How Do I Live (Without You)

How Do I Live (Without You)

Trisha Yearwood

This song was written by Diane Warren for the soundtrack of 1997’s blockbuster Nicholas Cage film “Con Air”. It was originally intended for and recorded by LeAnn Rimes, but apparently Walt Disney Pictures, parent company of Touchstone Pictures which was releasing the film, felt that 14 year old Rimes was too young for the subject matter and her version had too much of a pop feel. They directed a re-record with Yearwood. This version was used in the film and released as a single on May 27, 1997. Both Rimes' and Yearwood’s versions were charting at the same time and both were doing quite well. But, when Yearwood’s hit #32, MCA, which released the single, stopped producing more copies because they were worried that the single was cannibalizing sales of Yearwood’s greatest hits album, (Songbook) A Collection Of Hits which had the song. With that, Yearwood’s version fell off the Billboard Hot 100 chart after 12 weeks.

In 1998, both Rimes and Yearwood were nominated for Grammy’s Best Country Female Vocal Performance for “How Do I Live”, the first time that two separate artists were nominated for the same song at the same time. The winner that year was Shania Twain’s “You’re Still The One”.