| "Live Like You Were Dying" | ||||
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| Single by Tim McGraw | ||||
| from the album Live Like You Were Dying | ||||
| B-side | "Just Be Your Tear" | |||
| Released | June 7, 2004 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Recorded | January 2004 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:58 (Album Version) 4:28 (Radio Mix) |
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| Label | Curb | |||
| Writer(s) | Tim Nichols Craig Wiseman |
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| Producer | Byron Gallimore Tim McGraw |
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| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Tim McGraw singles chronology | ||||
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"Live Like You Were Dying" is a song written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman and performed by American country music artist Tim McGraw. The song appears on his Live Like You Were Dying album. It reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard country music charts, and held that position for a total of seven weeks. In addition, it was named as the Number One country song of 2004 by Billboard. The music video, directed by Sherman Halsey was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards.
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"Live Like You Were Dying" tells the story of a man in his early forties who gets the news that his father has an unspecified, life threatening illness. His father's message is to live life to the fullest and do things that he had always wanted to do, such as skydiving, mountain climbing, fishing, and bull riding. He also says that he became a better husband and friend. McGraw then switches perspective to himself, talking about how going fishing with his dad stopped being an imposition and how he finally, after reading the Bible, took a long hard look back over his life and took his father's advice by going skydiving, mountain climbing, and bull riding.
This song is associated with McGraw's father, Tug McGraw, who was hospitalized with a brain tumor on March 12, 2003. It was revealed that he had cancer. He was given three weeks to live by the doctors, but survived nine months. He died on January 5, 2004.[1]
The music video features Tim McGraw singing in an infinity cove with video clips added by CGI. The video, directed by Sherman Halsey, McGraw's usual director of choice, ends with a clip of Tug McGraw pitching the final strike for the 1980 World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, which, at the time, was the team's only World Series Championship. The video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2006 Academy of Country Music Awards.
"Live Like You Were Dying" debuted at #36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the chart week of June 5, 2004.
| Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 29 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[4] | 4 |
| US Pop Songs (Billboard)[5] | 37 |
| US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)[6] | 21 |
| Preceded by "Whiskey Girl" by Toby Keith |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number-one single July 17–July 31, 2004 |
Succeeded by "Somebody" by Reba McEntire |
| Preceded by "Somebody" by Reba McEntire |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number-one single August 14–September 4, 2004 |
Succeeded by "Girls Lie Too" by Terri Clark |
| Preceded by "My Front Porch Looking In" by Lonestar |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number-one single of the year 2004 |
Succeeded by "That's What I Love About Sunday" by Craig Morgan |
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