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If I Die Young

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"If I Die Young"
Single by the Band Perry
from the album The Band Perry
ReleasedJune 8, 2010 (2010-06-08)
Genre
Length
  • 3:43 (album version)
  • 3:35 (pop single mix)
LabelRepublic Nashville
Songwriter(s)Kimberly Perry
Producer(s)
The Band Perry singles chronology
"Hip to My Heart"
(2009) 		"If I Die Young"
(2010) 		"You Lie"
(2011)
Alternate cover
Music video
"If I Die Young" on YouTube

"If I Die Young" is a song written by Kimberly Perry, and recorded by American country music trio The Band Perry. It was released on June 8, 2010, as the second single from the group's self-titled debut album.

Content

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"If I Die Young" is a mid-tempo tune accompanied by acoustic guitar, banjo, accordion, mandolin, fiddle, electric bass, and drums. It is in the key of E Major. The song is about the sadness of dying young ("The sharp knife of a short life") as the narrator describes how she never really got to experience love and worrying about how her loved ones will miss her and deal with the loss. She recognizes that once someone passes away, others seem to pay more attention to that person's life: "And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin' / Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'." She states that if she dies young, then her family left behind should "save their tears" for a time when "they're really gonna need them." She states that she has had a well-lived life in the line "Well, I've had just enough time."

Reception

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The Band Perry received at least one letter in response to the song. In its envelope, the members also found a necklace with a ring on it.[1] The letter's author was a young girl who had recently lost her best friend to cancer. Mourning her friend's death, the girl was contemplating suicide. Driving from work one day, she heard "If I Die Young" on the radio. Hearing "so much life in the song", the girl changed her mind. In her letter to The Band Perry, she wrote about the necklace: "I'm sending this to you, because it's the most important thing I own. This song literally saved my life."[2]

Critical

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Bobby Peacock of Roughstock spoke positively of the lyrics, saying that they were "very well-developed with interesting little details." He felt that, although the topic is "a little sugarcoated", the vocal performance is a "pleasant listening experience".[3]

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #162 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[4]

Commercial

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"If I Die Young" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of May 29, 2010. It also debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of July 24, 2010. In October 2010, it became the group's first top 10 single on the Hot Country Songs chart as well as their first top 20 on the Hot 100 chart. The song became their first number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week of December 11, 2010.

In early 2011, the song was remixed by Matt Ward and Dean Gillard for pop radio. The remix debuted at number 36 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Songs chart and number 29 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for the week of June 11, 2011. With the remix impacting pop radio, the song re-entered the Hot 100 chart at number 46 for the week of June 25, 2011.[5] It has since reached a new peak of number 14.[6]

In May 2011, the song sold over 2 million copies, the eleventh country music song to do so, and only the fourth time that a band reached this plateau, following Lady A, Zac Brown Band and Rascal Flatts.[7] At the time, "If I Die Young" song was the highest-selling single to miss the top ten,[8] and as of August 24, 2015, "If I Die Young" surpassed 5 million downloads.[9]

In July 2011, the song reached the top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in its thirty-fifth chart week, making it the slowest climb into the top 15. It broke the slowest climb record that was previously held by Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats", and Taylor Swift's "Teardrops on My Guitar". Both songs took thirty-three weeks to reach the top 15.[10] The song spent 53 weeks on Billboard Hot 100 chart and is their best-selling single to date. It is also the only song with 53 or more weeks that ended its chart run in 2011.

Music video

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The music video, which was directed by David McClister, premiered on CMT on May 27, 2010.[11] In the video, the band is shown setting Kimberly Perry in a canoe before pushing it off into the river. Perry is holding a book containing poems by Tennyson, including "The Lady of Shalott", which the book is opened to at the end of the music video. The video echoes a scene in Anne of Green Gables in which Anne attempts to appear as the Lady of the poem. Kimberly's mother and her love interest (played by Kyle Kupecky) are shown plucking flower petals and visibly depressed that she has left them. Eventually, her canoe begins to take on water, she sits up. Once this occurs her brothers come back for her. When she gets back to her house, her mother and love interest embrace her. The video was filmed on location at Two Rivers Mansion outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Throughout the video, the band is also shown performing with their instruments inside of the house.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[34] Gold 30,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Platinum 80,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[37] 9× Platinum 9,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Result
2011 53rd Grammy Awards Best Country Song — "If I Die Young"[38] Nominated
Academy of Country Music Awards Single Record of the Year — "If I Die Young"[39] Nominated
Song of the Year — "If I Die Young"[39] Nominated
2011 Billboard Music Awards Top Country Song — "If I Die Young"[40] Nominated
CMT Music Awards Video of the Year — "If I Die Young"[41] Nominated
Group Video of the Year — "If I Die Young"[41] Nominated
USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year — "If I Die Young"[41] Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice Music: Country Single — "If I Die Young"[42] Nominated
Inspirational Country Music Awards Inspirational Video — "If I Die Young"[43] Nominated
Country Music Association Awards Single of the Year — "If I Die Young"[44] Won
Song of the Year — "If I Die Young"[44] Won
Music Video of the Year — "If I Die Young"[44] Nominated

Release history

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Date Country Format
June 8, 2010 United States Country radio
May 24, 2011 Mainstream radio
February 24, 2012 United Kingdom Digital download

Glee version

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Naya Rivera and Cory Monteith performing during the Glee concert tour in 2011.

In 2013, Naya Rivera performed the song as her character Santana Lopez in tribute episode "The Quarterback", during the fifth season of the Fox comedy-drama series Glee, in honor of co-star and close friend Cory Monteith, who died on July 13, 2013. Monteith played Finn Hudson on the show, with his character also dying.[45]

In a scene in the episode, Santana talks about Finn before beginning an acoustic cover of the song, but she breaks down in tears of sadness and grief over Finn before she can finish and runs away when friends try to console her. Speaking about the usage before the episode was broadcast, Kimberly Perry said: "I'm so excited that song is being used that way because even though it has 'die' in the title, it was really inspired by and about celebrating life [...] I obviously haven't seen the episode that's a tribute to Cory, but I feel like they're going to focus on his life rather than his death, so I'm really excited that 'If I Die Young' is going to be part of honoring him".[46] Jeff Jensen for Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the episode focused on life, not death, and described Rivera's performance of the song as "the number of the night" and that it "was memorable for how she broke down halfway through it, then unleashed a furious howl".[47]

The cover was released as a single as well as being a track on the album Glee: The Quarterback. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200, selling 47,000 copies[48] and also charted as number one on the Billboard Soundtracks.[49] The song was the last Glee single to chart during the show's run, doing so in the UK and Ireland.[50]

Following Rivera's disappearance and death in July 2020, which was confirmed on July 13, 2020, the 7-year anniversary of Monteith's death, the song saw a surge of views on YouTube[51] and became a trending topic on Twitter; some fans thought this was an insensitive reaction however, and that other songs performed by Rivera would be better to promote.[52]

Chart Peak Position
UK Singles Chart[53] 82
Irish Singles Chart[50] 56
Scottish Singles and Albums Charts[54] 73

Cady Groves cover

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In February 2012, American pop-country singer Cady Groves uploaded a live cover of the song to SoundCloud.[55] Prophetically, Groves would die in 2020 at the age of 30 from complications caused by alcohol abuse.[56]

If I Die Young Pt. 2

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Following the band's hiatus announcement, Kimberly recorded and released a follow-up titled "If I Die Young Pt. 2" as her solo debut single in May 2023.[57]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Tom Roland (September 9, 2010). "The Band Perry Gets "Young" Memento". GAC. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Josh Armstrong (October 7, 2010). "The Band Perry debuts self-titled album". KnowTheArtist.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  3. ^ Bobby Peacock (May 23, 2010). "The Band Perry – "If I Die Young"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  4. ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
  5. ^ "Adele 'Rolling' Along Atop Hot 100, Jason Aldean & Nicki Minaj Reach Top 10". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 15, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  6. ^ Grein, Paul (July 27, 2011). "Week Ending July 17, 2011. Songs: Bad Meets Bruno". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "Week Ending May 29, 2011. Songs: He Was In It To Win It". new.music.yahoo.com. June 1, 2011. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  8. ^ Grein, Paul (October 16, 2013). "Week Ending Oct. 13, 2013. Songs: A New #1 (For The Year)". Chart Watch. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  9. ^ Roughstock (August 24, 2015). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles chart for August 24, 2015 | RoughStock". Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "The Band Perry sets a mark for slowness". Country Standard Time. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  11. ^ "CMT : Videos : If I Die Young". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on September 27, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  12. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  13. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  14. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  17. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Band Perry". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  19. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: January 29, 2012 to February 04, 2012)". Gaon Chart. December 15, 2012. Archived from the original on December 19, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  21. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  22. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  23. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  24. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  25. ^ "The Band Perry Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  26. ^ "Best of 2010: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  27. ^ "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  28. ^ "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  29. ^ "Best of 2011: Adult Contemporary Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  30. ^ "Best of 2011: Adult Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  31. ^ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  32. ^ "Best of 2011: Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  33. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  34. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – The Band Perry – If I Die Young" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  35. ^ "Canadian single certifications – The Band Perry – If I Die Young". Music Canada.
  36. ^ "British single certifications – Band Perry – If I Die Young". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  37. ^ "American single certifications – The Band Perry – If I Die Young". Recording Industry Association of America.
  38. ^ "2011 Grammy Nominations: Eminem Leads The Pack". MTV. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
  39. ^ a b "Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney lead ACM Award Nominations". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. February 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  40. ^ "2011 Billboard Music Awards Winners". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. April 18, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  41. ^ a b c "It's Jason Aldean's Kinda Party: Leads CMT Music Awards Nominations". Roughstock. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  42. ^ "Teen Choice Award Nominees Named". Teen Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  43. ^ "2011 Inspirational Country Music Awards Winners Announced". A Taste of Country. October 31, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  44. ^ a b c "CMT : News : Four Artists Tied as Top CMA Nominees". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  45. ^ Sciarretto, Amy (October 7, 2013). "'If I Die Young' Featured in 'Glee' Tribute to Cory Monteith". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  46. ^ Dukes, Billy (July 15, 2020). "WATCH: Naya Rivera's Emotional 'If I Die Young' Cover on 'Glee' Resurfaces After Her Death". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  47. ^ "'Glee' Review: An earnest, flawed tribute to the life (not the death) of Cory Monteith". EW. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  48. ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 16, 2013). "Miley Cyrus' 'Bangerz' Debuts At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  49. ^ "Soundtracks : Nov 2, 2013". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  50. ^ a b "Glee Cast – Music Charts". acharts.co. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  51. ^ "Naya Rivera's 'If I Die Young' 'Glee' Tribute to Cory Monteith Circulates Amid Her Disappearance, Reported Death". Pop Culture. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  52. ^ Singh, Olivia. "Fans are asking others not to share clips of Naya Rivera singing 'If I Die Young' as videos of the star's 'Glee' performances go viral". Insider. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  53. ^ "Glee Cast | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  54. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2020. The Scottish Chart is not searchable by artist but by date; singles were released in Scotland in the same week as the UK.
  55. ^ If I Die Young (Cover), retrieved August 3, 2022
  56. ^ Roberto, Melissa (August 8, 2020). "Country singer Cady Groves' cause of death revealed". Fox News. Fox News Network, LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  57. ^ Claire Schaper (May 26, 2023). "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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