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Story Behind the Song: 'More Than a Memory,' Garth Brooks

Lee Brice talked to The Boot about the No. 1 hit he wrote with Kyle Jacobs and Billy Montana for Garth Brooks.

I woke up one night thinking about the love of my life, an old flame, even though we hadn't been together in eight or ten years. I woke up thinking about her at 3:30 AM and started writing her a letter. I got halfway down the letter and I was like, 'What are you doing? You do this all the time -- you never send her anything. Just go back to bed. She's just a memory.' Then I thought, 'Well, I'm up at 3:30 in the morning, physically tangibly doing something, writing a letter. She's still a tangible physical part of my life, so she must be more than a memory.' So I started writing the song right there.

Then I took my ideas, melodies thoughts to Kyle (Jacobs). We're best friends. Any time he gets ideas or I get ideas, we always go to each other, because we like writing together.

The first time I performed it was on the Grand Ole Opry. I performed my single, 'She Ain't Right,' and I was kinda nervous because it was my first time on the Opry. I decided at the last minute to do this new song I'd just written, and try it out on the Opry audience. Nobody had ever heard it. I played an acoustic version of 'More than a Memory,' and when I got to the first chorus -- the first time anybody heard it -- the audience stood up and clapped for me in the middle of the song. That is a moment I'll never forget.

After Garth released it and it debuted at No. 1, it just exploded and everybody who came to my shows knew it. They would sing every word, the lighters would come out -- it was really cool.

The girl I wrote the song about knows. Actually, she called me. I'd always had a fantasy that we'd get back together. But what if we got back together and this muse I've had for eight years goes away. I want to keep writing songs about her. Songs like that, they come from a real place.

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mosbyjon

I gotta tell you-- the first time I heard this song I was going to Roanoke Va on Interstate 81, after the first verse I had to pull off the road and set there for the song to end and then for about another 30 more minuters to collect myself. Me and the love of my life of 28 years had been broken up for about 1 1/2 years. It was as if the song was written about my life. I still cant hear it without tearing up. For anyone that has gone through this it really pulls at your heart. This song digs deep inside a mans soul and puts him face to face with the feelings we try to keep anyone from seeing.

April 23 2009 at 11:35 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
vjulied1981

I think it is kind of funny what Garth had said about this song because i feel the same way sometimes

October 21 2008 at 6:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply