“I Cheated on You”
Terri Clark
Written by Brent Anderson, Brandy Clark, and Forrest Whitehead
“I Cheated on You” is likely to be the best country single of 2015 that barely gets heard south of the Canadian border.
Terri Clark’s latest single is perfectly structured, has an edge that can come only with maturity, and tells such an obvious country cheating tale that it’s amazing that it’s never been told this way before.
This has been my favorite track on this album since its release last year, but it wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I learned Brandy Clark co-wrote it. It’s not surprising to me that Terri Clark sounds better than ever while tackling a song co-written by Brandy Clark. Not since Matraca Berg has there been a country songwriter who crafts songs that can be so easily adapted to the style of so many diverse female artists. I wish there more strong female artists out there to cut her songs.
Nobody’s managed to fill the country music niche once owned by Terri Clark, and she’s been sorely missed. For those of you needing a fix of her trademark style, this is it.
Grade: A
This is good!
How wonderful – a song about two people in a relationship who don’t care enough about each other to stay faithful. Yes, this relationship is definitely going in the right direction. End sarcasm.
I like Clark’s voice and it’s good to hear something new from her. But I see no difference in this song than I do in about a hundred more being played on the radio. The music sounds just like a Carrie Underwood song. And cheating on a cheater is a complete waste of time. Just dump the jerk and be done with it.
I didn’t care for the why, why, cry, cry (very “Neon Light like) repeating or the whiskey/tipsy rhyme. Not much different than whiskey/frisky.
Not a big fan of the song’s subject. What a tough girl, returning cheating with cheating instead of moving on. It is the same tired sentiment that permeates “Before He Cheats” or “Redneck Crazy” of only hurting yourself to get back at someone has moved on from you.
A solid C in my opinion.
Honestly, I agree with CountryKnight.
It’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I also kind of feel it covers the same territory Miranda Lambert mines so often. The production is solid enough and Clark has always had a pleasant voice, but it also doesn’t seem to rise above the “pissed of man/woman who goes on a bender” that Tyler Farr, Lambert, Underwood even have mined in recent years.
Thanks Mike W! It feels nice to be agreed with. It is a rarity for me.
I always thought Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now?” worked/was different because the narrator only returns to gloat/brag/rub it in etc after establishing himself as a success. Also, the contrasting figure in his song peaked during high school and washed out into an unloving marriage. His boasting would hit a sore spot, unlike the bravado in these songs. The girl in “Redneck Crazy” by all accounts moved on to find a good guy (who doesn’t judge on truck size and doesn’t harass ex-lovers), the man in “Before He Cheats” obviously doesn’t care about Underwood’s narrator if he cheats, he probably loves the scratched car more.
I understand that all of these characters are attempting to cope with the rejection/humiliation that cheating/failure beings, but after a while, these songs’ lyrically sound the same. If someone doesn’t show interest (well-versed in it) or cheats (Never had a relationship, so), just move on instead of pining and drinking. Yeah, the cute blonde didn’t respond with a yes, believe me, keep walking. Pining for something unattainable or revenge just hurts yourself. Do you think that the rejecter or the cheater cares? Probably not. Unless, you decide to commit crimes of property destruction and trespassing which ultimately hurts you again!
I understand that song-wise, drinking sells, but the theme needs to be tabled for a few years. This song just didn’t bring anything really new to the table, but it sounded great, thanks to Clark’s voice. I would like to see a new country song about a cheated-on lover moving on quietly.
Cheated On You is a great song with a great beat. Sung beautifully by Terri Clark, and very well written song. This should become a number one hit on both side of the boarder as well as were country music is loved. The song gives an upbeat cheating song that Sounds like it makes a statement for women. Loved from the first time I heard Cheating On You.
What niche did Clark fill? I ask out of ignorance.
Although I’m a Terri Clark fan since I bought her first album 20 years ago and I’ve seen her in concert twice, I would only give this song a B. I didn’t like the lyrics of the chorus at all. I listened to the i-tunes preview of the “Some Songs” album about 6 months ago and was not impressed. Hope that despite my misgivings, the album and the song are a big success on both sides of the border.