In 2006, Rodney Atkins has a No. 1 hit with "Watching You," a song he wrote with Steve Dean and Brian White. The song was inspired by Atkins' son Elijah, who had been singing one of his dad's former hits, "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)," out in 2006. Elijah was just a toddler when the song came out.
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Atkins was admittedly a bit dismayed when he picked Elijah up from daycare, and the teacher told Atkins that Elijah was repeatedly singing the line, "If you're going through hell." In response to that, Atkins penned "Watching You," a reminder to parents that their children are always watching. The song recently came full circle for Atkins, when his now-grown son joined him to sing the song on stage together.
Atkins shared a video of the clip, revealing that they were recording a new version of the song, due to fan demand.
" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;margin: 1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:99.375%;width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);width:calc(100% - 2px)">The Story Behind Rodney Atkins' "Watching You"
Atkins has had plenty of hits over the years, including "Caught Up In The Country," "Farmer's Daughter," "Take A Back Road" and more. But it's "Watching You" that is one of Atkins' most memorable hits, likely because of the personal inspiration behind the song.
"That song, I'm so grateful for it for many reasons," Atkins tells KEKB. "But one of them being, it is as relevant or more relevant today to folks, than it was when it came out. It's not just a song; it's a piece of people's lives. They post pictures, and I love seeing that, with the lyrics of the song with their kids. I cherish that that song came into my life."
White, who has penned plenty of hits, vividly recalls the day "Watching You" was written.
"Rodney was coming into the writing appointment, and he was late by a few minutes," White tells The Boot. "He said, 'I'm sorry, guys. I had to stop by the daycare and talk to Elijah's teacher. She wanted to talk to me because Elijah was standing in line going, 'If you're going through hell, hell, hell.'"
"And I said, 'You know, you probably don't want him saying that .. I told him, 'Man, he's just watching you. He's picking up on what Dad does," he adds.
