Renditions are either a hit or a flop; in this case, Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You” is in the middle. That is, according to various music critics.
The song “God Gave Me You” was originally recorded by another Nashville-based singer Dave Barnes. He focuses on contemporary Christian music that gives the same feeling as Hillsong UNITED’s songs. Meanwhile, Blake Shelton‘s version is more of a country alternative rock, his singing style. The original and rendition were only a year apart, which is the reason why fans can’t help compare the two.
With a whole band of electric guitar and drums, Shelton made it more of flattering his lover, unlike Barnes, who focuses on the religious aspect.
For Shelton, he recalled in an interview about having the song as an inspiration to propose to Miranda Lambert (now his ex-wife). The official music video shows Lambert the night before the wedding. The song’s first verse is about the singer confessing that he’s at the lowest point of their relationship. Continuing, Shelton wants to be a better man because Lambert stayed by his side despite the wrong things.
The chorus opens up how the singer feels and sees his then-wife as a gift of God. As the lyrics mentioned, even when he lost his way, she will always be there because God sent her his way. Some listeners interpret how Shelton might be unbelieving how Lambert made his life better and perceive his world in a whole new light.
For You
Music critics are divided with Shelton’s version. Country Weekly’s Jessica Phillips praised it as his 2011 album Red River Blue’s highest romantic song. Will Hermes, a Rolling Stone reviewer, agrees with Phillips by calling it a “spirited cover” that keeps you feel love and blessed at the same time.
On the other hand, Slant Magazine’s Jonathan Keefe thinks the song is the weakest on Shelton’s album. Keefe didn’t like how the recording felt like it was from 20 years ago. Melissa Mairz of Entertainment Weekly agreed with the negative review as she didn’t like how excessively sentimental it is.
Fans can safely assume Blake Shelton’s “God Gave Me You” were in the middle of most hit charts as its most peaked position is on the top 30. Its highest achievement was when it became 3x platinum-selling 2,514,000 copies.
Hear Shelton’s version for yourself below and share with us whether it’s a hit or a flop.
Check out the 10 Best Blake Shelton Songs in our previous article.
