About the song
Background on Tim McGraw’s “Something Like That”
- Songwriters: Rick Ferrell and Keith Follesé
- Released: June 1999 (second single from the album “A Place in the Sun”)
- Chart Success: Reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks. It was also the most-played song of any genre for the first decade of the new millennium (2000-2009).
Themes in “Something Like That”
The song is a nostalgic look back at a summer romance and the enduring power of a first love.
- Vivid Memories: The lyrics paint a picture of a specific time and place – a county fair on Labor Day weekend when the narrator is 17. Details like the suntan line and red lipstick make the memory feel real.
- The Thrill of First Love: The song captures the excitement and innocence of that first spark, the effort put into getting a kiss, and the way that feeling stays with you.
- The Power of Nostalgia: Even though time has passed, the narrator remembers the feeling “like an old photograph, time can make a feeling fade / But the memory of a first love never fades away.”
These themes resonated with country music fans, making “Something Like That” a massive hit.
Video
Lyrics
It was Labor Day weekend, I was 17I bought a Coke and some gasolineAnd I drove out to the county fairWhen I saw her for the first timeShe was standing there in the ticket lineAnd it all started right then and thereOh, a sailor sky made a perfect sunsetAnd that’s the day I’ll never forget
I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirtShe was killing me in that miniskirtSkippin’ rocks on the river by the railroad tracksShe had a suntan line and red lipstickI worked so hard for that first kissAnd a heart don’t forget something like that
Well it was five years later on a southbound planeI was headed down to New OrleansTo meet some friends of mine for the Mardi GrasWhen I heard a voice from the pastComin’ from a few rows backAnd when I looked, I couldn’t believe just what I sawShe said, “I bet you don’t remember me”And I said, “Only every other memory”
I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirtYou were killing me in that miniskirtSkippin’ rocks on the river by the railroad tracksYou had a suntan line and red lipstickI worked so hard for that first kissAnd a heart don’t forget something like that
Like an old photographTime can make a feeling fadeBut the memory of a first loveNever fades away
I had a barbecue stain on my white t-shirtShe was killing me in that miniskirtSkippin’ rocks on the river by the railroad tracksShe had a sun tan line and red lipstickI worked so hard for that first kissA heart don’t forget, no a heart don’t forgetI said a heart don’t forget something like thatOh, not something like that