Keeping Score
by Dan + Shay (featuring Kelly Clarkson)

Album: Dan + Shay (2018)
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Songfacts®:

  • This mid-tempo ballad starts with the voice of Shay Mooney before Dan Smyers and guest vocalist Kelly Clarkson join him for the chorus:

    I know I'm only human
    Don't know how many sunsets I got left
    And I don't wanna ruin
    This moment by wondering what comes next
    I just want to love you like it's all I'm living for
    Hold you close, enjoy you more
    And spend a little less time keeping score


    The trio don't want to spend their time analyzing their relationship. They just want to enjoy the moment.
  • Dan + Shay had already recorded the song and were talking about getting a feature. Symers recalled to Taste of Country Nights' Sam Alex, he was like "who is a super-powerful singer that would be a great duet partner with Shay." Kelly Clarkson's name came to mind, so they sent the song over to her.

    The feature came together toward the end of recording Dan + Shay. The duo flew out to Los Angeles, where they worked in the studio with Clarkson as she cut her vocals.

    "It is such an honor for us to sing this duet with Kelly," the duo's Dan Smyers said. "Not only is she one of the most incredible vocalists of our generation, she is one of the most genuine, kind-hearted people we have ever met. We're glad this song resonated with her as much as it did with us."
  • Best known as a pop vocalist, Clarkson has made several visits to the country chart including a #2 duet version of "Because Of You" with Reba McEntire in 2007 and "Don't You Wanna Stay" a collaboration with Jason Aldean which went to #1 in 2011.
  • The song was written by Smyers, with Jordan Reynolds and Laura Veltz, It was produced by Smyers and Dan + Shay's longtime collaborator, Scott Hendricks, whose also worked with Alan Jackson, Faith Hill and Blake Shelton.
  • Rather than getting dragged down by weighing up their relationship against others, Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney and Kelly Clarkson have decided to let go. Symers told HMV.com the lyrics can be taken as a metaphor for the music industry. He explained:

    "The idea of comparison is a big theme on this record, everything is so quantifiable in the music industry, you're constantly measuring yourself against everybody else rather than appreciating what you have."
  • The song was Dan + Shay's first Hot 100 Top 40 hit. Their previous best placing had been "19 You + Me," which peaked at #42.

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