“You’ll Think of Me”
Keith Urban
Written byDarrell Brown, Ty Lacy, and Dennis Matkosky
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
May 7, 2004
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
May 8 – May 15, 2004
Golden Road had already powered Keith Urban to the brink of superstardom on the strength of its first three singles. But it was the cleanup single, “You’ll Think of Me,” that truly raised the bar for him.
It’s a sophisticated song already, with a nuanced exploration of the bitterness, resignation, and relief that comes with a relationship ending on poor terms, at least for the one left holding the bag. Urban could’ve delivered it like one of his contemporaries – straight down the middle, maybe a bit of oversinging on the bridge for emphasis – and it would’ve been a hit.
Urban goes much further, elevating the already strong material with a spectacular vocal performance. The way his voice breaks with grief at one moment, then callous bitterness the next, is a wonder to behold. Hearing this on the radio must’ve kicked off his run of Male Vocalist trophies later that year, because he blows all of his peers out of the water with his haunting performance.
He’ll go on to make the best music of his career in the next couple of years, all while battling personal demons that nearly cut that career short. This is the record that kicks off his imperial run.
“You’ll Think of Me” gets an A.
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I love it when Keith enters that lane of emotionally vulnerable stuff like this, because to me, that’s where he does it best with his catalog if you was to ask me.
This one is an absolute favourite of mine. I just love the story behind it, the way Keith sings it, all of it. Gorgeous ballad. I don’t like all of his music but this one I love.
My other favourite version is by John Barrowman.
I knew Barrowman could sing based on his stage work– though I know him best from Zero Dark Thirty and recurring roles in the CW’s “Arrowverse” series– but I had no idea he’d recorded that. Thanks for sharing it!
@Jonathan
I’ve been a fan since his early soap days but only found out more recently than that about his stage work. You’re so welcome. I might actually have heard his version first, but it’s a great song and I love both versions.
The only thing I’d change about this song is that I’d have her leave the cat and take his sweater!:)
A very good song. Not really unique but always a nice listen. “B+”.
While “Somebody Like You” launched Keith Urban’s career to a different level a year and a half earlier, “You’ll Think of Me” cemented that ascent in place. Thanks to a vocal performance that was simultaneously restrained and emotive, Urban pulls off fierce bitterness over a broken relationship as effectively as any song I can remember. And he didn’t have to sink to “hoping her brakes go bad going down the hill” levels to get that bitterness across. It reinforced my early impression that country radio needed a breath of fresh air like Urban in this era, and as you said, more great stuff was to come.
With that said, this song has had remarkably minimal staying power for me. Sometimes that happens and it’s not easily explained. A song you love when it comes out hits a point of diminishing returns and doesn’t move you anymore. Unfortunately, that’s been the case with “You’ll Think of Me”. I shouldn’t hold it against the song but I can’t very well rank it among my top tier if the spark is no longer there. If it helps ease Keith’s hard feelings, I’ll take his cat for him.
Grade: B+
Not my favorite song from Urban’s imperial era, and frankly I was surprised how much traction it got on non-country stations. It is beautifully sung and well produced,and it’s still light years ahead of what he’s released in the last decade or so, but maybe I just prefer uptempo Urban a little more.
One of my favorites from Keith Urban. I always appreciated how this song feels like Keith Urban in a nutshell. He’s bitter and angry, but he’s such a nice guy he still sounds somewhat graceful in conveying his anger. Just a strong artistic fit all around.
It’s a testament to Urban as an artist that he can elevate what, in most other cases, would be nauseatingly boring adult-contemporary fodder aping as country, and make it an interesting and memorable piece. Grade: A