times while Swift was promoting her debut album and was on the main setlist for the Fearless Tour. On August 25, 2018, on the Reputation Stadium Tour, Swift performed the song with special guests Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. It was also performed thrice as an Eras Tour surprise song: once on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona, once on March 9, 2024, in Singapore, mashed-up with "cowboy like me", and once on October 18, 2024, in Miami, Florida, mashed-up with ā€œTimelessā€.

Taymoji pack[]

Expand/collapse gallery

Chart performance[]

The song debuted at #60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and spent 26 weeks on the chart before reaching a peak of #6.[43] The song also peaked at #40 on the Hot 100 chart, the first of thirteen consecutive top forty hits as well as the first of her twenty charted hits in the last three years.

Chart (2006-2007) Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs 6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 40
Canadian Radio & Records Country Singles 10

Awards and nominations[]

"Tim McGraw" received two awards in 2007.

Year Organization Award Result
2007 BMI Country Awards Award-Winning Songs Won
CMT Music Awards Breakthrough Video of the Year Won

Physical copies[]

References[]

  1. ā†‘ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/06/16/taylor-swifts-first-song-came-out-10-years-ago-heres-what-she-was-like-as-a-teen-songwriter/
  2. ā†‘ https://ew.com/article/2016/06/19/taylor-swift-tim-mcgraw-turns-10/
  3. ā†‘ Parvis, Sarah (September 15, 2009). Taylor Swift. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
  4. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-debut-album-scott-borchetta-anniversary/
  5. ā†‘ http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/taylorswift123.htm
  6. ā†‘ Taylor Swift at Ask Men.com
  7. ā†‘ https://archive.today/20070430152030/http://blogs.gactv.com/gactv/asktheartist/2007/02/the_ex_files.html
  8. ā†‘ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2006/RR-2006-06-16.pdf
  9. ā†‘ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/big-machine-releases-taylor-swifts-early-singles-vinyl-1223707/
  10. ā†‘ https://books.google.com/books?id=xGl78gyjknMC&pg=RA3-PA19
  11. ā†‘ Ford, Jessica; Macrossan, Phoebe (December 24, 2024). "'I Work Hard and I'm Nice to People': Taylor Swift, Miss Americana and the Limits of White Neoliberal Feminism".
  12. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20210117165601/https://ew.com/article/2008/02/05/taylor-swifts-road-fame/
  13. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/music/country/tim-mcgraw-taylor-swift-song-named-after-him-reaction-9514440/
  14. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-100-hits-hot-country-songs-chart-1235374294/
  15. ā†‘ Jessen, Wade (December 16, 2006). "Swift Makes News; Flatts Makes History". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 50. p. 55. ProQuest 227227280.
  16. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20250329040808/https://www.billboard.com/pro/taylor-swift-20-hot-country-songs-top-10-babe/
  17. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-taylor-swift-songs-top-100-hits/tim-mcgraw-3/
  18. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/photos/taylor-swift-career-timeline-photo-gallery/1-june-19-2006/
  19. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20160818175221/http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/535640
  20. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20180617021341/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8046939/taylor-swift-career-album-song-sales-ask-billboard
  21. ā†‘ https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Taylor+Swift&ti=Tim+McGraw&format=Single&type=#search_section
  22. ā†‘ https://www.billboard.com/artist/Taylor-Swift/chart-history/CCW
  23. ā†‘ https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/orr9fphn3kyhykimwm11l/AMdhOf4iGEmYJ6OQbGyumAE/2024%20Accreditations%20-%20Singles.pdf?rlkey=b5et6u9n5p7f3gkxgmqhivbyf
  24. ā†‘ http://www.blender.com/guide/new/55348/fearless.html
  25. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20131029215534/http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/taylor-swift-fearless/1574
  26. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20101018051613/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r860523
  27. ā†‘ Groller, Keith (January 27, 2007). "Taylor Swift: Taylor Swift". The Morning Call. p. D6. ProQuest 393303166.
  28. ā†‘ https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/taylor-swift-taylor-swift/
  29. ā†‘ Bream, Jon (September 17, 2006). "Country Class of '06". Star Tribune. p. 12F. ProQuest 427826153.
  30. ā†‘ Bream, Jon (December 31, 2006). "Pop Music: 2006 in Review". Star Tribune. p. 7F. ProQuest 427843224.
  31. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20101018051613/http://www.allmusic.com/album/r860523
  32. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20211025150234/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/08/12/best-taylor-swift-singles-ever-far/31478033/
  33. ā†‘ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/taylor-swift/albumguide
  34. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20190819061344/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-taylor-swift/
  35. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20221101023643/https://www.vulture.com/article/all-taylor-swift-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html
  36. ā†‘ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/greatest-debut-songs-singles-990470/
  37. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20240524163434/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-country-songs-1234986540/taylor-swift-tim-mcgraw-2-1235009165/
  38. ā†‘ http://www.cmt.com/videos/taylor-swift/99319/tim-mcgraw.jhtml
  39. ā†‘ http://www.gactv.com/gac/ab_press_releases/article/0,,GAC_26089_4866468,00.html
  40. ā†‘ https://web.archive.org/web/20070707225305/http://blogs.gactv.com/gactv/asktheartist/2007/02/antiboyfriend_s.html
  41. ā†‘ http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cmt-online-awards/2006/nominees/
  42. ā†‘ http://www.cmt.com/microsites/cmt-music-awards/archives/2007.jhtml
  43. ā†‘ Tim Mcgraw chart information on billboard.com
Taylor Swift
"Tim McGraw" ā€¢ "Picture To Burn" ā€¢ "Teardrops On My Guitar" ā€¢ "A Place in this World" ā€¢ "Cold As You" ā€¢ "The Outside" ā€¢ "Tied Together with a Smile" ā€¢ "Stay Beautiful" ā€¢ "Should've Said No" ā€¢ "Mary's Song (Oh My My My)" ā€¢ "Our Song"
Deluxe Edition
"I'm Only Me When I'm With You" ā€¢ "Invisible" ā€¢ "A Perfectly Good Heart" ā€¢ "Teardrops On My Guitar" (Pop version)
EspaƱol
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