Either Way

Album: From A Room: Volume 1 (2017)
Charted: 89
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Chris Stapleton penned this sparse ballad about a love gone cold along with Tim James and Kendell Marvel. Speaking in 2017, Stapleton recalled:

    "I wrote that song over 10 years, so I couldn't recall the day or all those things, but I'm sure I t went something like I walked into the room with Tim James and Kendall Marvel, one of them had this idea. It seemed really tragic and sad, so we tried to do that to the best of our ability, but also to put truth in it and honesty in it, and when you can do that, then truth and honesty are going to find somebody inside a song."
  • The song was originally recorded by Lee Ann Womack for her 2008 Call Me Crazy record. Stapleton explained why he redid the tune nine years later for his From a Room: Volume 1 album:

    "My wife always loved that song, which should worry me, but she just loves really slow sad songs and she always wanted me to play that song So, I felt led to do it and if I'm gonna sing something, I'm gonna sing it with every ounce of belief and try to put every bit of believability in a lyric that I can."
  • This won for Best Country Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards in 2018. From A Room: Volume 1 took Best Country Album, and Stapleton also earned Best Country Song for "Broken Halos."

Comments: 1

  • Just MeWhen I first heard this song,I was blown away that Country music and Chrs in particular could be so real,so raw. Then to learn that it was about nothing in his life, but rather believable bs or a " good idea" that someone actually living those lyric was disappointing to say the least. I hope any song writer would be more authentic than just penning tragic lines that someone else is living. But maybe that's just me,Words do Matter,and especially when borne out in their originators life
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.