"You Had Me from Hello" is a song co-written 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 April 1999 as the second single from his 1999 album ''

Everywhere We Go ''Everywhere We Go'' is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on March 2, 1999 via BNA Records. The first in his career to be certified double platinum for sales of two million copies, it produced ...

''. The song reached number one on the U.S. ''

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 Singles & Tracks 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 ...

(now

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 September 1999. It was also certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Chesney wrote this song with

Skip Ewing Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing (born March 6, 1964) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1988, Ewing has recorded nine studio albums and has charted 15 singles on the ''Billboard'' country charts. Career Ewing was born ...

Background and writing

In 1996, Chesney and

saw the movie ''

Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama sports film written, produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe; it stars Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, and Regina King. Produced in part by James L. Brooks, it was ins ...

''. In one of the film's most memorable scenes at the end of the movie,

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Gol ...

's title character gives out a heartfelt speech to

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger (; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards, she was one of the world's highest-paid ...

's character, Dorothy Boyd; Zellweger stops Cruise and tearfully says "You had me at 'hello'." Chesney liked that line and decided to write a song based on it. Chesney and Zellweger were later married for four months in 2005.

Chart performance

"You Had Me from Hello" debuted at number 71 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 17, 1999.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1999 singles Kenny Chesney songs Songs written by Skip Ewing Songs written by Kenny Chesney Song recordings produced by Buddy Cannon Song recordings produced by Norro Wilson BNA Records singles 1999 songs {{1999-country-song-stub