"I'm Tryin'" is a song written by

Jeffrey Steele Jeffrey LeVasseur (born August 27, 1961), known as Jeffrey Steele, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with recording his own material, Steele has become a prolific Nashville songwriter, having co-written more than 60 hit ...

, Chris Wallin, and Anthony Smith 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

Trace Adkins Trace may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Trace'' (Son Volt album), 1995 * ''Trace'' (Died Pretty album), 1993 * Trace (band), a Dutch progressive rock band * ''The Trace'' (album) Other uses in arts and entertainment * ''Trace'' ...

. It released in July 2001 as the lead-off single from his album '' Chrome''. It peaked at number 6 on the ''

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 ...

charts.

Content

"I'm Tryin'" is a mid-tempo narrated by a man who has been divorced for two years and is facing troubles in his life, such as working double shifts just to make enough money to pay

alimony Alimony, also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, New Zealand), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia), is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial suppo ...

to his ex-wife. In the chorus, the man expresses his struggles. The song is composed in the key of

A flat major A-flat major (or the key of A-flat) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has four flats. The A-flat major scale is: : Its relative minor is F minor. Its parallel minor, A-flat minor, ...

, Anthony Smith, and Chris Wallin composed the song during a writing session in which they also wrote "3 Seconds" for

Sammy Kershaw Samuel Paul Kershaw (born February 24, 1958) is an American country music artist. He has released 16 studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications among them. More than 25 singles have entered the Top 40 on the ...

and

Lorrie Morgan Loretta Lynn Morgan (born June 27, 1959) is an American country music singer and actress. She is the daughter of George Morgan, widow of Keith Whitley, and ex-wife of Jon Randall and Sammy Kershaw, all of whom are also country music singers. Mo ...

. Steele suggested the central premise of the song, and then the other two added lines until they felt the song was completed. Steele told the blog The Boot in 2020 that he came up with the opening line "''This gettin' up early, pullin' double shifts / Gonna make an old man of me long before I ever get rich''", while Wallin suggested the next line in which the narrator is revealed to be recently divorced. Steele also described the song as "very

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

-ish".

Music video

The music video was directed by

Steven Goldmann Steven Harvey Goldmann (August 18, 1961 – April 30, 2015) was a Canadian music video and film director. He directed over 200 music videos. Goldmann also directed the movies ''Broken Bridges'' and ''Trailer Park of Terror'', and additionally ...

, and was filmed in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes. *

Mike Brignardello Giant is an American melodic rock band that was formed in 1987. The band originally consisted of founding members Dann Huff (lead vocals and guitar) and Alan Pasqua (keyboard), and had Dann's brother David Huff on drums and Mike Brignardello on ...

— bass guitar *

Eric Darken Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer. Biography Drawing inspiration from his grandfather, a band leader. Darken began playing drums at age 12, and played timpani and mallets in high school. Darken attended ...

— percussion * Paul Franklin — steel guitar *

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...

— electric guitar * B. James Lowry — acoustic guitar *

Brent Mason Brent Mason (born July 13, 1959) is an American, Nashville, Tennessee-based recording studio guitarist and songwriter, performing primarily country music. Guitar World Magazine listed him as one of the "Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time". ...

— electric guitar * Steve Nathan — keyboards * Russell Terrell — background vocals *

Lonnie Wilson Lonnie Wilson is an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer, known primarily for his work in country music. Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Wilson was originally the lead singer of the band Bandana, which charted ten singles on the Hot C ...

— drums *

Jonathan Yudkin Jonathan Yudkin is an American multi-instrumentalist who is a proficient player of banjo, violin, mandolin, and other stringed instruments. He is a Nashville-based session musician, record producer, arranger, and band leader. Biography Growin ...

— violin, cello, mandocello

Chart positions

"I'm Tryin'" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of July 7, 2001.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2001 singles 2001 songs Trace Adkins songs Capitol Records Nashville singles Music videos directed by Steven Goldmann Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Songs written by Jeffrey Steele Songs written by Anthony Smith (singer) Songs written by Chris Wallin Songs about divorce