Mark Chesnutt’s stature is easily gauged. He has 14 #1 hits, 23 Top 10 singles, four platinum albums and five gold records to his credit; he maintains a front-and-center presence with a hefty tour schedule year after year. Country music critics and fans alike need look no further when it comes to Country music basics. If you ask Chesnutt, he’ll tell you, “It’s the music and the fans that have kept me around this long.” In a creative forum that sometimes confuses style with substance, Mark Chesnutt possesses both.
Remaining true to himself as a traditional country artist, while keeping the pace with the ever-changing country recording landscape, Mark Chesnutt has a knack for picking great songs, delivering them with world-class style and a heart-felt emotion that’s lived-in. With a trademarked voice, Chesnutt has set the bar for his generation and those that follow in his footsteps shaping the music of today’s country music newcomers and the new country music format. Mark Chesnutt’s personal integrity combined with his principal to record a genuine country song has made him a fixture on radio and in honky tonks across the globe.
Chesnutt got his start in the honky-tonks of Beaumont, Texas, learning from his father, Bob Chesnutt, a singer, record collector and major fan of classic country music. Playing alongside his dad, Mark embraced his father’s influence one set at a time and to begin making a name for himself. Mark sang covers by Lefty, Merle, George and Waylon to develop his unmatched crowd-pleasing rapport and his authentic country style.
Bob Chesnutt often traveled to Nashville to record and to broaden his exposure. He began taking Mark along to record when he was just 17. After nearly a decade of recording on regional labels, word got out about this young country vocalist. Music Row executives came to hear Mark on his own Texas turf and recognized the depth of Mark Chesnutt’s raw talent.
In 1989, he was signed to MCA Nashville and his list of accolades tells the rest of his story. With the release of his first single“ Too Cold At Home,” Mark established himself as one of country’s most authentic and talented vocalists. He won the CMA Horizon Award attracting the attention of country legend [and Mark’s greatest mentor] George Jones who introduced him as “A boy from Beaumont, Texas who is the real deal.” That recognition and initial success opened the door to offer Mark his chance of a lifetime, to do what he loved most—sing country music for country fans; this time, on a national level. “The first couple years it was non-stop.” Mark says.
“I can remember one time during a tour, I didn’t step foot on the front porch for ten months, with exception of a day or a day-and-a- half, then, it was right back out again.” Mark’s dedication paid off. He developed a true blue fan base. Fans, he confides, “are the reason for my success.”
His fans helped his records to climb the charts one right after the other making him one of Billboard’s Ten Most-Played Radio Artists of the ‘90’s. Mark’s singles were some the decade’s most memorable; from the fun tempo “Bubba Shot The Jukebox” to emotional ballad “I’ll Think Of Something.” Mark is easily identified for his string of hits including “Brother Jukebox,” “Blame It On Texas,” “Old Flames Have New Names,” “Old Country,” “It Sure Is Monday,” “Almost Goodbye,” “I Just Wanted You To Know,” “Going Through The Big D,” “It’s A Little Too Late,” “Gonna Get A Life,” and one of his biggest, “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing;” a song that held its position at the top of the charts for four consecutive weeks.
Of all the recorded highlights Chesnutt has enjoyed, they take a back seat to his first love; Mark Chesnutt lives to perform on stage. “I just make records because want people to come see my show,” he says with a grin. “Recording music for folks to just listen to music is great,” he says, “but I’ve got to be out there on stage making it.” Fans who have seen him perform agree. Known as one of the industry’s hardest-working concert performers, maintaining a hefty tour schedule and steady presence in front of his fans, Mark’s dedication to deliver live music is unsurpassed. Mark has been on the road since 1990. Whether you hear Mark Chesnutt with a new release on the radio, or see his face on the cover of a new CD, folks can always find Mark doing what he was born to do playing. “The clubs and honky tonks are home for me; it’s comfortable and I’m always with friends,” says Chesnutt.
Married since 1992, Mark and Tracie Chesnutt are the loving parents of three boys, Waylon, Casey & Cameron.
I Just Wanted You To Know
Mark Chesnutt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Right or wrong, I had to hear your voice again
Unwritten law, protocol
Says to leave the past alone
I just wanted you to know
Sometimes driving home at night
I let your memory take control
I turn up the radio
And cruise down old route 59
And girl it's solid gold, well, I'll let you go
I just wanted you to know
Through the vine, I heard your life has turned out well
As for mine, you know it's really had to tell
'Cause now and then what might have been
Interfaces with what might be
I just wanted you to know
Sometimes driving home at night
I let your memory take control
And you're sitting by my side
I turn up the radio
And cruise down old route 59
And girl it's solid gold, well, I'll let you go
I just wanted you to know
Please don't cry, I'll say goodbye
And I won't call you anymore
But I just wanted you to know
Sometimes driving home at night
I let your memory take control
And you're sitting by my side
I turn up the radio
And cruise down old route 59
And girl it's solid gold, well, I'll let you go
I just wanted you to know
The song "I Just Wanted You to Know" by Mark Chesnutt is a song about a man who is reminiscing and thinking about the past. The lyrics suggest that the man and a past lover had a connection that transcended time and distance. The man mentions how he sometimes thinks about her when driving home at night, and her memory takes control. He turns up the radio and cruises down old route 59. He knows that he should forget about the past and move on, but he just wanted her to know that she is still on his mind.
The lyrics demonstrate how two people can have a deep connection that never truly goes away. The man cannot forget about his past lover and thinks about her often, even though they are no longer together. However, he acknowledges that it is best to move on, and he won't call her anymore. The song demonstrates how nostalgia can sometimes feel like a warm blanket, but it is not always healthy to hold onto the past.
Overall, the song is a bittersweet reminder of how some connections never truly fade, and how it is essential to move on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you alone, can you talk to an old friend
Can you speak freely and openly to someone who used to be a friend, even if you haven't talked in a while?
Right or wrong, I had to hear your voice again
Regardless of whether it was right or wrong to reach out, I needed to hear your voice once more.
Unwritten law, protocol
Says to leave the past alone
There are social norms that dictate that it's best to let past relationships rest and not attempt to reconnect.
I just wanted you to know
The purpose of my call is to communicate something specific to you.
Sometimes driving home at night
I let your memory take control
And you're sitting by my side
I turn up the radio
And cruise down old route 59
And girl it's solid gold, well, I'll let you go
Sometimes when I'm alone at night, I think of you and reminisce about our time together. I even imagine you sitting with me, and I turn up the radio as we drive down a familiar road. But ultimately, I have to let you go.
Through the vine, I heard your life has turned out well
As for mine, you know it's really had to tell
'Cause now and then what might have been
Interfaces with what might be
I heard from others that your life has gone well, but as for me, it's hard to say. Sometimes I wonder how things might have been different between us, and how they might still change in the future.
Please don't cry, I'll say goodbye
And I won't call you anymore
I don't want to upset you, so I'll say goodbye for good and won't reach out again.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@duckduckgoismuchbetter
Very, very little of the so-called country of the 90s, or even the mid 80s onward, was fit to call country. This was one of those few. Most of the rest was objectively garbage!
Country reached its height in the 60s and 70s, and began ending right about there.
I was a teenager in the early 80s and I could tell it was slowly getting worse. At first even the "not really country" was still good. I like "good" pop and easy listening ballads, but I knew it wasn't really fully country anymore, even as a teenager.
From my mid teens in the early 80s, I switched to the Oldies stations, country and rock.
Later I found some of the (very, very few) great country like this that had been released in the 90s, and initially I thought it was something I'd missed hearing from the 70s. I didn't know about it because I had so been busy avoiding all the faux-country garbage in the 90s that I had missed it.
Today's so-called "country"...ISN'T! It's utterly unworthy of the name. It's no more "country" than rap is a form of R&B. Which it isn't of course.
It's not pop and it's not rock either. It's just unmitigated garbage, and completely unlistenable by anyone with any kind of musical taste. The same goes for every other genre of today's so-called music. Just no-talent garbage, and nothing BUT garbage.
@michaelross5870
Make country music great again 🇺🇸
@richardkronberg4925
Trump don’t sing😅
@melissasmith8001
Saw Mark last night at the Hunt County Fair. I love Texas and artists like Mark who are willing to come to remote places and share his amazing music. He is not doing it for the fanfare, he does it for the love of the song and just to bring pure joy to the fans who are fortunate enough to get to see him live. This will go down as a great night for me. Great song, probably my favorite.
@gregphilburn3679
He's coming to Fayette County Pennsylvania in a few weeks. Can't wait!
@cubswin6779
One of the most relatable songs for 99% of the population.
@brianwesley28
I have a pretty unique way of relating to it.
@siddhanthbhat6136
@@brianwesley28 would'ya mind sharing?
@jameseast7966
@@siddhanthbhat6136 some things are better left unsaid¡!!
@Punchacow
Absolutely true
@CherylWall-st92
I completely relate to this song! And sometimes it brings tears to my eyes 😢