"Better Than I Used to Be"
Single by Sammy Kershaw
from the album Better Than I Used to Be
ReleasedMarch 30, 2010
GenreCountry
Length3:20
LabelBig Hit
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Buddy Cannon
Sammy Kershaw singles chronology
"Real People"
(2008) 		"Better Than I Used to Be"
(2010) 		"The Snow White Rows of Arlington"
(2010)

"Better Than I Used to Be" is a song written by Ashley Gorley and Bryan Simpson. The song was originally recorded by American country music artist Sammy Kershaw in 2010 for the album of the same name, released August 31, 2010, on Big Hit Records.[1] The version released by Sammy Kershaw was released as a single, but did not enter the charts.

Tim McGraw version

"Better Than I Used to Be"
Single by Tim McGraw
from the album Emotional Traffic
ReleasedNovember 28, 2011
GenreCountry
Length3:22
LabelCurb
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Tim McGraw singles chronology
"Me and Tennessee"
(2011) 		"Better Than I Used to Be"
(2011) 		"Feel Like a Rock Star"
(2012)

The song was later covered by Tim McGraw in 2011 and was released to iTunes and country radio on December 1, 2011, via Curb Records. The song served as the first single for his final Curb album, Emotional Traffic, which was released on January 24, 2012.

Critical reception

Giving McGraw's version four stars out of five, Taste of Country reviewer Billy Dukes said, "It's the first time fans get to experience many of the burdens the singer has talked of shedding in recent years."[2] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock was positive, calling it "a strong story song from a mature singer/songwriter." He went on to say that it was McGraw's "most country song to date with strong lyrical imagery and one of Tim’s best vocal performances in years."[3] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave it a 'B+', calling the song "classic McGraw" and saying that the production is, "clean, tasteful, and decidedly country."[4]

Chart performance

McGraw's version of the song debuted at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of December 17, 2011.[5] It also debuted at number 81 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of December 31, 2011. It also debuted at number 71 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of February 11, 2012.

Chart (2011–2012) Peak
position
Canada Country (Billboard)[6] 2
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7] 71
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 52
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (2012) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 6

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Better Than I Used to Be". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  2. ^ Dukes, Billy. "Tim McGraw — "Better Than I Used to Be" review". Taste of Country. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  3. ^ Bjorke, Matt (1 December 2011). "Tim McGraw — "Better Than I Used to Be"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  4. ^ Coyne, Kevin John (23 December 2011). "Tim McGraw — "Better Than I Used to Be"". Country Universe. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  5. ^ Morris, Edward (December 10, 2011). "Sweet Harmony: Lady Antebellum Claim Both Top Album and Song". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  6. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Best of 2012: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – Better Than I Used to Be". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
Categories