“I’ll Think of a Reason Later”
Lee Ann Womack
Written by Tony Martin and Tim Nichols
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
April 9 – April 16, 1999
Lee Ann Womack tops the chart with a humorous hit.
The Road to No. 1
After earning her second No. 1 single with “A Little Past Little Rock,” the lead single from Some Things I Know, Lee Ann Womack repeated the feat with the album’s second single.
The No. 1
Lee Ann Womack’s other three No. 1 singles are somber affairs, making “I’ll Think of a Reason Later” her only uptempo chart topper.
It’s a strong showcase for her wry sense of humor, as she details all the reasons she hates the woman who has taken her place and is marrying her former beau. Her sister’s brought over the Sunday paper with the wedding announcement, and her family’s redneck nature gets the best of her:
I drew horns and blacked out her tooth with a markerChildish, yes, but she made such a thin little targetI couldn’t be happier on my ownBut I’ve got the slightest of a jealous boneAnd seein’ her with him tends to enlarge it
The way she emphasizes “thin” in her delivery of the second verse demonstrates one of her most underrated gifts as a singer: her unique phrasing. Even when doing covers, she is generally unencumbered by how songs were performed before. With original material, she sets the bar quite high for anybody looking to do a cover down the road.
The Road From No. 1
Some Things I Know went gold on the strength of its two No. 1 hits, as well as the top fifteen hit, “(Now You See Me) Now You Don’t.” It was all a precursor to the biggest hit of her career, which we will cover in the early 2000s.
“I’ll Think of a Reason Later” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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I absolutely loved meeting this side of Lee Ann Womack in this single She seemed more human for being so believable in owning her roots. It’s hard to believe two dudes wrote this song. Or maybe it’s a total testament to how well Womack performs it.
It is funny that two guys wrote it. Reminds me of what Pam Tillis said about two guys writing “All the Good Ones are Gone”: “I don’t think they wrote it. I think they channeled it. I think they took a couple of Midol and winged it.”