Back in 1997, LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood had one of the most awkward moments in country music when they not only recorded the same song but were nominated for the same song at the Grammy Awards. And you'd think it would be bad enough showing up in the same dress.
It all began when Hollywood executives were putting the final touches on the 1997 Nicholas Cage film Con Air. "How Do I Live" written by Diane Warren was going to be included and they needed to find a singer. After some initial deliberation, they decided not to include the LeAnn Rimes version of the song in the film. Instead, they approached Yearwood about recording the song, despite songwriter Diane Warren apparently promising it to Rimes. Hollywood felt that at 14 years old, Rimes was just a bit too young. It kind of makes sense, considering the premise of the film (and the song).
Read More: Remember When Matthew McConaughey Starred in a Trisha Yearwood Video?
But the "You Light Up My Life" singer and her record label, Curb Records, had already started working on the song to debut it as a single. Yearwood says she never knew about Rimes already working on the song, and according to Rolling Stone, both performers released their singles on May 27, 1997. The official music video Yearwood released included scenes from Con Air while Rimes' music video featured the young singer tastefully belting the lyrics from a lit stage. But if you thought it couldn't get more awkward...the Grammy Awards happened.
It was the first time in history that two artists had been nominated for the same song. And then Rimes gave a live performance of the song right before Yearwood's version won the award for Best Country Female Vocal Performance — a pretty humbling experience for such a young talent. LeAnn's version was the fan-favorite on the country charts and spent 69 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, selling over three million copies within months.
The song was such a hit it was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. In a recent interview with Kelleigh Bannen, Rimes opened up about how she felt about the whole experience at the time and how she was "very aware" of what was happening, despite the fact that the song remains one of her biggest hits decades later.
"I was 14 and that was my first taste of the industry, I guess, in a way," she said. "It didn't feel good, that's for sure. I remember thinking that my version of the song would never be heard and I'm glad I was really wrong about that."
'How Do I Live' Lyrics:
How do I
Get through one night without you?
If I had to live without you
What kind of life would that be?
Oh now
I need you in my arms need you to hold
You're my world my heart my soul
If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything good in my life.
Without you
There'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me.
And I
Baby I don't know what I would do,
I'd be lost if I lost you,
If you ever leave,
Baby you would take away everything real in my life,
And tell me now,
How do I live without you?
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
If you ever leave,
Baby you would take away everything,
I need you with me,Baby 'cause you know that you're everything,
Good in my life.
And tell me now,
How do I live without you,
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?
How do I live, without you baby
This article was originally published in 2020.
