I Can Love You Better
"I Can Love You Better" is a song written by Pamela Brown Hayes and Kostas, and recorded by American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was released in October 1997 as their debut single and the first from their album Wide Open Spaces, and was the first hit of the Natalie Maines era of the group.
| "I Can Love You Better" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Dixie Chicks | ||||
| from the album Wide Open Spaces | ||||
| B-side | "Give It Up or Let Me Go"[1] | |||
| Released | October 27, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1997 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:07 (radio edit) 3:53 (album version) | |||
| Label | Monument | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Pamela Brown Hayes, Kostas | |||
| Producer(s) | Paul Worley, Blake Chancey | |||
| Dixie Chicks singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "I Can Love You Better" at CMT.com | ||||
The song reached number 7 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles & Tracks, and represented the group's first real commercial success. The song was included in the set list on the Chicks' 2000 Fly Tour, but was not performed again until the 2013 Long Time Gone Tour. The Dixie Chicks performed a parody of the song, "No Letter Better Than B", on Sesame Street.
Content
The song's narrator is assuring a man that she can love him better and make him forget his previous love.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited the track as "convincing" in his review of the album for Allmusic.[2]
Music video
The music video for "I Can Love You Better" was directed by Chris Rogers. In it, the Dixie Chicks are shown performing the song while in an airport lobby. They are also shown sitting on an airport baggage claim belt, in a bakery, and on a crowded sidewalk.
Chart performance
| Chart (1997-1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] | 3 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[4] | 77 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1998) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[6] | 77 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 57 |
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 127. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Wide Open Spaces review". Allmusic. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3516." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. April 13, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "Dixie Chicks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM. December 14, 1998. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
- "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
