“One More Day”
Diamond Rio
Written by Stephen Dale Jones and Bobby Tomberlin
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
March 2 and March 23, 2001
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
March 10 and March 31, 2001
Some leadership changes at Arista Nashville created bumps in the road for that label’s flagship artists. The arrival of a new label head with a long history in town was good news for most of the male ones, with Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, and Diamond Rio all reversing their commercial slides around this time period.
Diamond Rio did it with a ballad that transcends its own pre-9/11 era. Sonically, they were navigating the pop-country landscape perfectly with “One More Day.” They are acquiescing to the Lonestar sound without sacrificing their own musical identities, so of course the ballad sounds better than most of what their younger competitors were cooking up. Marty Roe’s distinctive lead vocal, the bluegrass-flavored harmonies, and the backporch instrumentation all elevate what could’ve been a bland AC crossover effort.
But because the song is about wishing for one more day with someone who is unexpectedly ripped away from you, it took on a new meaning in the 9/11 era, putting it in the same boat as Brooks & Dunn’s “Only in America” and Aaron Tippin’s “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly” as 9/11 anthems conceived before 9/11. This is the best of those three records, and another reminder that the nineties standard of quality didn’t disappear right away when the new century came calling.
“One More Day” gets an A.
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I think it’s interesting how Diamond Rio more or less adapted to the 21st century without changing membership or producers. I think only their age and a couple misguided single choices kept them from being fruitful longer.
Back in March, I went to see them in concert for the first time. They sounded as good as ever. I also heard co-writer Bobby Tomberlin sing it at least once. It’s a song that has broad appeal to anyone who has lost a loved one, although I loved it before I actually had many losses to deal with.
A very deserving “A”. I don’t think of 9/11 at all when I hear this, but it is an excellent performance.
I agree with Tom P – I don’t think of 9/11 when I hear this song but having lost family and friends in the last three months, I teared up immediately upon hearing the song again.
A-
I agree with Tom P – I don’t think of 9/11 when I hear this song but having lost family and friends in the last three months, I teared up immediately upon hearing the song again. A-