The song was originally intended for release as a single for the 1997 action blockbuster Con Air soundtrack. Warren wrote the song for Rimes to sing. The film producers felt that Rimes' version had too much of a pop feeling to it, and requested that she re-record it to fit their standards. She refused, and the producers chose Trisha Yearwood to record the song. Her more country-style version was released on May 27, 1997 and appeared in the film. When Rimes heard of the release, she quickly released her version.
Despite only peaking as high as number seven in the UK Singles Chart[1], LeAnn Rimes' version of How Do I Live spent thirty-four weeks in the chart. It set a record for staying on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for sixty-nine weeks. The song entered the Top 25 Country singles chart on June 21, 1997 and was still there in February 2003, a record 291 weeks (five and half years) later.
How Do I Live was covered by F.I.R. (Faye and Real featuring LeAnn Rimes). F.I.R. invited Rimes to record a portion of the song for their third album Flight Tribe in 2006.
The song has also been performed on the hit show American Idol, Vonzell Solomon in Season 4, Paris Bennett in Season 5, and Meosha Denton in Season 2. It was also part of American Idol Season 2 compilation, sung by Carmen Rasmusen.
Rimes' version ranks at #4 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[2] The single has been certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of over 3 million copies in the United States.[3] On the digital front, it routinely shifts more than 1,000 units per week, for a to-date total in excess of 203,000.
Both the Rimes and the Yearwood versions debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending June 14, 1997. LeAnn Rimes' version peaked at number two and spent a record-breaking sixty-nine weeks on the chart, more than any other song in history, (until Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" (2008) and spent 34 weeks on the UK singles chart. Trisha Yearwood's version was moving quickly up the charts, getting as high as number twenty-three, when MCA refused to issue any more copies of the single, for fear of cannibalizing album sales. The limited press run of 300,000 sold out quickly, and the single was off the Hot 100 after twelve weeks. Yearwood's single on the country charts quickly climbed all the way to number 2. Rimes' version spent 11 weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart.[5] In Australia, Rimes' version peaked on the ARIA Charts at number 17 while Yearwood's peaked at number 2.
In 1998, for the first time in history, the Grammy Awards nominated two artists for the same song in the same category. Directly following LeAnn Rimes' performance of the song, Trisha Yearwood won the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.[6] Yearwood also performed the song at the Country Music Awards for which she won the 1997 award for Female Vocalist of the Year[7] Yearwood also won the 1997 ACM Award for Top Female Vocalist.[8] The single was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to My Heart Will Go On.[9] Yearwood performed the song at the ceremony.
In 2008, Filipina singer Nina Girado recorded her own version of the song for her album Nina Sings The Hits of Diane Warren.
How Do I Live
LeAnn Rimes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I had to live without you
What kinda life would that be
Oh I, I need you in my arms, need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Good in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
Without you
There'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, well baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Real in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
Please tell me baby how do I go on
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Need you with me
Baby don't you know that you're everything
Good in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
How do I live without you?
How do I live without you, baby?
How do I live
LeAnn Rimes's song "How Do I Live" is a powerful ballad about the pain of losing someone very important. The lyrics express the singer's feeling of being lost and helpless, unable to imagine life without the person she loves. The questions posed in the chorus reflect the desperation of the situation: "How do I live without you? / How do I breathe without you? / If you ever go, how do I ever, ever survive?" The singer acknowledges that the person she loves is everything good in her life, and the thought of losing them is unbearable.
The song was originally written by Diane Warren, and was first recorded by Trisha Yearwood for the movie "Con Air" in 1997. However, it was LeAnn Rimes's version that became the bigger hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1997 and staying on the chart for 69 weeks.
The emotional impact of the song was increased by Rimes's powerful vocal performance. She was only 14 years old when she recorded the song, but her voice had a maturity beyond her years. The song became a signature tune for Rimes, and she continued to perform it throughout her career.
Interestingly, the song was used in a television ad for the movie "Armageddon," and was later used in the movie itself. This led to a situation where two different versions of the song (Trisha Yearwood's and LeAnn Rimes's) were used in the same movie.
Overall, "How Do I Live" is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with audiences today. Its universal themes of love, loss, and the fear of being alone make it a song that many people can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
How do I get through one night without you
I cannot imagine being away from you even for one night, and the thought is painful to me.
If I had to live without you
The thought of living without you feels impossible and unbearable.
What kinda life would that be
My life would be empty and meaningless without you.
Oh I, I need you in my arms, need you to hold
My need for your physical presence and comfort is overwhelming.
You're my world, my heart, my soul
You are everything to me, the center of my universe and the source of my joy.
Without you, There'd be no sun in my sky
Living without you would make my life dark and joyless as if the sun had disappeared from the sky.
There would be no love in my life
My life would be devoid of love and affection without you.
There'd be no world left for me
Life without you would feel like the end of the world, with nothing left to live for.
And I, well baby, I don't know what I would do
I cannot envision a life without you, and it feels impossible to face.
If you ever leave, Well, baby you would take away everything Good in my life
You are the most important and valuable thing in my life, and losing you would mean losing everything good that I have.
How do I live without you?
The thought of living without you makes me feel lost, scared, and overwhelmed.
Please tell me baby how do I go on
I need your reassurance and support, as I cannot imagine living without you.
Baby don't you know that you're everything Good in my life
You are the source of all the good things in my life, and without you, everything else would lose its meaning.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Realsongs
Written by: Diane Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zainiahmad5772
How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you
What kinda life would that be
Oh I, I need you in my arms, need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Good in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you?
I want to know
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
Without you
There'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, well baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Real in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
Please tell me baby how do I go on
If you ever leave
Well, baby you would take away everything
Need you with me
Baby don't you know that you're everything
Good in my life
And tell me now
How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live
How do I live without you?
How do I live without you, baby?
How do I live
@zachfarr6457
Who is still listening to this song in 2024? It is a beautiful song!
@jeanetteparrish8167
Me
@odeonos5482
Me!!!
@brandonmoore7497
I’m listening to LeAnn Rimes How Do I Live early February 2024
0:53
@dustinwilkerson5406
I absolutely love this song
@rolandoserrano4132
Me
@honeyloukuizon3805
i lost my hearing due to infections 15 years ago. and this song still plays in my head reminding me how beautiful this song is. looking forward to the day I can hear it once more.
@frankparker352
Hello, how are you doing?
@tubtub883
Aww bless you ! How sad but beautiful at the same time love 💕 and hugs to you 💐🇬🇧🥰
@PrincessK2686
❤️❤️❤️