But for the Grace of God

Album: Keith Urban (1999)
Charted: 37
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The third single released from Keith Urban's self-titled debut American album, this became his first #1 country hit when it topped the chart on February 24, 2001. It was also Urban's first song to reach the Top 40 on the Hot 100.
  • Urban wrote the song with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin from The Go-Gos, a collaboration that Urban was initially unenthusiastic about.

    Urban recalled in 2016: "From The Go-Go's session that I did with the two girls, I just thought it was a disastrous idea to begin with, theoretically it looks pretty bad. They had these ideas, and they were tossing out these ideas, and they were just so not me. It was so mismatched, and I was uncomfortable and squirming in my chair, and I was like, 'Oh, wow! (laughs) whatever.' And it was it. We decided this was a complete waste of time, let's go get something to eat, and then Charlotte said, 'Well, I've got this title called 'But For the Grace of God,' and boom, the song came out."

Comments: 3

  • John R Affayroux from Street MarylandWas the girl in the video "But for the grace of God" Keith's girl friend? Her fingers don't move on that guitar right.
  • Jim M from Austin , TexasWho is the female acoustic guitar player in the but for the grace of god video?
  • AnonymousWho us the female guitarist in but for tge grace of god video
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.