"I'm In" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Radney Foster. He recorded it on his 1999 studio album See What You Want to See, which was released on the Arista Austin label. In 2000, The Kinleys released it as a single from the album II, and ten years later, Keith Urban released his version as the fifth single from his album Defying Gravity. Urban's version of the song was a number two hit on the country music charts.
| "I'm In" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Radney Foster | ||||
| from the album See What You Want to See | ||||
| B-side | "I'm In" (cold intro) | |||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 5:18 (album version) 4:18 (single version) | |||
| Label | Arista Austin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Radney Foster Georgia Middleman | |||
| Producer(s) | Darrell Brown | |||
| Radney Foster singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is about a male narrator who expresses his desire to commit with his lover, telling her that "If you need a lover and a friend / Baby, I'm in."
Radney Foster version
editRadney Foster wrote the song with Georgia Middleman, and recorded it as a duet with Abra Moore on his 1999 album See What You Want to See. This version was released as the first single from the album, and did not enter the charts. Two weeks before the slated release of the album, See What You Want to See was put on hold due to label restructuring.[1]
Critical reception
editStephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called "I'm In" one of "the best moments" on the album, saying that it "showcase[s] him at his best as a songwriter while successfully delivering a fresh, updated sound."[2]
The Kinleys version
edit| "I'm In" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Kinleys | ||||
| from the album II | ||||
| B-side | "I Need You Now"[3] | |||
| Released | October 3, 2000 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:55 (album version) 3:37 (single version) | |||
| Label | Epic Nashville 79496 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Radney Foster Georgia Middleman | |||
| Producer(s) | Radney Foster | |||
| The Kinleys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1999, country music duo The Kinleys recorded a version of "I'm In" for the album II, released in 2000 via Epic Records. Foster co-produced The Kinleys' version of the song, and five other tracks on the album.[4]
Critical reception
editCountry Standard Time critic Jeffrey B. Remz, in his review of II, said that The Kinleys' rendition was "radio friendly" and that the duo "strip[s]" the song "from its rootsy feel by going for a bigger, churning sound."[5] Gene Harbrecht of the Orlando Sentinel called it a "hopeful counterpoint punctuated by soaring vocals."[6]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Eric Welch and premiered in late 2000.
Chart performance
editThe Kinleys' version debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts dated for the week ending October 28, 2000. It spent twenty-two weeks on that chart and peaked at 35. It was the third and final single from that album, and the last charting single for the duo.[3]
| Chart (2000–2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 35 |
Keith Urban version
edit| "I'm In" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Keith Urban | ||||
| from the album Defying Gravity | ||||
| Released | May 10, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:33 (album version) 3:42 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Radney Foster Georgia Middleman | |||
| Producer(s) | Dann Huff Keith Urban | |||
| Keith Urban singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Keith Urban recorded the song for his 2009 album Defying Gravity.[8] In a radio interview, Urban told KILT-FM that his rendition would be the fifth single from the album, and that he would perform it at the Academy of Country Music awards show on April 18, 2010.[9] This is the second track from Foster's album See What You Want to See that Urban has covered; he had previously recorded "Raining on Sunday" (which follows "I'm In" on that album) and released his version of that song in 2003 from his 2002 album Golden Road.[10] It is also Urban's first American single that does not have a music video for it.
Composition
editUrban's rendition of the song is set in the key of F major and has a main chord pattern of F-C-Gm7-B♭sus2 and a moderately fast tempo as well as a vocal range of C3-A4.[11]
Critical reception
editSam Gazdziak of Engine 145 gave Urban's rendition a "thumbs-up", saying that it was "not as good as the original" but "a good introduction to the song." His review criticized the guitar solo, which he thought was "out of place".[12] Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe also considered it inferior to The Kinleys' version, saying that Urban's version was "tepid."[13] Allmusic critic Thom Jurek compared the sound of Urban's version to that of The Rolling Stones, saying that it would be an "excellent choice for a single".[14] Kevin John Coyne from Country Universe gave the song a B− grade and stated that Keith Urban "makes everything sound so effortless that it can be easy to overlook songs that legitimately could have used more effort" though "if he’s going to use outside material, he should be more selective than he was this time around."[15]
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Billboard)[16] | 1 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] | 63 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 60 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] | 2 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[20] | 21 |
References
edit- ^ Skanse, Richard (19 May 1999). "Radney Foster Returns on His Own Terms". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "See What You Want to See review". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Tarradell, Mario (30 July 2000). "Twins find harmony in music bond". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ Remz, Jeffrey B. "II review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
- ^ Harbrecht, Gene (21 July 2000). "The Kinleys: II". Orlando Sentinel. p. 13. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
- ^ "Kinleys Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Reviews: Country". Chicago Sun-Times. 12 April 2009. p. D3.
- ^ Yates, Rowdy. "Keith Urban on the KILT Morning Show". KILT-FM. Archived from the original on 11 April 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ "The Scoop: Keith Urban Is "In"". Country Weekly. 17 (22): 8. 31 May 2010. ISSN 1074-3235.
- ^ "Keith Urban "I'm In" Sheet Music". Musicnotes, Inc. 18 April 2011. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
- ^ Gazdziak, Sam. "Keith Urban — "I'm In"". Engine 145. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
- ^ Keefe, Jonathan (30 March 2009). "Defying Gravity review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Defying Gravity review". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ Coyne, Kevin John (2010-05-30). "Single Review: Keith Urban, I'm In". Country Universe.
- ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ^ "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.