Still

Album: Southern Voice (2009)
Charted: 91
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This appreciation of those places where you can just be still was McGraw's third single taken from his 12th studio album, Southern Voice.
  • The song was penned by Nashville writers Lee Brice and Kyle Jacob, whose previous collaborations include Garth Brooks' "More Than a Memory," and by Joe Leathers, whose previous credits include Jason Michael Carroll's 2008 hit single, "Where I'm From."
  • Lee Brice told the story of the song to The Boot: "We wrote this song down at Joe's place in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Joe has this little orange book of 'wisdom and hookedness.' He's just got all of his titles in there. I actually grabbed his book and was going through it, because sometimes I will see one of his titles differently than how he sees it. I saw 'Still.' [That title] reminded me of something my mama always said. I'd be on the road working hard and missing home a little bit. She would always say, 'Lee, just close your eyes. Imagine where you want to be. Be really still, and you can be there.' It would make me feel better. I said, 'Man, I love that!' So Kyle, Joe and I sat down to write it. I was really excited. I just knew it was going to be special.
    There's a funny thing about that day. My producer's wife, Lisa, was there also just hanging out with us. She is a song plugger in Nashville and is a very good song person. We were in the middle of writing 'Still,' and we played her what we had. She went, 'Well, I don't know... I just don't know if I really get it. It's cool. We'll see.' Then Tim cuts it! She called me as soon as he cut it, and she said, 'Alright, I was wrong!' [laughs]"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

John Lee Hooker

John Lee HookerSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for Bruce Pollock's 1984 conversation with the esteemed bluesman. Hooker talks about transforming a Tony Bennett classic and why you don't have to be sad and lonely to write the blues.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.