In May 1997, both LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood released a version of the song “How Do I Live” on the same day. Both artists found success with the song, but the incident left them feeling uncomfortable for a long time.
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Diane Warren wrote the song for the film Con Air, and it was first offered to Rimes. After the success of her single “Blue,” Rimes was a sought-after artists in the country world. Rimes recorded her version and it was presented to the producers of the film, Walt Disney Pictures.
LeAnn Rimes’ version allegedly lacked maturity, which was what the company was looking for. They then offered the song to Trisha Yearwood instead.
At the time, Yearwood insisted that she didn’t know about Rimes’ version when the production company approached her. Yearwood used a fuller, country-western sound in her version, while Rimes’ leaned more pop-country. Trisha Yearwood’s recording appeared in the film, but that wasn’t the end of the controversy.
LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood Go Head-To-Head When They Release the Same Song on the Same Day
LeAnn Rimes’ record label was hesitant to release her version when they found out about Yearwood’s. However, Diane Warren stepped in and urged the label to release the song. They sent it to mainstream pop radio on May 23, the same day that Yearwood’s rendition was sent to country radio.
This began a “war” between the two artists. Yearwood’s song went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Rimes’ made it to No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Neither version was included on the Con Air soundtrack, but Rimes included hers on the album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs. Yearwood put hers on the album (Songbook) A Collection of Hits. Both albums came out in 1997, fueling the feud.
Both singles were successful, but in different markets. Trisha Yearwood found success in the country world, while LeAnn Rimes took over the pop scene.
In 1998, both Rimes and Yearwood were nominated for a Grammy in the same category for the same song. Rimes performed “How Do I Live” at the award ceremony, and directly after that, Yearwood won the award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Neither artist was particularly happy about the situation. Speaking with The Chicago Tribune at the time, Yearwood said, “There’s this kind of gentlemen’s agreement that if somebody has [a song], you don’t mess with it. But in this case I didn’t think she had any kind of permission to do that, so I wasn’t worried about it.”
As for Rimes, she told Associated Press, “I wasn’t a happy person … I felt betrayed. Not by the fans but by people in the business.”
Featured Image by Beth Gwinn/Redferns
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