“Somebody Like You”
Keith Urban
Written by John Shanks and Keith Urban
Radio & Records
#1 (8 weeks)
October 4 – November 22, 2002
Billboard
#1 (6 weeks)
October 19 – November 23, 2002
If this hadn’t been released during that narrow window between the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Iraq quagmire, Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” would’ve likely swept the CMA Awards in the year of its release.
Shockingly, Urban earned zero nominations instead, while Alan Jacksons swept the ceremony. They’d catch up with him soon enough, and he’d be an Entertainer of the Year winner in just three years time.
But they overlooked the most exhilarating number one single of the decade, one that manages to establish Urban’s signature sound in just a few minutes. What a burst of sunshine this record is, like a new day dawning and leaving all the darkness and sadness behind.
His stunning guitar work is matched by a heartfelt vocal performance that is leagues beyond anything on his first solo record. He’s suddenly a fully formed artist, and two more singles from Golden Road – three, if you count a re-record that comes later – are in the same league as this one, starting with its top five follow up: a fantastic cover of Radney Foster’s “Raining On Sunday.”
Keith Urban’s road to the Country Music Hall of Fame starts here.
“Somebody Like You” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s
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Kevin,
You forgot Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo by Tracy Byrd in this feature for 2002, It hit #1 on Billboard for 1 week on October 5, 2002. Please cover it next, Thank You.
I love a whole lot of Keith Urban singles pre 2011 and I thought he was the king of good country pop from this period. Fun songs with interesting musicianship and he had some great deep cuts and for the most part quality records. My all time favorite song by Keith is “Used to the Pain” I’m not sure if anyone knows that but that chorus his epic.
This song is what made me a big Keith Urban fan for a while. I agree that it was a real burst of sunshine. I think it’s the song that got me started loving the banjo.
I should add that The Chicks’ “Long Time Gone” should also be credited for my budding love of the banjo.
The banjo is such a fantastic instrument (also features pretty prominently on I’m Alright, one of my favorite Kim Richey songs).
Richie beat me to the punch in identifying that you missed “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo”.
I wouldn’t say I’d been dismissive of Keith Urban based on his previous output as I thought “But for the Grace of God” was a fantastic song, but I didn’t see potential for greatness or endurance. That changed with this release and the subsequent string of singles from “Golden Road”, where he really found his voice. Incorporating banjo and just enough twangy guitar to keep one foot in the country world, Urban became the Shania Twain of the 2000s with his innate crossover sensibilities, and unlike Twain, did so with relatively few puerile embarrassments on the journey.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say “Somebody Like You” was “the most exhilirating #1 single of the decade” but it was a marvel, evoking optimism with spunk and polish, all escalating to that addictive closing instrumental crescendo. As the genre overall drifted to a place that equal parts dark and bland as the 2000s progressed, Urban’s style was a desperately needed breath of fresh air. He had singles I liked better than “Somebody Like You”, but I think it’s fair to say that this is his career record and a well-deserved one.
Grade: A
Thanks to both of you for that catch. I really need to merge the spreadsheets. I did a retroactive post for Tracy Byrd. Forgot how much I liked that song.
2002-me wasn’t big on Keith Urban, and I don’t know why. But this song is fully formed, showcasing a man who’s just been out of rehab and has a brighter outlook on life, and it introduced us to his “ganjo” wizardry. This whole record is an absolute joy to listen to.
For my money, still his best ever single and the one that truly sold me on him as an artist. The self-titled album and it’s singles were fine, but the singles campaign for Golden Road is stacked. A+++