Some songs are so good that it doesn’t matter who sings them. They’ll always find a way to top the charts. That was definitely the case with “I Swear”, a track that took country music by storm in 1993 before the Billboard Hot 100 fell in love with a different version of the song.
“I Swear” is pretty much the 90s equivalent of “Hopelessly Devoted To You”. The song sings about promising someone your love and consistency, a theme that, ironically, seems to work for both country and R&B. As writer Frank Myers told Bart Herbison of NSAI, his co-writer Gary Baker pitched him the title of the song. On the drive to see Baker, Myers wrote the chorus, music, and words.
“I live about three hours from Gary, and one morning he called me when I was getting ready to go down (to Muscle Shoals, Ala.) to write,” Myers explained. “He says, ‘I’ve got an idea for you to think about on the drive down. It’s called ‘I Swear’ … and it’s like, ‘I’ll love you forever…’”
Ironically, when the song was pitched around Nashville, a lot of people passed on “I Swear” because it was too pop. Then, John Michael Montgomery, who hadn’t yet had a hit to call his own, ended up cutting it. The song went No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
Why Did “I Swear” Resonate With So Many People?
In April of 1994, just a few months after Montgomery had his go with the hit, R&B group All-4-One also released their own version of “I Swear,” which became a last-minute addition to their self-titled album.
“We were in the Atlantic offices in Los Angeles, the album was done,” Tony Borowiak of All-4-One said in an interview with The Song TV. “…And they’re like ‘Oh by the way, we want you to critique the song John Michael Montgomery’s ‘I Swear’.’”
As it turns out, the group’s label wanted them to not only critique the song but also sing it themselves. Five weeks after their version came out, “I Swear” was at the top of the Hot 100. That right there only proves the power that a good song can have.
“I think the reason that ‘I Swear’ resonated with fans everywhere, it hits every topic,” Borowiak shared. “You know, it hits on love, relationships. You know as guys, we don’t always have the right words. But that song has the right words…”
Photo by: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
The post People Thought This 1993 Song Was “Too Pop” for Country Music, Then It Went No. 1 in Both Genres appeared first on American Songwriter.