"Live Until I Die" | ||||
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Single by Clay Walker | ||||
from the album Clay Walker | ||||
B-side | "Silence Speaks for Itself" | |||
Released | October 21, 1993 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1993 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | Giant | |||
Songwriter(s) | Clay Walker | |||
Producer(s) | James Stroud | |||
Clay Walker singles chronology | ||||
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"Live Until I Die" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 1993 as the second single from his self-titled debut album. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
Walker revealed in American Cowboy that his grandmother became the inspiration for the song. After building her a house to live in and after she moved in Walker became inspired to write the song. [2] Walker also stated in an interview with the Houston Chronicle , "My grandpa, who was her husband, is really who started all this off. He used to be a singer, Ernest Elbert Walker, `the Blues Man.' He played on a local radio station. He taught my dad and my uncle, and my dad and my uncle taught me. [3]
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Walker said, "I grew up in a rural area. My grandmother had an 84-acre tract of land outside the city limits. We had a farm with lots of animals. It was different than growing up downtown, where you might be riding a bicycle in the street and stuff like that. The part in 'Live Until I Die' where I talk about muddy roads and muddy feet--well, I walked those muddy roads. That song is very dear to me, in fact. It's like autobiography. I think everybody has one point in his life when he's a child or a teen-ager that he wishes he could go back to, and that's mine. Those memories are very fond memories to me." [4]
During an interview with the San Angelo Standard-Times Walker said, "I wrote a song, ‘Live Until I Die,’ — it's about my life. We literally lived off the land, raised our own livestock, we hunted — there were very few things that were store-bought on our table. I learned accountability and responsibility early on in life. I remember in the wintertime, waking up at 5 a.m. and having ice in my rubber boots. I had to feed my animals before I could eat. I wouldn't trade those values for the world." [5]
Walker revealed in Country Weekly , "The song kind of wrote itself, there was no struggle at all. Melody and words all came to me at the same time, and I wrote it in one night. It was like I was on this road - and it was the right road the whole time." Walker also said, "I never really had confidence in my voice at that time. My goal was to pitch it to Randy Travis or Clint Black, because I wanted to get a cut, thinking that would lead to a record deal of my own." [6]
Walker told SUCCESS that he wrote the song when he was 17 and called the song "an autobiography put to music." Walker also said, "I came from a poor family, and that poverty acted as my motivation to find a different way. Some people are happy with a little, but those who are not have the power to achieve all they can envision." [7] When asked about if he had written a song about multiple sclerosis, Walker told United Press International , "I have not specifically written a song about MS, but that is definitely an intention. I'm ready at this point to be able to put something in words that makes sense. There's a song that I wrote when I first came out and it's called "Live Until I Die." One of the lines in that song is "I don't worry about things that I can't change." I have to look at a mess and say, "I can't let this bother me, I can't let it conquer me." [8]
The narrator in the song discusses how he has not changed since he was a kid and how he does not want to worry about the future; he wants to live for the day and take it one at a time.
Larry Flick of Billboard wrote "Walker follows his No. 1 debut single, "What's It To You," with an uptempo testimony to the virtues of always staying the same. [9] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe listed "Live Until I Die" as the 127th best country single of the 1990s and wrote, "This is one of the few instances when the theme of celebrating a carefree life is set to a pretty melody and restrained production." [10]
The music video, directed by Marc Ball, features Walker singing and playing his guitar with friends and traveling down a river on a boat. After reaching the shore, Walker and his friends set up and organize a baseball game. Some members of the community watch the baseball game while others play horseshoes, Frisbee, and jump rope. As it gets later in the day, the community builds a bonfire and Walker plays alongside it and the town claps and cheers. The video was filmed in the community of Rome, TN (Smith County) on the bank of the Cumberland River. The former Rome Ferry once operated at this site and what remains of the ferry can be seen in the background of the video.
"Live Until I Die" debuted at number 67 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of October 30, 1993. It reached Number One for the chart week of January 29, 1994 after twenty weeks on the chart, giving Clay his second consecutive Number One single. [11] It also peaked at number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks charts in Canada.
Charts
| Year-end charts
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Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die". Both singles were included on his self-titled debut album, released in 1993 via Giant Records. He stayed with the label until its 2001 closure, later recording for Warner Bros. Records, RCA Records Nashville, and Curb Records.
Clay Walker is the debut studio album by the American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1993 on Giant Records and produced by James Stroud. The album produced four singles on the Billboard country music charts, of which three — "What's It to You", "Live Until I Die" and "Dreaming with My Eyes Open" — reached Number One. Respectively, these were the first, second, and fourth singles from the album. The third single, "Where Do I Fit in the Picture", peaked at No. 11. Additionally, "White Palace" peaked at No. 67 based on unsolicited airplay.
"You Don't Know Me" is a song written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker in 1955. "You Don't Know Me" was first recorded by Arnold that year and released as a single on April 21, 1956, on RCA Victor. The best-selling version of the song is by Ray Charles, who took it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1962, after releasing the song on his number 1 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The first version of the song to make the Billboard charts was by Jerry Vale in 1956, peaking at number 14 on the pop chart. Arnold's version charted two months later, released as an RCA Victor single, 47–6502, backed with "The Rockin' Mockin' Bird", which reached number 10 on the Billboard country chart. Cash Box magazine, which combined all best-selling versions at one position, included a version by Carmen McRae that never appeared in the Billboard Top 100 Sides listing.
"'Fore She Was Mama" is a song written by Casey Beathard and Phil O'Donnell, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in October 2006 as the first single from his album Fall. It peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2007. It was also his first chart entry since "Jesus Was a Country Boy" in 2004.
"Don't Rock the Jukebox" is a song by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on April 29, 1991, as the lead single from the album of the same name. It was his second consecutive Number One single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. Jackson wrote the song with Roger Murrah and Keith Stegall.
"The Chain of Love" is a song written by Rory Feek and Jonnie Barnett, and recorded by American country music singer Charlie Pride and then Clay Walker. It was released in January 2000 by Clay Walker as the third single from his album Live, Laugh, Love. "The Chain of Love" reached a peak of number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, providing Walker with his thirteenth Top Ten hit on that chart. It was also his second Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I Can't Sleep" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 2004 as the second single from his album A Few Questions, it peaked at #9 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Walker co-wrote the song with fellow country singer Chely Wright.
"Rumor Has It" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was released in February 1997 as the first single and title track from his album of the same name. The song was written by Walker and M. Jason Greene.
"What's It To You" is a debut song written by Robert Ellis Orrall and Curtis Wright, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released In July 1993 by Giant Records as his debut single, and was served as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album (1993).
"This Woman And This Man" is a song written by Jeff Pennig and Michael Lunn, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from his album If I Could Make a Living. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Then What?" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Randy Sharp, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was released in January 1998 as the fourth and final single from his album Rumor Has It.
Clay Walker is an American country music artist. His discography comprises eleven studio albums and a greatest hits album, as well as 36 singles. Walker's first four studio albums—Clay Walker, If I Could Make a Living, Hypnotize the Moon and Rumor Has It—are all certified platinum by the RIAA, and his greatest hits album and Live, Laugh, Love are each certified gold by the RIAA. Clay Walker is also certified platinum by the CRIA, while If I Could Make a Living and Hypnotize the Moon are certified gold.
"Dreaming With My Eyes Open" is a song written by Tony Arata and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released on May 27, 1994 as the fourth and final single from his self-titled debut album, and was featured in the soundtrack to the film The Thing Called Love. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"If I Could Make a Living" is a song written by Alan Jackson, Keith Stegall and Roger Murrah, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker. It was released in September 1994 as the first single and title track from his album of the same name. It was Walker's fifth chart entry, and became his fourth Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in November 1994. It also reached #21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts, and on the Canadian RPM country charts, it followed Jackson's "Livin' on Love" at Number One.
"(Who Says) You Can't Have It All" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released in January 1994 as the fifth and final single from his album A Lot About Livin' . The song peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and number 11 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. Jackson wrote the song with Jim McBride.
"When I Close My Eyes" is a country music song written by Nettie Musick and Mark Alan Springer. It was originally recorded by Keith Palmer on his 1991 self-titled debut album, and later by Restless Heart singer Larry Stewart on his 1993 debut album Down the Road. Kenny Chesney later recorded it on his 1996 album, Me and You. Released in December 1996 as that album's third and final single, it peaked at #2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, giving Chesney his fifth Top 40 country hit. Rhonda Vincent later covered the song on her album Back Home Again in 2000.
"Where Do I Fit in the Picture" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in February 1994 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. It peaked at number 11 in the United States and reached number 6 in Canada. Before its single release, it was the B-side to Walker's debut single "What's It to You".
"She Won't Be Lonely Long" is a song written by Galen Griffin, Doug Johnson and Phil O'Donnell, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker. It was released in December 2009 as the first single and title track from his album She Won't Be Lonely Long. It is his most successful charting single since "The Chain of Love" in 2000.
"Live, Laugh, Love" is a song written by Allen Shamblin and Gary Nicholson, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in August 1999 as the second single and title track from his album of the same name. "Live, Laugh, Love" reached a peak of number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. It also peaked at number 21 in Canada and at number 65 on the Hot 100.
"She's Always Right" is a song written by Richie McDonald, Phil Barnhart and Ed Hill, and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 1999 as the first single from his album Live, Laugh, Love. It peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, becoming his 17th Top 20 hit on that chart.