Whether it’s referring to a lover, a friend, a family member, or just anyone you love, there’s a universal message in the meaning of the lyrics, which makes the tune a mighty powerful tool for folks from all walks of life.
Just read the lines for the chorus and you can see how impactful of an appeal it is:ĭid I try in every way to show her every day
Starting off with the protagonist laying in bed at night thinking about his own mortality, the song blossoms into a beautiful message of appreciation for loved ones. Yet, for as serendipitous as its composition was, the success and resulting legacy of “If Tomorrow Never Comes” can be traced back to one simple thing: how powerful the lyrics are. “On the day that Bob Doyle, my co-manager, introduced me to Kent Blazy, I passed this idea by Kent and he had the first verse down within fifteen seconds. “I ran the idea for this song by what seemed like a thousand writers and no one really seemed to understand what I was looking for,” he wrote. Years earlier, Brooks relayed his side of the story in the liner notes for his CD release The Hits. He explained the idea to Blazy, and according to the legend, within 15 seconds, the first verse dove right out of Blazy’s mind and perfectly stuck the landing on the page of his writing notebook.īy the end of the session, Blazy and the young artist-who we know today as multi-platinum country megastar Garth Brooks-had written their first song together: “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” Released in 1989, it went on to be the first No. With Blazy on-board for a co-write, the young artist brought up an idea he’d been kicking around for a while-he had the concept and some chords put together but didn’t have any lyrics yet. “And I loved his whole demeanor about how he was and who he was. “He played me a cassette of six of his songs and I just loved his voice,” Blazy explained. But on that fateful morning, the stars aligned. In fact, at that time, he was nothing more than just another dreamer who had already been turned away by dozens of other songwriters in town. Donning a big black duster jacket and a cowboy hat, this young, aspiring artist didn’t yet have the friendly veneer he’d eventually become known for. It was the late ‘80s and when this one particular singer who had gotten a hold of Blazy arrived at the studio, Blazy was a little taken aback. So, I was always looking for singers to come.” “At the time, of all my demo people -Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Joe Diffie-none of them could get a record deal, but they were all fantastic. “I had a demo studio and he got a hold of me, wanting to sing demos,” legendary Nashville songwriter Kent Blazy told American Songwriter.