Alan Jackson has one of most recognizable names and voices in country music — and for good reason. From “Chattahoochee” to “Little Bitty,” and “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow,” the Georgia native has written and recorded some of the most beloved songs in the genre since his career began in the early 1980s.
Since those early beginnings, he’s become one of the top-selling artists of all time across all genres and has won multiple Grammy Awards, CMA Awards and ACM Awards. He’s been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for his impressive work as both a writer and a performer.
Many fans may not realize that Jackson actually has written or co-written many of his biggest hits, including the autobiographical “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” and “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” which was written as a response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But along with his lengthy list of successful singles, Jackson has also written tracks that went on to be recorded and become hits for other country artists.
Read on to learn about 5 songs that were penned by Alan Jackson for other country artists.
“I Can’t Do That Anymore”
by Faith Hill
Released in 1996, “I Can’t Do That Anymore” was Faith Hill‘s final single from her multiplatinum second album It Matters to Me. Two years earlier, Hill was on tour with Jackson and personally requested that he write a song that she could record for her next record. Hill rejected Jackson’s first song offer, but said yes to his second offering, “I Can’t Do That Anymore.”
In a 1994 interview, Jackson revealed that his wife Denise thought he had actually written it about her and their own relationship. Alan told the Fort Myers News Press that the relationship issues the song discusses stem from a “universal problem,” adding that all of his male bandmates told him they had received similar messages from their wives.
“I Can’t Do That Anymore” peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard charts and is still known as a favorite amongst Hill’s fans.
“Forever Together”
by Randy Travis
Alan Jackson and Randy Travis played many shows as co-headliners together in 1990 and 1991, and that time together eventually led to another kind of creative collaboration. The pair would go on to co-write “Forever Together,” and the song would eventually become the second single from Travis’ seventh studio album High Lonesome. The ode to long-lasting love became a No. 1 hit for Travis in 1991.
“If I Could Make a Living”
by Clay Walker
Clay Walker was the title track of his second studio album, which was certified platinum and cemented him as one of the best new voices in country music during the early 1990s. “If I Could Make a Living” was written by Jackson, Keith Stegall and Roger Murrah, and is an uptempo, lighthearted song that immediately connected with fans. Walker’s charming delivery and twang took the song all the way to the top of the Billboard charts in 1994.
“Till I Was Loved By You”
by Chely Wright
“Till I Was Loved By You” was a single from Chely Wright‘s 1994 debut album Woman in the Moon. Penned by Jackson and Mark Irwin (who also co-wrote Jackson’s 1990 hit “Here in the Real World”), the song wasn’t a major hit for Wright but still earned modest radio airplay and helped her earn the award for Top New Female Vocalist at the 1995 Academy of Country Music Awards.
“Better Class of Losers”
by Randy Travis
Also co-written by Jackson and Travis, “Better Class of Losers” was the third single from Randy’s seventh studio album High Lonesome. The track made it all the way to No. 2 on the country charts and even earned Travis a 1993 Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.