"Maybe It Was Memphis" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...

on two occasions. The second recording was released in 1991 as the fourth single from her album '' Put Yourself in My Place''.

History

Pam Tillis first cut the song on

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

in the late 1980s under the production of Josh Leo, but did not release this version until Warner issued the album ''Pam Tillis Collection'' in the mid-1990s. Her second and more successful version of the song was recorded on her 1991 album '' Put Yourself in My Place''. It was released in November 1991 as the album's fourth single and became her third Top Ten hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' country charts, peaking at number 3 in February 1992. "Maybe It Was Memphis" was also nominated for the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) is an American trade association with the stated aim of promoting and developing country music throughout the world. Founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, it originally consisted of 233 members and was the f ...

's Song of the Year in 1992. This version also earned Tillis a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. According to Arista Records' then-senior director of marketing Mike Dungan, executives were reluctant to release the song due to its more pop sound, and held off on doing so until Tillis had established herself.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad in which the female narrator recalls a former lover whom she met in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. It is composed in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

with a vocal range of A-E. The main chord pattern on the verses is A-D twice, E-D twice, and E-G-A. Michael Anderson wrote the song in 1983. In an article for TAXI, he described the song writing process:

Critical reception

In 2024, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked "Maybe It Was Memphis" at #177 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.

''American Idol'' & ''The Voice''

On May 24, 2011,

Lauren Alaina Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth (born November 8, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower,'' was released on October ...

performed the song during the finale of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''.

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005, returning as a judge beginning with the twenty-third season. Underwood's f ...

selected the song as part of the round of competition in which each contestant's idol chose their song. On May 8, 2013, during the live rounds of the fourth season of ''The Voice'', Danielle Bradbery from

Blake Shelton Blake Tollison Shelton (born June 18, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin (Blake Shelton song), Austin" from his Blake Shelton (album), self ...

's team sang it as her song. On season 23 of ''The Voice'', Grace West sang the song for her blind audition.

Chart positions

Year-end charts

Danielle Bradbery

References

{{authority control 1991 singles Pam Tillis songs Songs about Memphis, Tennessee Song recordings produced by Paul Worley Song recordings produced by Josh Leo Warner Records singles Arista Nashville singles 1991 songs