Music

Tim McGraw Nearly Passed on Recording ‘I Like It, I Love It’ at 1st

Tim McGraw nearly passed on recording 'I Like It, I Love It' because he was worried about recording another novelty song.

by Megan Christian

Published on October 31, 2022

3 min read

Making a name for himself with multiple country hits in the ’90s, Tim McGraw is now a country music icon. He has had significant success in his singing and acting endeavors, winning numerous awards and accomplishments.

When first releasing a song, singers are never sure how fans will react. While most major hits are ones that were the artist’s top picks, others may have almost missed the cut. For McGraw, his fan-favorite hit “I Like It, I Love It” was a song he almost didn’t record.

With the overwhelming success of “I Like It, I Love It,” he is glad he decided to release the song when he did. The hit tune was among the first of many as McGraw’s career grew.

Why Tim McGraw almost didn’t record ‘I Like It, I Love It’

With the words “like” and “love” in a song title, it’s bound to resonate with fans and should definitely be included on an album, right? McGraw originally had other thoughts about recording “I Like It, I Love It” in 1995.

In a recent interview on the Bobby Bones Show, McGraw told Bones while he loved the song, he almost passed on recording it because of the recent release of his breakthrough single, “Indian Outlaw.”

McGraw said that “he didn’t want to be one these guys who sings all these novelty songs,” and felt like “I Like It, I Love It” was a novelty song at the beginning. While he feared becoming known as the guy who sings those song types, the success, and release of multiple other hits around the same time helped secure McGraw’s spot in the hearts of country music fans.

The song is now one of McGraw’s favorites

I love weekends in California!! Thank you @Yaamava @ParkBoots pic.twitter.com/UFKz96WA2C
— Tim McGraw (@TheTimMcGraw) September 12, 2022

Although McGraw almost didn’t record “I Like It, I Love It,” he now really loves it. He told Bones that it had become one of the biggest songs, especially when performing on stage. The upbeat song is a massive hit that dedicated fans and first-time concertgoers can’t help but sing along when McGraw’s band starts playing it.

The song will continue to hold a special place in McGraw’s and fans’ hearts, as it is a fun-loving and one of the most well-known songs from the ’90s.

The success of ‘I Like It, I Love It’

Written by Jeb Stuart Anderson, Steve Dukes, and Mark Hall, McGraw recorded “I Like It, I Love It” in 1995. As the first single off his album titled All I Want, the song helped to quickly boost the record by making it to the top of the charts.

Debuting at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, “I Like It, I Love It” moved to the number one spot in no time and stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks. In 1996, the popular song was nominated for Song of the Year and Single of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

While McGraw did not take home the win, it paved the way for numerous other awards throughout his career, including 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 10 American Music Awards, three People’s Choice Awards, and three Grammys.

In addition to the musical success of the song, the NHL’s Nashville Predators has included a modified version as their goal song with “Predators scoring” replacing “little gal’s lovin.” Therefore, it can also be considered an unofficial sports anthem. The song’s success still shows after 27 years, with “I Like It, I Love It” remaining a crowd-pleaser for country music fans.