“Something Like That”
Tim McGraw
Written by Rick Ferrell and Keith Follesé
Billboard
#1 (4 weeks)
September 25 – October 16, 1999
Radio & Records
#1 (5 weeks)
September 17 – October 15, 1999
A memorable line powers Tim McGraw’s final No. 1 single of the decade.
The Road to No. 1
A Place in the Sun continued McGraw’s remarkable run at country radio, with the second single topping the charts for a lengthy run just like its predecessor, “Please Remember Me.”
The No. 1
“I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirt.”
That’s it. That’s why the song was such a big radio hit. That’s why it’s still such a powerful recurrent today. That one line.
It’s enough to distract from the fact that the song itself is fairly generic, lacking the sophistication of his run of hits leading up to “Something Like That.” McGraw’s enthusiasm also helps it over the finish line, as he keeps things light but doesn’t spill over into Joe Ditty territory for a single moment.
It sounds great on the radio and it’ll now be stuck in your head all day. Mine too.
But it’s not one of his best records. Just one of the biggest.
The Road From No. 1
A Place in the Sun won the CMA for Album of the Year in 1999, while McGraw picked up his first Male Vocalist trophy. We will see Tim McGraw multiple times when we cover the 2000s and 2010s, starting with two more singles from this album.
“Something Like That” gets a B.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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I’m surprised by the grade. I much prefer this song compared to the Lonestar “Amazed” song. “Amazed” is iconic 90’s song but so is “Something Like That”. “Something Like That” makes me smile while “Amazed” not so much it’s just burned into my brain. I love this feature and appreciate your insight on these songs this is just one of those times I disagree lol
I love pop country done well. I could understand another person swapping the two grades. It’s pretty subjective in the end.
This yo-yo-ing between greatness(“Please Remember Me” and the mundane (“Something Like That”) reminds me of why I condemned McGraw to my doghouse back then. I also charged Kenny Chesney with the same inconsistency with his single selections as of his most recent chart topper. I felt I couldn’t trust either artist’s instincts. From a more generous perspective, that uncertainty looks like creative breadth and artistic risk-taking. It’s just that that the distance between the highs and the lows would become to great to close or reconcile as McGraw matured.
I don’t deny how big and important this song is to country music history, it just never landed well with me.