On This Date: Carrie Underwood Releases “Before He Cheats,” And I’ve Wanted To Knock A Headlight Out Ever Since

Ever since this day in 2006, I've hoped there would come a time that I could take a "Louisville slugger to both headlights," just like Carrie Underwood. Luckily, though, I haven't quite found myself in a situation where that's been warranted, but I'd be lying if I said the thought hasn't at least crossed my mind a time or two. That's probably a story for another post, though, and I digress... On this date in 2006, Carrie released her monster hit "Before He Cheats," from her debut studio album Some Hearts. It would go on to become a massive crossover hit and a #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five straight weeks, and even a top ten hit on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts. Written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, it actually started out as a song for Gretchen Wilson, but ultimately, that didn’t work out. According to Josh, Carrie was on the American Idol tour at the time the song was written, and somebody from her label played the demo for her while on the back of a plane waiting to takeoff to the next tour stop: “She listened to it once and said, ‘I’m cutting that song.’ There was no discussion of putting it on hold or just letting us know they would sit with it. It was just one listen and knowing she would record it.” It was the third single from Some Hearts , which also included three other #1 singles in “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” and “Wasted”. This track was a huge departure from her “good girl” image in country music, but Carrie admits it payed off big-time in the long run: “I was a little nervous about just the content and kind of the aggressive nature of the song, because I was on ‘American Idol’ and like I am kind of a… I am a nice person. And I was thinking about all the grandmothers that sat there and voted for me on ‘American Idol’ and like, ‘What are they going to think?’ We took a chance and it opened up so many doors for me, just to be strong and sassy.” I mean, I still think this is one of the best opening verses of any country song in the last fifteen years... it's so perfectly mean and so damn country : "Right now, he's probably slow dancin'
With a bleached-blond tramp and she's probably gettin' frisky
Right now, he's probably buyin' her some fruity little drink
'Cause she can't shoot whiskey" I remember hearing it on the radio constantly when it came out 18 years ago now, and me and my friends would legitimately scream it at the top of our lungs (as if any of us had ever had our heart’s broken or been cheated on before). I was older than 8 at the time, but definitely not old enough to drink, and I clearly remember thinking that the other girl in the song was a little b*tch for not being able to shoot whiskey straight... Though now I have to admit that I do take it a little to heart when Carrie refers to her as a "a bleached-blond tramp": https://twitter.com/Moopes17/status/1169817193262903301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1169817193262903301%7Ctwgr%5E36315a6a2f3f6b4f7a5b4ccfb417308ba0e14ec1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2F2021%2F08%2F19%2Fon-this-date-carrie-underwood-releases-her-smash-single-before-he-cheats%2F The song only catapulted Carrie further into the world of elite mainstream artists in country music, and she’s become a household name in the genre ever since. The iconic YouTube video, which now has over 186 MILLION views, is also a fun trip down memory lane to watch today. And I even found a great piece of advice down in the comments in case it ever comes in handy for you: “Tip, ladies: don’t slash all four tires. Insurance pays for that. Just slash three, and he’ll have to pay for them himself.” And while I don't think that's actually true (I have no idea, but I hope it is), leaving him with one good tire might sting a little more. Ladies... pour one out for Carrie tonight, and always remember to save a little trouble for the next girl if need be: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNXwFS-gmwp/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=4294f17b-28be-4b38-9ebf-bde7b5995c89 "Before He Cheats" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8

Carrie Underwood Says She Related To “Before He Cheats” From Personal Experience

I don't know how someone could ever cheat on Carrie Underwood , but apparently, it happened... Last year, Carrie appeared on Sirius XM’s Howard Stern Show to promote her new Sirius channel Carrie's Country , which will be coming in June, and they got to talking about her hit song "Before He Cheats." From her debut studio album Some Hearts , it would go on to become a massive crossover hit and a #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five straight weeks, and even a top ten hit on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts. Carrie told Howard that she and her label were actually nervous about putting the song out, because it was much more aggressive than the single they released prior, her mega hit "Jesus Take The Wheel." She also joked that she hadn't really destroying anyone's car, but the fun part about music can be getting to play a character that's so different from who you are: "That's the fun thing about music. You do get to play a character. You do get to sing about things, or write things, or make music videos or whatever, about things that you wouldn't actually do in your life. But it is fun to get into character and act like you would. It's usually towards the end of the show or it's the encore, and I feel like immediately when it comes in, the audience just starts bumping. There's this weird little undulation thing that just starts happening, the crowd comes alive." And that's when he asked if she had ever been cheated on or personally gone through that kind of thing, and she said she had back in her 20's when she was in college. Carrie added that it was a "very big moment" in her life, where she realized that she was with someone she thought she knew so well, and she couldn't have been more wrong: "I mean, at the time I was young. I was in my 20's, I was in college. And I feel like that was a very big moment where it was like, I really thought I knew this person, and it turns out I really didn't know this person at all." She also added that she might not have really been in love as she views it now: "Probably as in love as a 20-something year old could be, you know?" And when it comes to revenge and how she feels about that relationship now, Carrie says it's not something she really ever thinks about, but she did ultimately have the last laugh... "I don't think about it that much anymore, but earlier in my career thinking about, he's probably in the grocery story checkout line and I'm on a magazine. There's a little pettiness." You can watch part of her interview with Stern here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTcVRLoAeIY