I'm Already There (song)

"I'm Already There"
Single by Lonestar
from the album I'm Already There
B-side"Tell Her" (US)
"Amazed" (Australia)
ReleasedApril 16, 2001 (2001-04-16)
GenreCountry pop
Length4:13
LabelBNA 69083
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dann Huff
Lonestar singles chronology
"Tell Her"
(2000) 		"I'm Already There"
(2001) 		"With Me"
(2001)
Alternative cover
European Single Cover

"I'm Already There" is a song by American country music band Lonestar, written by lead singer Richie McDonald along with Gary Baker and Frank J. Myers. It was released on April 16, 2001 as the lead-off single to their fourth studio album of the same name. It spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song was the band's fifth consecutive Number One, and their seventh overall.[1]

Content

In the song, McDonald narrates about a man who is on the road, and the lyric explains how the man feels and how his family is responding to his absence. This also explains how much the man loves his family, and how much they mean to him. He then says that he will always be there for them in spirit, even though he is separated from them physically. The song became associated with the September 11 attacks (even though it was released before the attacks) along with family members being deployed and returning from deployment, and has been heard many times on Good Morning America.[citation needed] Due to its tone and subject matter, "I’m Already There" is considered one of Lonestar’s darker[clarification needed] songs, alongside "Not a Day Goes By", their 2002 single revolving around breakups.

On their 2003 greatest-hits package From There to Here: Greatest Hits, Lonestar included a "Message from Home" version which included dubbed-in telephone calls placed by family members of soldiers. This version also lacks the line "And I'll gently kiss your lips / Touch you with my fingertips" from the second verse.

Music video

The music video premiered to CMT on June 7, 2001 and was directed by Michael Salomon. On April 21, 2003, they released another version of the music video to recast the song as a tribute to the military. This version is the one that is most-played on TV. The band's performance was shot at Nashville's Union Station Hotel.

Track listing

US vinyl 7" single
  1. "I'm Already There" – 4:13
  2. "Tell Her" – 3:36
US promo CD single
  1. "I'm Already There" (Rhett Mix RES Short Intro) – 4:06
  2. "I'm Already There" (Rhett Mix RES Vocal Up) – 4:14
  3. "I'm Already There" (Rhett Mix RES Short Intro Vocal Up) – 4:12
  4. "I'm Already There" (Huff's Stuff Guitar Down Mix) – 4:12
  5. "I'm Already There" (Suggested Hook) – 0:10
UK CD single
  1. "I'm Already There" (Huff Mix) – 4:12
  2. "Every Little Thing She Does" – 3:13
  3. "What About Now" (Remix) – 3:27
Australia CD single
  1. "I'm Already There" (Single Version) – 4:11
  2. "I'm Already There" (Album Version) – 4:13
  3. "Amazed" – 4:02

Critical reception

Andrea Dresdale of Rolling Stone cited the song as a standout track on the album, calling it "a finely detailed snapshot of everyday life that'll have anyone in a long distance relationship reaching for the Kleenex."[2]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and format(s) for "I'm Already There"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 16, 2001 Country radio BNA [11][12]
September 3, 2001 Adult contemporary radio [13]
September 10, 2001 Hot adult contemporary radio [14]
late September 2001 Contemporary hit radio [15]
Australia October 29, 2001 CD single [16]

Westlife version

"I'm Already There"
Song by Westlife
from the album Back Home
ReleasedDecember 2007 (December 2007)
GenrePop
Length4:18
LabelSony BMG
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Quiz & Larossi

A cover of the song is the fourth track on the ninth studio album of Westlife, Back Home. It entered the UK download chart at #74 after "The Westlife Show" in December 2007. The song was not released as a single but peaked at #62 on the Official UK Singles Chart.

In 2008 on Series 5 of X Factor in the United Kingdom, JLS performed the Westlife version and it re-entered the UK charts at #106 and peaked at #63. It entered the Official Irish Singles Chart at #47.

The song has been performed on 4 tours: The Back Home Tour (2008), The Where We Are Tour (2010), The Gravity Tour (2011) and The Wild Dreams Tour (2022).

Chart Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 62
UK Download Chart 74
Irish Singles Chart 47

References

  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (June 25, 2001). "I'm Already There review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2009.
  3. ^ "Lonestar Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  4. ^ "Lonestar Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Lonestar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Lonestar Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "Best of 2001: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
  9. ^ "2002 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 52. December 28, 2002. p. YE-96. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "American single certifications – Lonestar – I'm Already There". Recording Industry Association of America.
  11. ^ "Country Highlights: On Your Desk". Country Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 15. April 13, 2001. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Going for Adds: Country". Radio & Records. No. 1397. April 13, 2001. p. 78.
  13. ^ "Music Meeting: New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1417. August 31, 2001. p. 33.
  14. ^ "Music Meeting: New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1418. September 7, 2001. p. 54.
  15. ^ "New & Active: CHR/Pop". Radio & Records. No. 1421. September 28, 2001. p. 86.
  16. ^ "Lonestar (3) – I'm Already There". Discogs. Retrieved November 7, 2024.