"You Save Me" is a song written by

Brett James Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records ( ...

and

Troy Verges Troy Verges is an American songwriter of country and pop music from Louisiana. Career His first cut as a songwriter was a track on Faith Hill's '' Breathe''. His credits include the singles " Wanted", recorded by Hunter Hayes; "Beer Money", r ...

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 on August 14, 2006, as the fourth single from Chesney’s 2005 album ''

The Road and the Radio ''The Road and the Radio'' is the tenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on November 8, 2005 via BNA Records. The album debuted at number one on the US Top Country Albums and US ''Billboard'' 200 chart ...

''. The song peaked at number 3 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 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 and at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Content

The song is about a man's enduring love for a woman.

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for ''Country Universe'', gave it a positive rating. He summarized his review by saying the song "is awesome, one of the best singles of his career." He then went on to say if Chesney followed up the single with the title song he would be 'two steps closer to the hall of fame'.

Music video

A music video was directed by

Shaun Silva Shaun Silva is a music video director who works primarily in the country music field. He has directed a number of music videos for many country music artists, including many of Kenny Chesney's music videos. His other clients include Jason Aldean, ...

. It premiered on CMT on August 10, 2006. According to Chesney, the video took a total of 7 days to shoot, and was filmed in Mexico City. The video begins with Kenny Chesney as a member of the police department, traveling to a criminal spot in Mexico with three local police agents, presumably to make a raid. During the car ride, Chesney thinks back on his time with a girl he met and fell in love with in Mexico, and her attempts to persuade him not to go with them. The agents comment on how he appears to be nervous, to which he replies that it "didn't feel right". His partner challenges him briefly but allows him to walk away while they proceed with the raid. As Chesney starts to leave, he notices how the civilians in the areas are discreetly but uniformly retreating from the criminal spot or taking cover. He becomes suspicious and draws his gun, running towards the entrance, to which the agents had just entered. He is too late to save them, however, when an explosion tears through the building, leaving him as the only survivor. Chesney is anguished by the trap but can't help reflecting on his girlfriend and how she inadvertently saved him as the song begins. Throughout the song, Chesney is riding alone on a bus. As he travels through the country, he passes places he had been with his girlfriend. At the end of the song, he returns safely home to her and they embrace. Chesney is also seen performing the song during the video.

Chart positions

"You Save Me" debuted at number 47 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 19, 2006.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

2000s ballads 2005 songs 2006 singles BNA Records singles Country ballads Kenny Chesney songs Music videos directed by Shaun Silva Song recordings produced by Buddy Cannon Songs written by Brett James Songs written by Troy Verges {{2000s-country-song-stub