"Trying to Love You" is a song written by singer-songwriters

Beth Nielsen Chapman Beth Nielsen Chapman (born September 14, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter who has written hits for Country music, country and pop music performers. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2016. Nielsen Chapman ...

and Bill Lloyd. It was originally recorded by Chapman herself for her 2005 studio album, ''

Look To look is to use sight to perceive an object. Look or The Look may refer to: Businesses and products * Look (modeling agency), an Israeli modeling agency * ''Look'' (American magazine), a defunct general-interest magazine * ''Look'' (UK ma ...

.'' The same year, American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

included a version on her 2005 studio album, ''

Jasper County Jasper County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. All are named in honor of Sergeant William Jasper, a hero of the Revolutionary War. Five counties share a boundary with a Newton County, named for John Newton John ...

.'' It was eventually spawned as the second single from the album and became a charting ''

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 ...

'' hit on two charts. It received positive reception from music critics and writers.

Background and release

"Trying to Love You" was originally composed by Beth Nielsen Chapman and Bill Lloyd. In 2004, Chapman recorded the song at several studios located in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The sessions were co-produced by Chapman, Peter Collins and Annie Roboff. The session featured Bill Lloyd playing acoustic guitar in the background. Chapman played several instruments for the song's recording, including the mandolin and guitar. "Trying to Love You" was released on Chapman's studio album ''

,'' which was issued on April 5, 2005, on

Compass Records Compass Records is an independent record label founded in 1995 by musicians Garry West and Alison Brown that specializes in folk music, folk, bluegrass music, bluegrass, Celtic music, Celtic, jazz, and acoustic music. In 2006, Compass purchased t ...

. It was not originally released as a single. In his review of ''Look,'' Thom Jurek of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called the track "an awesome testament to the graininess of love's stages in the everyday life of a committed couple."

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''Look.'' Musical personnel *

Bruce Gaitsch Bruce R. Gaitsch (; born February 7, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is best known for working with notable bands and musicians such Chicago, Peter Cetera, Madonna, and Agnetha Fältskog as a session musician and songwri ...

– rhythm guitar * Bill Lloyd – acoustic guitar,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* David Leonard – drums *

Jerry Marotta Jerome David Marotta (born February 6, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American drummer who resides in Woodstock, New York. He is the younger brother of Rick Marotta, who is also a drummer and composer. Career Marotta was a member of the bands ...

– drums * Beth Nielsen Chapman – arm shaker, lead vocals, guitar, B3 hammond organ,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

Trisha Yearwood version

Background

In 2005, Trisha Yearwood released her first new collection of songs in several years. Her previous studio effort, ''

Inside Out Inside Out may refer to: *Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse Books * '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason * ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb * ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...

,'' was released in 2001 and produced the hit single "

I Would've Loved You Anyway "I Would've Loved You Anyway" is a song written by Mary Danna and Troy Verges, and recorded by American country music singer Trisha Yearwood. It was released in April 2001 as the lead single from her album '' Inside Out''. The song became a Top 5 ...

." Among the songs chosen for her new project would be "Trying to Love You." The song was cut in 2005 at the Sound Emporium Studio, located in

. The session was produced by

Garth Fundis Garth Fundis is an American country music record producer. Active since the 1970s, Fundis has produced albums for several country artists, including Alabama, Don Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Sugarland, and Keith Whitley. He has also served as a ju ...

, who was Yearwood's long-time producer. Additional sides for her upcoming album were also recorded during the same session.

Critical reception

"Trying to Love You" received positive reviews from critics and writers.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

of Allmusic praised the song when reviewing Yearwood's 2005 album and compared it to that of her other 2005 hit: "...even those sweeping slow tunes are offset by such excellent ballads as the heartbroken "Trying to Love You" and the epic "Georgia Rain," which are pure country and lend the overall album a sweet, reflective quality." In September 2005, the song also received positive commentary from ''Billboard'' magazine when reviewing the same album. In comparison to the rest of the album, critics called it "achingly poignant."

Release and chart performance

"Trying to Love You" was originally released as an album track on Yearwood's 2005 studio album, ''Jasper County.'' The record was released on September 13, 2005, via MCA Nashville Records and included her previous hit, "

Georgia Rain "Georgia Rain" is a song written by Ed Hill and Karyn Rochelle, and recorded by American country music artist Trisha Yearwood. It was released in April 2005 as the lead-off single for her album '' Jasper County''. The song, her first Top 40 coun ...

." "Trying to Love You" was spawned as the second and final single from ''Jasper County'' in 2005. The song entered the ''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 in late 2005 and spent seven weeks on the chart, peaking at number 52 in December. It was Yearwood's sixth charting single to miss the ''Billboard'' country top 40. It was also her first to enter the ''Billboard''

adult contemporary songs The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

chart. Spending, seven weeks on the chart, it peaked at number 28 in April 2006. A music video was released in 2005 as well, directed by Randee St. Nicolas.

Track listing

CD single (Single repeats three times, according to cover art) * "Trying to Love You" – 3:46 * "Trying to Love You" – 3:46 * "Trying to Love You" – 3:46

Charts

References

{{Trisha Yearwood singles 2005 songs 2005 singles Beth Nielsen Chapman songs MCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Garth Fundis Songs written by Beth Nielsen Chapman Trisha Yearwood songs Songs written by Bill Lloyd (country musician) Black-and-white music videos