So, this tune is primarily identified with either Edwin McCain or Sara Evans.  Edwin McCain cut it first in 1999 for release on the soundtrack to the film "Message In a Bottle" starring Kevin Costner & Robin Wright, and then it appeared on his album "Messenger" later that year.  It enjoyed modest chart success in the US, cracking the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #37, and reaching the #3 spot on the US Adult Contemporary chart.  It fared a little better in Canada where it reached #12 on the main pop charts, and scored the #1 spot on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.

Two years later, Sara Evans did a great cover of her own that landed at #2 on the US Country chart, and then actually outperformed the original slightly on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #35.  They both did a great job with the song, and when I perform it, I usually have a bit of a mashup in my mind of the two and try to include elements that I like from both.  However, I don't really associate this song with either of them....I associate it with the song's writer, Diane Warren.

Every truly great song that gets out into our cultural zeitgeist has 3 core elements that helped it get there: 

1. The Writing
2. The performance
3. The Production 

It's pretty rare for a song to really land with big audiences without going 3 for 3 on that front.  The performance of course is the quality of the actual playing and singing, and how well it was executed.  The production is the arrangement of the accompaniment and vocals, EQ, dynamics, effects, and panning, along with the choice of equipment, and decisions about what parts to double or triple just to name a few aspects.

I am a huge admirer of both performance and production, and very much enjoy engaging in both when I'm recording myself....but for me, what gives me all the feels is the writing.  The writing has to be done before anything else can be.  It's where music begins.  When you think about it, there's a multi billion dollar industry of instruments, gear, venues, ticketing agencies, software, devices, and merch that all exists because songs get written.  If nobody wrote songs, none that stuff would be here.  That blows my mind....like, when I think about it, I feel like I'm having a marijuana fueled epiphany LOL.

What I love most about great writing is that when a song truly is that good, it will sound great without fancy production, even with a barely adequate performance.  You can strip it down to one instrument like a piano or acoustic guitar and a vocal, and the strength of the melody and lyrics on their own will carry it.  Nothing excites me more than a GREATLY crafted song.

Well, Diane Warren has more of those to her name than just about anyone who has ever lived.  She is undisputedly the most successful and prolific hit songwriter of the past 40 years.  She has written 42 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, 9 of which were chart toppers.  Think about that....by far the most competitive music chart in the world, and she has basically owned it since the mid-80s. 

Here's a few songs you might know, just off the top of my head:

• "Rhythm of the Night" - DeBarge
• "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship
• "I Get Weak" - Belinda Carlisle
• "Look Away" - Chicago
• "If I Could Turn Back Time" - Cher
• "When I See You Smile" - Bad English
• "Blame It On the Rain" - Milli Vanilli 
• "Love Will Lead You Back" - Taylor Dayne
• "Time, Love, & Tenderness" - Michael Bolton
• "Don't Turn Around" - Ace of Base
• "Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
• "Un-Break My Heart" - Toni Braxton
• "How Do I Live" - LeAnn Rimes
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith
• "I Turn to You" - Christina Aguilera 
• "Don't Say Go" - Taylor Swift

And many others I won't take the space to list.  That woman is a force of nature...a juggernaut....and one of my all time heroes.  

When I made my cover for "I Could Not Ask for More", I also posted it to my Instagram Account as a story, and I tagged Diane.  I do that anytime I ever post a cover there, and it never leads to anything, which is fine.  But that day, Diane actually replied to my story with a private message saying she loved my performance.

You know, nothing else is going to come from it....she didn't offer me a meeting or anything.  But it meant the world to me that she took a moment to send along some positive vibes and encouragement.  She's an incredibly busy woman, so just the fact that she took the time to give it a like is flattering.  

It made me aware of the fact that all of us, whether we think we are a "big deal" or not, are absolutely a big deal to someone.  I hope more often than not when I have the chance to take a moment and give someone a meaningful "like"....I will.  Thanks Diane....you're a class act.

Enjoy my cover of this song from July 19, 2024, and then check out a great performance of it by Edwin McCain on May 3, 1999 on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and another great one by Sara Evans on Austin City Limits in 2001! 

If you'd like to explore my piano method more deeply, my best students use my video courses and join me for conversation and twice monthly Q&A Livestreams in my private community...you can find it all HERE. Thanks.

If the video doesn't show above, use THIS LINK to see it on YouTube

If the video doesn't show above, use THIS LINK to see it on YouTube

If the video doesn't show above, use THIS LINK to see it on YouTube