Forever Country Cover Series: Canaan Smith Covers Tim McGraw’s ‘Please Remember Me’
“I chose to cover the Tim McGraw version of ‘Please Remember Me’ because I remember actually it was one of the first songs that truly made the hair on my arms raise up," Smith told SLN.
Get ready for some major chills because Canaan Smith knows how to do one heck of a cover on the classic Tim McGraw hit, “Please Remember Me.”
A story about hoping a past love will never forget the passion they once had with the singer, Smith channels that romantic desperation within his pleading smooth vocals throughout the entire track for his Forever Country cover. Adding the reverb riffs off his solo electric guitar, Smith’s rendition of the emotional hit brings goosebumps to the surface from the first chorus and onward.
Even Smith knew this song would be the one for him to cover as he could never forget the moment he heard it for the first time and the chilling trigger that made him realize how raw the storytelling is in country music.
“I chose to cover the Tim McGraw version of ‘Please Remember Me’ because I remember actually it was one of the first songs that truly made the hair on my arms raise up. I was really young and I just remember, I think I was 10 or 11 riding on the bus on some field trip and I was crushing hard on this girl. This song was like the first song that ever hit me in a way where I wasn’t just listening to music to sing along. I was listening to the words and it’s so poetic and Rodney Crowell just blew it out of the park. Like that song is just unbelievable lyrically and I can connect to that longing. I could connect to that at a young age and I think that was the first time I realized songs are more than just music. Songs are stories and that one stands out to me,” Smith told Sounds Like Nashville exclusively after his cover session.
Being a tragic tune of longing hope and lost love, Smith surely makes his stamp on the Forever Country Cover Series with his spin on the story, creating a hollow yet solemn feeling for the reminiscent track. “Please Remember Me” was nominated for Single and Song of the Year back in 1999.
Fans can find more Forever Country content, including information about the 50th Annual CMA Awards and more, on the website for the celebration.
The 50th Annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville on Wednesday, November 2, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
