“Who You’d Be Today” by Kenny Chesney
“Who You’d Be Today,” a 2005 country song recorded by country music superstar Kenny Chesney, addresses the grief of the song’s narrator after losing someone close to him. The song appears on Chesney’s album “The Road and The Radio,” released in September of 2005. The album debuted at No. 1 on the US Top Country Albums and US Billboard 200 charts.
“Who You’d Be Today” was written by veteran songwriters Bill Luther and Aimee Mayo. Bill Luther has penned several hits recorded by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Mark Wills and others. Aimee Mayo has written hits for Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and more.
In “Who You’d Be Today” Chesney sings of missing the person who has died and imagining who they’d have become if they were still alive:
Would you see the world, would you chase your dreams
Settle down with a family
I wonder what would you name your babies
During the chorus, he rages against the injustice of his loved one dying before their time. Chesney’s voice soars, wailing;
It ain’t fair, you died too young
Like a story that had just begun
But death tore the pages all away
Credit: music.apple.com
“Who You’d Be Today” was the first single off “The Road and the Radio” album. It was Chesney’s highest-debuting single at that time, debuting at No. 26 on the Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and climbing its way up to No. 2 on the chart. The song especially resonated with fans who related to the experience of losing someone young.
The music video for “Who You’d Be Today” was directed by well-known country music video director Shaun Silva. It struck a chord with audiences, winning the 2005 Country Music Television’s Male Video of the Year award.
The video opens with a shot of two teenage boys at basketball practice, then cuts to Chesney singing, and then goes on to feature a series of snapshots of relationships between two people in which one person ultimately dies. A young couple is shown sitting together, then the video cuts to shots implying that the woman was killed in a car crash. The next shot shows a woman and a man on a bench talking to each other, then dissolves to scenes of the woman being pulled from a burning building and scenes implying that the man died in a fire. The narrative then returns to the boys playing basketball from the beginning of the video. The next shots show them as soldiers in combat. The video dissolves back to the two boys running up the basketball court. As they run, one of them disappears. It’s revealed that the other one has been playing alone, reflecting on days when his friend was still alive to play with him.
“Who You’d Be Today” is an emotionally affecting tune about losing someone too soon that ends with the narrator consoling himself at the end with the lines:
The only thing that gives me hope
Is I know I’ll see you again someday
Someday, someday
You can watch the music video for Kenny Chesney’s “Who You’d Be Today” below.
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I lost my brother when I was 12 and he was 15. I often wonder what kind of man he’d be today. Would he have gotten into drugs? Would we have moved out of that small town still? Would I be the woman I am today? Would we both have gone into Desert Storm? I almost did, would he have wanted to, and I have followed? Would he have been a cop, like he wanted? That would have left me to be what I wanted, instead of trying to fill his shoes for him.
If I had my big brother, everything would be different, but would it be good or bad for me?
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Im so sorry!!
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Tomorrow 10-14 my son Ezekiel would be 44; he died when he was 7 due to his heart. I often wonder who he be today. He wanted to be a heart dr when he grew up so he could fix everyone’s heart.
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I lost my 23 year old son 8-1-2021, just a few months ago to a fentanyl overdose. Listening to this song everyday is keeping me alive. The song that follows this in my playlist is ‘See You Again’ by Carrie Underwood.
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I am so sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine the heartbreak.
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I lost my grandfather and my two best friends in a car accident
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Carmen and Janet I am so sorry for your loss. I just lost my son who was 22 back in February on the 26th of this year. He would have been 23 in May. I’m still trying to process everything and I don’t think I ever will. I have been listening to this song and plan on having it played at his memorial celebration of life. When they say there is no greater pain than the loss of a child, that is a huge understatement. It is pure AGONY!!!
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I lost my brother when he was 23 and I was 12. He was my whole world, but when he decided to go to the military. I didn’t know it would be the last time I ever saw him. At least alive and in one piece. He was blown up by a landmine in Iraq. I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he told me “Liv, don’t you dare ever go to the military to escape your past trauma. Just because you were raped when you were 5, doesn’t mean you need to get yourself killed. If I die, I want to you live. I want you to follow your dreams. I want you to become a police officer like you wanted to. Do it for me”
4 hours later, he died. I was the last person he talked to, at least from back home. I’m now 15 and he’d be 26.
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I’m so sorry for you loss. I hope your not alone in that heartbreak!
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Please keep fighting. I suffer from severe depression and have been on the brink myself. I’m so sorry you feel this way. If you don’t mind I’d like to pray for you. It is one of the things that kept me from doing it years ago. And music like this have helped me as well.
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Please keep fighting!! I know how you feel. I’ve been in the brink many times in my life. I suffer from severe depression still but work everyday to keep it at bay. If you are ok with it, I’d like to pray for you.
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I lost my best friend in May of this year to a drug overdose. He struggled with his addiction on and off for years, as did I. I’ve been sober for 8 months, and one of the hardest parts to think of is that it could have been me. We both are 22yrs old. We’ve been best friends since the first day of kindergarten, 17 years ago. I literally can’t remember a time when he was not in my life. We watched each other grow, and it’s hard to believe that he’ll never get the chance to pick himself up and do something he loves, have a family, be the best man at my wedding, etc.
I’ll always wonder what he would have become.
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My 18 year old son was victim of a “wanna be serial killer’ in 2008.
A friend did a photo montage on YouTube entitled “Cody”. This song is the music, and it expresses my feelings so well.
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I lost my daughter Charity Dawn saathoff age 27 oct 30 2005 right after this song was released in sept 05 when a 25 yr old guy hit her by a car in Sydney Australia. Kenny was in Gillette Wy in 97 and invited Charity into his bus and gave her an 8×10 autographed pic of him that says Charity you and me darlin signed Kenny “97” I still have that pic in one of the 4 charity’s creative memory albums she had put together of her life. I’ve wore out 2 of the cds the road and the radio with this song who you’de be today!
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My goodness. We are so sorry for your daughter’s death. Thank you for sharing this story. Life has amazing ways of helping us heal through full circles.
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Help my 15 year old daughter. I miss her so muck. My only child. ♥️ She beatiful.
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I lost my only two son’s in a house fire in 1983, when this song came out I cried so many more tears than I’d already cried, but it’s their song every year.
On Sept 6th Jeff’s birthday, Sept 13th Chris’s birthday, sadly to say I got to see them turn 4 and 5 and on the 18th and 19th of Sept they were both gone.
This song will forever be in my heart ❤️ 💙 for my boy’s, and I happen to love Kenny Chesney, I am so thankful for him singing this song, it has helped me so much!!
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Lost my girlfriend in 1976 in a vehicle accident. This song really makes me think about how my life could have been different. Really hits home and makes me think about her
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Oh Cyrus, What heart touching comment 💜 it’s wonderful you are still thinking of her after all these years. So much love. Thank you for sharing.
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