When Blake Shelton released "God Gave Me You" in 2011, he was already riding a career high with four consecutive No. 1 hits, and the release of this bold love song continued to establish him as one of the biggest country stars of the time. And not only was "God Gave Me You" a hit for the superstar, but it has a deep story behind it.
The song starts off with a guitar intro and rhythmic beats as Shelton dives in. In the first verse, he describes going through hard times, but his love interest is always there standing next to him. The chorus finds Shelton giving thanks to God for bringing this person into his life, as she helps him "through the ups and downs" and "the days of doubt." The song's melody is contagious and Shelton's distinctive voice and powerful range helps tell the story and drive home the message of the tune.
"God Gave Me You" was a massive hit for Shelton, landing at the No. 1 spot in October 2011 and becoming his fifth consecutive hit song. It has since been certified 5x Platinum. Although Shelton was the one to bring "God Gave Me You" to mainstream country radio, he wasn't the first artist to record it. The song was originally written and recorded by Christian artist Dave Barnes. Barnes wrote the song in Nashville after getting the idea for the tune in London, England. He got together to write it with co-writer Matt Wertz, but the songwriting session didn't exactly pan out like he thought it would.
"I had the lyric idea on a visit to London, but to another melody," Barnes once told American Songwriter. "I'd had the idea of the music for a while. I actually went over to write with Matt Wertz for his album, and we didn't have time to mess with the idea, so he asked me to shelve it and if we could come back to it."
Barnes continues, saying that he eventually wrote the song by himself with another melody, and it all came together.
"I had to, of course, call Wertz and tell him I ended up writing it myself," Barnes says. "He still gives me hell about that!"
Barnes released his version of the tune to Christian radio in January 2010. Soon after, Shelton heard the song on the radio and felt moved by it. At the time, he said it reminded him of his relationship with then-girlfriend Miranda Lambert, and he knew he needed to record it.
"It's no secret, Miranda and I have had our ups and downs over the years and this was definitely at a low point at our relationship," he once said, according to The Boot. "But I heard that song come on the radio — for whatever reason I was flipping through stations and landed on a contemporary Christian station, and that song came on and I almost had to pull the truck over. It was one of those moments for me where I felt like I was hearing that song at that moment for a reason."
Shelton also had the full support of Barnes to record and release the song, and the songwriter says he was honored that the tune go the chance to impact country music in a big way.
"The fact that he heard it on the radio and wanted to record it because it meant something to him and Miranda blows my mind," Barnes told The Boot. "It's still hard to believe it's on the radio. Writing so much on Music Row and knowing the process of how songs get cut and picked for radio, it's amazing to me that 'God Gave Me You' made it through the whole process. I'm so thankful!"
"God Gave Me You" won an ASCAP award in 2012 and was nominated for many other awards.
