Country superstars Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, and Keith Urban joined forces together for one epic song: “Highway Don’t Care.” This happened over a decade ago for McGraw’s Two Lanes of Freedom – his first album with Big Machine Records after twenty years of tenure with his previous label.
Written by Mark Irwin, Josh Kear, and country music duo brothers Brad and Brett Warren, “Highway Don’t Care” tells the tale of a man separated from his lover as she goes for a drive. All over the verses, the man’ bets’ what his lover is currently doing or feeling until she turns the radio on.
Brad Warren explained that they wrote the girl’s part as a voice on the radio and is actually not part of the lyrics. When Tim McGraw heard about this, he knew right then and there that the girl’s voice coming through the radio should be by the country-pop star, Taylor Swift.
Indeed, McGraw made the right decision when it comes to choosing his duet partner. The voices of the two talented singers blended so well – making a perfect match.
Of course, we couldn’t miss the guitar licks added by another country superstar, Keith Urban. McGraw revealed that he had always been talking with Urban about recording a song together, where Urban could play the guitar; however, they couldn’t find the right song – until the demo for “Highway Don’t Care” arrived.
For You
And the three artists finally made the impossible, possible! The song was definitely well-received, especially by music critics, with one describing it as “one of the best collaborations of the decade – maybe even ever.” McGraw, on the other hand, couldn’t help but be grateful that he got to record with two of his favorite artists.
As expected, the song quickly became a commercial success. It received unsolicited airplay seven weeks before it was released to the radio and went on becoming a No. 1 hit on the Billboard US Country Airplay and peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs. It then earned triple-platinum certification after selling more than three million units, including streaming data.
It also took home several awards and earned nominations, such as Best Country Duo/Group Performance nomination during the 2013 Grammy Awards. Well, without a doubt, this is one of the most iconic collaborations out there.
Remarkably, McGraw has released a dramatic music video for the song, which aims to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and driving. You can watch the music video for “Highway Don’t Care” below.
