We take you behind the scenes and explore the making of one of our favorite tunes with The Song Remembers When…
In the Spring of 2012, Jake Owen scored his second number one with “Alone With You,” written by Shane McAnally, J.T. Harding, and Catt Gravitt. The song is from Jake’s Barefoot Blue Jean Night album and topped the chart for two weeks.
It was Shane who had the idea for the song after reading a book titled Running with Scissors. He felt inspired to write a tune about a toxic relationship. Shane came up with the line: “You’ve got me running with scissors down the hall, and I know it would kill me if I fall.”
When the song was finished, they thought the vulnerability would be more fitting for a female artist to sing, but Shane, who was writing with Jake Owen at the time, let him hear it. Although Jake liked the song, he felt like some of the lyrics needed to be changed. They changed the scissors line to “You’ve got me out on the edge every time you call, and I know it would kill me if I fall.”
Shane said that the initial inspiration for writing the song was gone, but it was important to get out of the way of the story line and not overwrite it. Plus, Jake felt more comfortable with the new line and said it felt more believable to him. The songwriters felt it all worked out. Jake’s delivery was full of emotion and conviction. It was exactly what the song needed.