If You're Reading This

"If You're Reading This" is a song by American country music artist Tim McGraw. The song was first performed at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards, which were held in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired May 15, 2007 on CBS.^[1] Shortly after McGraw's live performance, several radio stations began playing a telecast of the song, boosting it to a debut at number 35 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts from unsolicited airplay. A remixed version of the live recording was later released to radio as a single, overlapping Tim's then-current single, "I Need You", (a duet with wife Faith Hill).

In November 2007, "If You're Reading This" reached a peak of number 3 on the Billboard country charts, becoming McGraw's forty-second Top Ten country hit overall. The song also peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.

About the song

"If You're Reading This" is a tribute to the families of soldiers who have died.^[2] Its lyrics take the form of a letter written from a soldier to his family — a letter that is intended to be sent only if the soldier dies ("If you're reading this / I'm already home").^[3]

McGraw co-wrote the song, with Brad and Brett Warren of country duo The Warren Brothers, approximately three weeks before the ACM awards aired.^[1]^[4] The three were inspired by reading a magazine article on war casualties.^[3]

When McGraw performed the song at the ACM awards show, one hundred relatives of soldiers joined him onstage, under a banner that read "Families of Fallen Heroes".^[2] After performing the song, he received a standing ovation.^[1]

Chart performance

Despite the lack of a studio recording, the song received airplay on country radio after several stations began playing the CBS telecast of McGraw's live performance.^[5] As a result, it entered Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart at number 35.^[4]^[6] Scott Siman, McGraw's manager, had been working with both the label (Curb Records) and radio stations to "address the fact that we don't have a studio recorded version of this song". A remixed version (with most of the audience noise removed, except for applause at the end) was released to radio in June 2007, while McGraw's then-current single "I Need You" (a Faith Hill duet) was also climbing the charts.^[7]^[8] This remix was added to later presses of his then current album Let It Go, and Curb began promoting the song as a single in place of "I Need You".

"If You're Reading This" is the second song in McGraw's career that has charted from a live performance. In 2001, "unknown fans" taped McGraw's performance of the song "Things Change" during the CMA awards, and posted the recording to Napster; as a result, several stations downloaded and played the live telecast of that song.^[9]

Chart positions

Chart (2007)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[10]	3
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	41
US Billboard Pop 100	48
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[12]	81

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[13]	8

Certifications


Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^{^}shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1 2 3 "News: Headlines: Tim McGraw's Special Tribute". Great American Country. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
1 2 "Tim McGraw Gets Emotional And Political". All Headline News. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
1 2 "Tim McGraw Relives Emotional Debut At ACMs". WKRN.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-24. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
1 2 "News: Headlines: Tim McGraw Song Remains TV Moment". Great American Country. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
↑ "CMT.com : News : ACM Exposure Fails to Bolster Superstars' CD Sales". CMT.com. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
↑ "Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This" Is In High Demand". Engine 145. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
↑ "Tim McGraw officially releases "If You're Reading This" to radio". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
↑ "Tim McGraw's "If You're Reading This" Officially Released". CMT.com. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
↑ "CMT.com: Tim McGraw: "Things Change" — But the Questions Keep Coming". CMT.com. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Tim McGraw.
↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Tim McGraw.
↑ "Tim McGraw – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Tim McGraw.
↑ "Best of 2007: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
↑ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – If You%27re Reading This". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 27, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

Tim McGraw singles

Discography

Not a Moment Too Soon	"Indian Outlaw" "Don't Take the Girl" "Down on the Farm" "Not a Moment Too Soon" "Refried Dreams"

All I Want	"I Like It, I Love It" "Can't Be Really Gone" "All I Want Is a Life" "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart" "Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It"

Everywhere	"It's Your Love" (with Faith Hill) "Everywhere" "Just to See You Smile" "One of These Days" "Where the Green Grass Grows" "For a Little While"

A Place in the Sun	"Please Remember Me" "Something Like That" "My Best Friend" "Some Things Never Change" "My Next Thirty Years"

Set This Circus Down	"Grown Men Don't Cry" "Angry All the Time" "The Cowboy in Me" "Unbroken"

Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors	"Red Rag Top" "Tiny Dancer" "She's My Kind of Rain" "Real Good Man" "Watch the Wind Blow By"

Live Like You Were Dying	"Live Like You Were Dying" "Back When" "Drugs or Jesus" "Do You Want Fries with That" "My Old Friend"

Reflected: Greatest Hits Vol. 2	"When the Stars Go Blue" "My Little Girl"

Let It Go	"Last Dollar (Fly Away)" "I Need You" (with Faith Hill) "If You're Reading This" "Suspicions" "Kristofferson" "Let It Go" "Nothin' to Die For"

Southern Voice	"It's a Business Doing Pleasure with You" "Southern Voice" "Still"

Number One Hits	"Felt Good on My Lips"

Country Strong	"Me and Tennessee" (with Gwyneth Paltrow)

Emotional Traffic	"Better Than I Used to Be"

Two Lanes of Freedom	"Truck Yeah" "One of Those Nights" "Highway Don't Care" (with Taylor Swift and Keith Urban) "Southern Girl"

Sundown Heaven Town	"Lookin' for That Girl" "Meanwhile Back at Mama's" (with Faith Hill) "Shotgun Rider" "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" (with Catherine Dunn)

Damn Country Music	"Top of the World" "Humble and Kind"

Guest singles	"Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me" (with Faith Hill) "Let's Make Love" (with Faith Hill) "Bring On the Rain" (with Jo Dee Messina) "Over and Over" (with Nelly) "Like We Never Loved at All" (with Faith Hill) "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" (with Tracy Lawrence and Kenny Chesney) "Nine Lives" (with Def Leppard) "Feel Like a Rock Star" (with Kenny Chesney) "Lovin' Lately" (with Big & Rich)

Other songs	"City Lights" "The Ride"

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