Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water” might sound like a fairly uncontroversial track about redemption and faith, but below the surface, those waters grew murky and choppy after “saddening” drama bubbled up around the chart-topping song in 2017.
Indeed, the drama that followed its 2014 release was a stark contrast from the day Underwood and co-writers Chris DeStefano and Brett James came together to write the track—a day DeStefano would later describe to The Tennessean as “the perfect day out, and the vibe felt pretty good.”
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Just three years later, they’d need all the good vibes they could get.
The “Saddening” Drama Behind Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water”
Almost three years to the day that Carrie Underwood released her Christian country hit, The Tennessean reported that Canadian songwriting duo Ron McNeill and Georgia Lyons sued the American Idol alum; her two co-writers, Chris DeStefano and Brett James; her producer, Mark Bright; and publishing company Sony Music Nashville for song theft.
The plaintiffs alleged they had pitched a song of the same name to Underwood and Bright a year before, but no one from Underwood’s team responded. Upon hearing Underwood’s version of “Something in the Water,” the songwriters filed suit, writing, “The hook on the infringing work, as released on the album, is structurally and lyrically identical and substantially similar melodically to plaintiffs’ composition of the same title.”
A spokeswoman for the country superstar responded, emphasizing that Underwood, James, and DeStefano were the song’s only writers. “This is a deeply personal song regarding Carrie’s faith. She is saddened that anyone would attempt to challenge that for financial gain. Neither Carrie nor any of her co-writers ever received or heard the plaintiffs’ song.”
From A Perfect Writing Day to Potential Infringement
Carrie Underwood’s representative said in her statement, “We fully expect that Carrie, Brett [James], and Chris [DeStefano] will be vindicated in the courts.” There is little public information regarding the outcome of the lawsuit, though Underwood has a history of beating similar allegations throughout her career, including a lawsuit that accused Underwood and Brad Paisley of copyright infringement on their duet “Remind Me.”
Ultimately, the legal drama was a tense blip in an otherwise cathartic and creatively inspiring writing process. In his 2016 interview with The Tennessean, DeStefano recalled bringing his instrumental track to Underwood and James at the Idol alum’s cabin. “I remember saying something to them like, ‘Well, you guys are either going to hate this or love it.’ Carrie, pretty much right from the get-go, started singing the chorus melody that you hear. She brought up that she really wanted to write a song called “Something in the Water.””
It didn’t take much convincing for James and DeStefano to follow Underwood’s lead. “Brett and I were both like, ‘That feels perfect for this energy and this vibe of this music.’ We were really all feeling it in the room. It still gives me chills just thinking about it.”
Despite the “saddening” legal drama that followed the next year, “Something in the Water” proved to be a stunning success for Underwood. Its release broke multiple records, including Underwood’s highest debut chart position and best debut sales week. “Something in the Water” also earned Underwood a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance.
Photo by Nancy Rivera/Ace Pictures/Shutterstock
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