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Scotty McCreery’s ‘In Between’ Was All About Being His Honest Self

by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

 Scotty McCreery’s ‘In Between’ was a song that he penned with his producer Frank Rogers and songwriters Jessi Alexander and Jonathan Singleton. The single was included in McCreery’s studio album “Seasons Change.” 

During his stint as an American Idol contestant in 2011, McCreery was painted to be a saint, which he grew into. His two prior studio albums before “Season Change” was meant to be a diversion from that good ole boy image.  As he worked into his third studio album, McCreery has grown up and was looking for ways to change people’s perception of him as a saint.

RELATED: The Best Scotty McCreery Songs Within His Decade-Long Career

In fact, the single ‘In Between’ had words like “I ain’t all holy water,” “I’m somewhere in between,” and “I ain’t all Jim Bean” which all stood as declarative statement for the adult McCreery.

The Adventures of Youth

Scotty McCreery’s “In Between” was just one of the songs that he recorded to tell people that he is just like any other teenager back in the day. As he approached marriage, McCreery found inspiration in writing songs featuring stories of parents who would never want to hear from their own children.

Prior to the release of his album, McCreery openly shared one of his experience as a college student. He said that they just moved into a new place that they called “The Diamond.” He remembered how a certain birthday party turned welcome back to school party brought him into a territory that he was never been into. McCreery remembered that he first went up to get a drink at around 9:30 and he went down. Just after 10 minutes, he was totally unprepared with what he saw next. The 50 to 75 people that he first saw turned out to be like 300 to 400 people. 

McCreery also remembered that the cops came around 12:30 and was supposed to give out tickets. The cops were surprised to see how huge the party was and decided not to give them tickets for the number of people in attendance was the biggest they have seen in a NC state party. 

This is just one of the occurrences which inspired McCreery’s “In Between” single. It was formally placed into writing during one of those times when McCreery was just talking about life with songwriters Jessi Alexander, Frank Rogers, and Jonathan Singleton.

They were not intending to write any song but just wanted to talk about life like where they were once back when they’re 20 or 21 years old. But given that there were creative minds around, a simple conversation with friends could instantly turn into a hit single, and that’s just what happened with Scotty McCreery’s ‘In Between’ song. 

The Music Video Featured McCreery’s Wife

“In Between” also had a music video which featured McCreery and his wife Gabi Dugal. McCreery was also seen drinking, golfing and hanging out backstage with his band. This concept was a product of what McCreery has learned as he traveled across the country and meeting other people.

McCreery said that he noticed people had more things alike than differences. It’s for the same reason that the song was also titled ‘In Between.’ He continued that the music video was done to give his fans and the viewers a sneak peek of how he truly lives his life, and that he is not some saint that was depicted on TV. 

Chart Performance

Scotty McCreery’s ‘In Between’ was an overall success chart wise, and for the singer’s personal reasons.

The song charted on the top 12 of the Billboard Hot Country songs and at the 53rd spot of the Billboard Hot 100 songs. It also charted on the 12th spot of the Canadian Country songs Charts, and topped the US Country Airplay Charts.

As for McCreery, he was finally freed from what the world first thought of him and at the same time, delivered a message for all of us that we’ll always have something in common.

Don’t miss the music video of Scotty McCreery’s ‘In Between’ by watching the video below.

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