Portland, Maine

Album: Sundown Heaven Town (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This wistful ballad finds McGraw singing about a lost love who left him for Portland over an acoustic guitar. The Nashville star sings: "Portland, Maine, I don't know where that is," adding "I don't want to know." He recorded his vocal parts for the song in just ten minutes.
  • The song was written by:

    Canadian folk singer-songwriter Donovan Woods, who is best known for his song "Brand New Gun," which was featured in the movie Numb starring Matthew Perry.

    American musician Abe Stoklasa, who plays guitar and pedal steel for David Nail and Billy Currington. He also collaborated with Marc Beeson on Lady Antebellum's "Lie With Me," which is a track on their 747 album.
  • The song has nothing to do with the city of Portland, Maine, which was disheartening to many residents who saw the Sundown Heaven Town track list and anticipated an ode to their city. "There were a bunch of people on Twitter going, 'Oh my God! There's a song called 'Portland, Maine' on Tim McGraw's new record!,'" the song's co-writer Donovan Woods told us. "'It's going to be about how great the town is and how nice it is here! I hope he really treats it well! I know he likes it here!' I thought, 'Oh, God. These people are going to be really disappointed,' and then they certainly were."
  • In our interview with Donovan Woods, he explained that he has never been to Portland. He chose the city after getting a new cell phone with a new phone number that apparently belonged to someone with lots of debt. Woods got lots of calls from creditors trying to collect, and most of them showed up as "Portland, Maine" on his phone.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock!

Yacht Rock!Song Writing

A scholarly analysis of yacht rock favorites ("Steal Away," "Baker Street"...) with a member of the leading YR cover band.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Brenda Russell

Brenda RussellSongwriter Interviews

Brenda talks about the inspiration that drove her to write hit songs like "Get Here" and "Piano in the Dark," and why a lack of formal music training can be a songwriter's best asset.

N.W.A vs. the World

N.W.A vs. the WorldSong Writing

How the American gangsta rappers made history by getting banned in the UK.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.