He Didn't Have to Be
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| “He Didn't Have to Be” | |||||
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| Single by Brad Paisley from the album Who Needs Pictures |
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| Format | CD single | ||||
| Genre | country music | ||||
| Length | 4:42 | ||||
| Label | Arista Nashville | ||||
| Writer(s) | Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace | ||||
| Producer | Frank Rogers | ||||
| Brad Paisley singles chronology | |||||
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"He Didn't Have to Be" was the second single by country music singer-songwriter Brad Paisley from his 1999 debut album, Who Needs Pictures. It became his first #1 single in December 1999, reaching the top spot for one week.
[edit] Song Meaning
The song was based on Paisley's frequent co-writer, Kelley Lovelace, who has a stepson. According to Lovelace, Paisley said to him, "Let's make a song about you two that will make your wife cry."[1] The song is written from the perspective of a son of a single mother; the single mother begins dating a new man who almost immediately includes the child in things like going to the movies. In the final verse, the son is now about ready to become a father himself, standing in the hospital next to his stepfather and hoping that he can be "at least half the dad" that his stepfather "didn't have to be."
| Preceded by "When I Said I Do" by Clint Black (feat. Lisa Hartman Black) |
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks number one single by Brad Paisley December 11, 1999 |
Succeeded by "When I Said I Do" by Clint Black (feat. Lisa Hartman Black) |
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[edit] References
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