"I Will" is a song written by Dave Pahanish and

Rory Feek Rory Lee Feek (born April 25, 1965) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In his career, he has written singles for Clay Walker, Blake Shelton, Tracy Byrd and other artists. He and his wife, Joey Feek, formed the duo Joey + Rory ...

, 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

Jimmy Wayne Jimmy Wayne Barber (born October 23, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He released his self-titled debut album in 2003 on the DreamWorks Records label. Four singles were released from it, including " Stay Gone" and " I ...

. It was released in October 2008 as the second single from Wayne's album '' Do You Believe Me Now'', his sixth Top 40 country hit, and his eighth overall single release.

Content

"I Will" is a mid-tempo

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

mostly accompanied by

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

, with more of a

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

sound. Its lyrics show a man who wants to show his lover that he loves her, and that he is willing to do anything for her. The radio edit shortens the intro, and omits the final chorus.

Critical reception

Brady Vercher of Engine 145 gave the song a "thumbs down" review. Vercher criticized the song for being overproduced and not sounding country. He also considered Wayne's vocals "hyper-excitable" and said that the lyric "hardly offers anything and comes across as too melodramatic in the process." It was given a C− rating by Country Universe critic Blake Boldt, who criticized the production as well, calling it an "overanxious rush to go nowhere." He also thought that Wayne's voice sounded strained on the song. Deborah Evans Price of ''

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 ...

'' gave the song a more favorable review, saying "the lyric is a beautiful statement of love and devotion that provides an ideal showcase for Wayne's soulful vocals." "I Will" was also described favorably by ''Country Standard Time'' critic Jessica Phillips, who called it "soaring" and "heartfelt."

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was filmed for the song in November 2008. Directed by

Deaton-Flanigen Productions Deaton-Flanigen Productions is an American film company based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was named after the surnames of founders Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field ...

, it begins with Wayne and a woman (played by Tiffani McCarter) walking out towards a taxi, and they hug before she leaves. She then walks into a studio, where she is preparing for a photo shoot. However, the photographer is not satisfied with her poses. Eventually, after having had enough of the photographer's frustration, Wayne's girlfriend leaves to call him and tell him that she does not want to do the photo shoot anymore, and wants to come home. Wayne replies by telling her to be herself, and that he believes in her. She takes his advice, and the photographer is better satisfied with the photo shoot. Scenes of Wayne singing the song in a small room and playing guitar in front of several lights are seen throughout.

Chart performance

"I Will" debuted at number 52 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

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 October 25, 2008, and entered the Top 40 in its third chart week. It charted for a total of 28 weeks, and peaked at 18 on the country chart dated April 4, 2009.

References

{{authority control 2008 singles 2008 songs Jimmy Wayne songs Songs written by Rory Feek Songs written by Dave Pahanish Big Machine Records singles Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions