"Better as a Memory" is a song written by Scooter Carusoe and
Lady Goodman and recorded by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Coun ...
. It was released in March 2008 as the fourth and final single from Chesney's 2007 album ''
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates''. With a two-week stay, it became Chesney's fourteenth number one hit on the US ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart for the week of June 28, 2008.
Content
The song is a ballad in which the narrator addresses a lover with whom he is splitting with, but most likely warning her he is not the kind to get deeply involved with. He then lists a series of similes regarding himself (such as "built to fade like your favorite song", and "always sure until I doubt"), ultimately telling her that he is "better as a memory / than as
erman".
The co-writers of the song are both pseudonymous: Scooter Carusoe is a pseudonym for Travis Hill, founder of
Carnival Music
Circus music (also known as carnival music) is any sort of music that is played to accompany a circus, and also music written that emulates its general style. Popular music would also often get arranged for the circus band, as well as waltzes, fox ...
, and Lady Goodman is a pseudonym of Holly Gleason, Chesney's publicist and a music critic.
Critical reception
Noted Nashville critic Robert K Oermann of ''Music Row Magazine'' wrote that "
Better as a Memory'could be the performance of
hesney'slife,
ndperhaps his career."
Leeann Ward of ''Country Universe'' gave the song a B− grade. She stated that the lyrics seem to be somewhat "self-indulgent" but then said that "the production is nice and Kenny’s vocals are spot on."
Notable Performances
The song was performed with a string quartet on the 2009 Grammy Awards, where Chesney was introduced by
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
. Later, it became the final performance in his Sony/Hot Ticket theatrical film "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D."
Popular culture
The tune was voted one of NSAI’s “Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written” in November 2008.
Chart performance
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{authority control
2008 singles
2007 songs
Country ballads
2000s ballads
Kenny Chesney songs
Song recordings produced by Buddy Cannon
BNA Records singles
Songs written by Scooter Carusoe