Before He Cheats
Encyclopedia
"Before He Cheats" is a song written by Chris Tompkins
and Josh Kear
and the third wide-release single from Carrie Underwood
's debut album, Some Hearts. It was the fifth release from the album overall. It was named the 2007 Single of the Year by the Country Music Association
. It is Underwood's most successful single as of August, 2011, with sales of 3,314,000 digital downloads, making it the fourth best-selling country song of all time behind Lady Antebellum
's "Need You Now", with 5.21 million, Taylor Swift
's "Love Story
", with more than 5 million and Swift's "You Belong with Me
", with 3.6 million.
It is the second most sold single from an American Idol
contestant (behind "No Air
" by season 6
winner Jordin Sparks
with 4 million), and the fourth longest-charting single in the history of the Hot 100. It also came in on CMT's 40 Greatest Songs of the Decade at #25, along with Underwood's other signature hit, Jesus, Take the Wheel
, which ranked #4.
She imagines him hanging out and flirting with a "bleach-blonde" girl, shooting pool, buying her a drink, dancing, and hoping to "get lucky
" with her. In retaliation, she commits several law-breaking actions including vandalizing his customized four-wheel drive
vehicle by scratching its side with a key, carving her name into its leather seats, smashing the headlights with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and slashing all four tires. She hopes that this will make him "think before he cheats" again.
"Before He Cheats" has sold over 3,314,000 downloads as of August 2011, making it the fourth-most downloaded country song after "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum; "Love Story
" and "You Belong with Me
" by Taylor Swift
. The song was certified 2× Platinum in digital sales by the RIAA in February 2008, making it the first country song to ever to do so. It is the second best selling single from an American Idol
contestant, and Underwood's best selling single to date. It has sold over one million ringtones. In Canada, it is officially certified as Platinum. On July 30, 2010, the song was officially cetified 3x Platinum by RIAA.
truck for cheating on her. In other scenes, the "husband/boyfriend" (Actor - Tabb Shoup) is seen kissing another woman. As the video progresses Underwood takes the stage to sing as various objects behind her, such as lamps, are seen exploding. At one point, a screen shot of the front seat of the truck is seen with Underwood's name carved in it, which she mentions during the chorus of the song. Eventually, she catches up with her cheating husband/boyfriend with the other woman. After looking shocked for a second, she scoffs and drops the keys to his now-demolished truck into his drink. Towards the end Underwood struts down a street, singing along with the song, while different objects are shown flying across the air, glasses are seen shattering, and light bulbs explode
paying homage to Brian De Palma
's Carrie. At the very end of the music video, the truck is shown completely destroyed.
The early scenes in the video featuring a crowd in a narrow street and Underwood in a parking garage, were filmed in and around Printer's Alley
in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
. The final scene, featuring the exploding glass and light bulbs, was filmed on Fourth Avenue just north of Church Street in Nashville.
"Before He Cheats" made GAC
music video history by debuting at number one. It also marks the third consecutive number-one music video on GAC for Underwood. It made history on CMT's Top Twenty Countdown for being at number one for a consecutive five weeks. In December 2006, "Before He Cheats" was named the best video of 2006 by CMT's Top 20 Countdown. It also finished number two in GAC's Video of the Year for 2006 behind Trace Adkins
's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
". Proving its crossover success, the video made a debut at number 15 on the VSpot Top 20 Countdown
, peaking at number 4.
The video premiered on MTV
's Total Request Live
in April 2007, this is the second country music video to be premiered in this program, the first being "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
" by Jessica Simpson
. The video went on the make a #10 debut on June 5, 2007, over a month after its premiere.
On April 16, 2007, the video for "Before He Cheats" swept the CMT Music Awards
, winning three categories: Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Director of the Year. Underwood made history by being the first female to win Video of the Year.
The video also garnered Carrie a 2007 MTV Video Music Award
nomination in the category of Best New Artist.
During an NBC Sunday Night Football
telecast of a Dallas Cowboys
-New York Giants
game, the song was played over the Dallas offensive lineup announcements after Underwood broke up with Dallas QB Tony Romo
.
The music video was ranked #9 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.
In 2009, the music video for the song was voted #1 by fans as VH1's Greatest Diva Music Video of all-time, before the airing of the annual VH1 Divas Live special. Underwood's win for this honor beat nominations from pop and R&B music icons including Mariah Carey, Madonna, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain, and Lady GaGa. The music video for "Before He Cheats" also defeated entries from other huge names (and who some would consider legends) such as Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Reba McEntire, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston. Another one of Underwood's music videos, for "Last Name", was also nominated.
, an American men's and fathers' issues columnist and radio broadcaster, cited "Before He Cheats" as an example of the "double standard about domestic violence [that] manifests itself in ... popular culture". Sacks notes that a "song and a video approving of a violent, jealous man destroying his girlfriend's car" would likely receive dissimilar treatment, and undoubtedly draw widespread criticism.
50th Grammy Awards
|-
| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Best Female Country Vocal Performance
||
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| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Country Song of the Year
||
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| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year
||
33rd People's Choice Awards
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Favorite Country Song ||
2007 CMT Music Awards
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Female Video of the Year ||
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Music Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Single of the Year ||
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Best New Artist ||
2007 Country Music Association Awards
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Single of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Music Video of the Year ||
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Most Performed Song of the Year ||
2007 Teen Choice Awards
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Choice Payback Track ||
at #59. By the time the song was officially released as Some Hearts' third single in August of that year, it had already racked up 20 non-consecutive weeks on the chart, reaching as high as #49. After the official release, the song climbed the country charts quickly, reaching #1 in November and remaining there for five weeks. This was Underwood's third consecutive number one country single and fourth number one single overall. It also managed to debut on the Hot 100 at #92, and by November it had reached #16 on that chart. A controversy involving Faith Hill
's reaction to Underwood's win for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2006 CMA
s (at which Underwood performed "Before He Cheats") helped bring attention and sales to the single. By the end of 2006, the song began to slowly descend the charts, and it had appeared the single had peaked.
However, Top 40 radio began to take notice of the song in February 2007, around the time of Underwood's Grammy wins. As the single increased its top 40 airplay, it began to rebound on the Hot 100. The new airplay, along with attention from numerous award show wins for the song, such as favorite country song at the 2007 People's Choice Awards
in January and Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT
s in April, reinvigorated digital sales as well. When it finally peaked at number 8 in May 2007, it had already logged 38 weeks on the chart, making it the longest trek to the top 10 ever. As pop airplay began dying down, the song got a third life on the adult contemporary format, which began playing the song in May. "Before He Cheats" spent 64 consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, before finally falling off in late November 2007. The song is the fourth-longest charting single on the Hot 100, following LeAnn Rimes
's "How Do I Live
", Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me
"/"Foolish Games
" and Jason Mraz
's "I'm Yours
". It is the second longest running hit so far this decade.
"Before He Cheats" was ranked sixth on the 2007 Hot 100 Year-End Chart and fifth on the 2007 Hot 100 Airplay Year-End Chart by Billboard Magazine. It was also ranked tenth on the 2007 Adult Contemporary Year-End Chart.
Chris Tompkins
Chris Tompkins is an American songwriter from Nashville, originally from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He won Music Row's 2007"Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year" award and was honored as the Alabama Music Hall of Fame songwriter of the year...
and Josh Kear
Josh Kear
Joshua Peter "Josh" Kear is an American songwriter. His credits include Carrie Underwood's number-one "Before He Cheats," for which Kear won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2007 and Lady Antebellum's number-one "Need You Now," for which Kear won an Academy of Country Music Award for Best...
and the third wide-release single from Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
's debut album, Some Hearts. It was the fifth release from the album overall. It was named the 2007 Single of the Year by the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
. It is Underwood's most successful single as of August, 2011, with sales of 3,314,000 digital downloads, making it the fourth best-selling country song of all time behind Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
's "Need You Now", with 5.21 million, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
's "Love Story
Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
"Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless...
", with more than 5 million and Swift's "You Belong with Me
You Belong with Me
"You Belong with Me" is a country pop song performed by American recording artist Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift and Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman with Swift's aid. It was released on April 21, 2009, by Big Machine Records as the third single from Swift's second studio...
", with 3.6 million.
It is the second most sold single from an American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant (behind "No Air
No Air
"No Air" is a song by American recording artist Jordin Sparks featuring American R&B singer Chris Brown. The song was written by James Fauntleroy II, Eric Griggs, Michael Scala, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas and Steve Russell...
" by season 6
American Idol (Season 6)
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host...
winner Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
with 4 million), and the fourth longest-charting single in the history of the Hot 100. It also came in on CMT's 40 Greatest Songs of the Decade at #25, along with Underwood's other signature hit, Jesus, Take the Wheel
Jesus, Take the Wheel
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is a song written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson. It is the second single from Carrie Underwood's debut album, Some Hearts....
, which ranked #4.
Background
"Before He Cheats" tells the story of a woman taking revenge on her potentially unfaithful boyfriend/husband.She imagines him hanging out and flirting with a "bleach-blonde" girl, shooting pool, buying her a drink, dancing, and hoping to "get lucky
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
" with her. In retaliation, she commits several law-breaking actions including vandalizing his customized four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
vehicle by scratching its side with a key, carving her name into its leather seats, smashing the headlights with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat and slashing all four tires. She hopes that this will make him "think before he cheats" again.
"Before He Cheats" has sold over 3,314,000 downloads as of August 2011, making it the fourth-most downloaded country song after "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum; "Love Story
Love Story (Taylor Swift song)
"Love Story" is a country pop song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman, alongside Swift. It was released on September 12, 2008 by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from Swift's second studio album Fearless...
" and "You Belong with Me
You Belong with Me
"You Belong with Me" is a country pop song performed by American recording artist Taylor Swift. The song was co-written by Swift and Liz Rose and produced by Nathan Chapman with Swift's aid. It was released on April 21, 2009, by Big Machine Records as the third single from Swift's second studio...
" by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
. The song was certified 2× Platinum in digital sales by the RIAA in February 2008, making it the first country song to ever to do so. It is the second best selling single from an American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
contestant, and Underwood's best selling single to date. It has sold over one million ringtones. In Canada, it is officially certified as Platinum. On July 30, 2010, the song was officially cetified 3x Platinum by RIAA.
Music video
The music video for "Before He Cheats" was directed by Roman White. In the beginning of the video Underwood is seen going out to a parking lot with a Louisville Slugger because she has just vandalized her husband/boyfriend's four-wheel driveFour-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
truck for cheating on her. In other scenes, the "husband/boyfriend" (Actor - Tabb Shoup) is seen kissing another woman. As the video progresses Underwood takes the stage to sing as various objects behind her, such as lamps, are seen exploding. At one point, a screen shot of the front seat of the truck is seen with Underwood's name carved in it, which she mentions during the chorus of the song. Eventually, she catches up with her cheating husband/boyfriend with the other woman. After looking shocked for a second, she scoffs and drops the keys to his now-demolished truck into his drink. Towards the end Underwood struts down a street, singing along with the song, while different objects are shown flying across the air, glasses are seen shattering, and light bulbs explode
Exploding light bulb
An exploding light bulb is a tungsten halogen or high-intensity discharge lamp, which ruptures explosively. Because these lamps operate with high pressure inside a high-temperature envelope, explosion can result in small pieces of hot glass ejected at high speed.- Causes of bulb explosion :If the...
paying homage to Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
's Carrie. At the very end of the music video, the truck is shown completely destroyed.
The early scenes in the video featuring a crowd in a narrow street and Underwood in a parking garage, were filmed in and around Printer's Alley
Printer's Alley
Printer's Alley is a famous alley in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, between Third and Fourth Avenues, running from Union Street to Commerce Street. The portion of the alley between Union and Church Street is the home of a nightclub district that dates back to the 1940s.At the beginning of the 20th...
in downtown Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The final scene, featuring the exploding glass and light bulbs, was filmed on Fourth Avenue just north of Church Street in Nashville.
"Before He Cheats" made GAC
Great American Country
Great American Country , is a Nashville, Tennessee-based country music cable television network.-History:The station launched December 31, 1995 and Garth Brooks' video "The Thunder Rolls" was the first video to air on GAC....
music video history by debuting at number one. It also marks the third consecutive number-one music video on GAC for Underwood. It made history on CMT's Top Twenty Countdown for being at number one for a consecutive five weeks. In December 2006, "Before He Cheats" was named the best video of 2006 by CMT's Top 20 Countdown. It also finished number two in GAC's Video of the Year for 2006 behind Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" is a single, released in late 2005 by country music artist Trace Adkins. It was the last single from his album, Songs About Me. The song was a crossover hit for Adkins, peaking at #2 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart, and reaching the Top 40 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot...
". Proving its crossover success, the video made a debut at number 15 on the VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VSpot Top 20 Countdown
VH1 Top 20 Video Countdown is a weekly television show on the VH1 cable television network in the United States. The long-running series began in 1994 as the VH1 Top 10 Countdown, as part of VH1's "Music First" rebranding effort...
, peaking at number 4.
The video premiered on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
in April 2007, this is the second country music video to be premiered in this program, the first being "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
Jessica Simpson recorded her own version of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" for the soundtrack to the film The Dukes of Hazzard . Simpson's cover was co-produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and was released as the soundtrack's first single in 2005)...
" by Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
. The video went on the make a #10 debut on June 5, 2007, over a month after its premiere.
On April 16, 2007, the video for "Before He Cheats" swept the CMT Music Awards
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
, winning three categories: Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, and Director of the Year. Underwood made history by being the first female to win Video of the Year.
The video also garnered Carrie a 2007 MTV Video Music Award
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
nomination in the category of Best New Artist.
During an NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football
NBC Sunday Night Football is a weekly television broadcast of Sunday evening National Football League games on NBC that began airing on Sunday, August 6, 2006 with the pre-season opening Hall of Fame Game. Al Michaels serves as the play-by-play announcer, with Cris Collinsworth as the color...
telecast of a Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
-New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
game, the song was played over the Dallas offensive lineup announcements after Underwood broke up with Dallas QB Tony Romo
Tony Romo
Antonio Ramiro "Tony" Romo is a professional American football quarterback in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo's career passer rating - at 95.8 - ranks third-best all time. Tony Romo didn't play in the regular season in 2003, 2004, or 2005...
.
The music video was ranked #9 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.
In 2009, the music video for the song was voted #1 by fans as VH1's Greatest Diva Music Video of all-time, before the airing of the annual VH1 Divas Live special. Underwood's win for this honor beat nominations from pop and R&B music icons including Mariah Carey, Madonna, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Shania Twain, and Lady GaGa. The music video for "Before He Cheats" also defeated entries from other huge names (and who some would consider legends) such as Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Reba McEntire, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston. Another one of Underwood's music videos, for "Last Name", was also nominated.
Reception
The song has drawn criticism for its glorification of violence as a justified response to the infidelity suffered by the subject of the song. For example, Glenn SacksGlenn Sacks
Glenn Sacks is an American men's and fathers' issues columnist and media spokesperson. He is the first columnist specializing in men's and fathers' issues to be published regularly in Top 100 American newspapers...
, an American men's and fathers' issues columnist and radio broadcaster, cited "Before He Cheats" as an example of the "double standard about domestic violence [that] manifests itself in ... popular culture". Sacks notes that a "song and a video approving of a violent, jealous man destroying his girlfriend's car" would likely receive dissimilar treatment, and undoubtedly draw widespread criticism.
Cover versions
- R&B singer JoeJoe (singer)Joseph Lewis Thomas , usually credited simply as Joe, is an American R&B singer and record producer.-Early life:Joe is a native of Cuthbert, Georgia and later moved to Opelika, Alabama. The son of two preachers, Joe spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir...
performed a cover version of the song as a PepsiPepsiPepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Smash exclusive on Yahoo! MusicYahoo! MusicYahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
. He changed the lyrics to fit a male's perspective and titled his version "Before I Cheat".
- On the second annual "Idol Gives BackIdol Gives BackIdol Gives Back is the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of American Idol during its sixth season. A second Idol Gives Back concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the show. Idol Gives Back was not held in 2009 due to the ongoing...
" special, Teri HatcherTeri HatcherTeri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
and Band from TVBand From TVBand from TV is a charity cover band, whose members are all actors from American television series, who donate the proceeds of their performances and recordings to the charities of their choice.-Band history:...
covered the song. The performance takes place after a scene in which Hatcher's TV husband (James DentonJames Denton (actor)James "Jamie" Thomas Denton, Jr. is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Mike Delfino in the television series Desperate Housewives.-Early life:...
) fixes Underwood's sink prompting Hatcher to then "steal her song" because Underwood "tried to steal her man."
- In 2010, Adrianne LeonAdrianne LeonAdrianna Therese León is an American singer-songwriter, chef, personal fitness trainer, model and actress. She is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Caught Crimson. León began writing songs for the Emmy award-winning soap opera General Hospital...
sung a cover version on the American soap opera General HospitalGeneral HospitalGeneral Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
while portraying Brook Lynn Ashton.
50th Grammy Awards50th Grammy AwardsThe 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
|-| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
||
|-
| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Country Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Best Country Song
The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the writer of the song.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
||
|-
| align="center"|2008 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
||
33rd People's Choice Awards33rd People's Choice AwardsThe 33rd People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2006, were held on January 9, 2007 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California...
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Favorite Country Song ||
2007 CMT Music AwardsCMT Music AwardsThe CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Female Video of the Year ||
2007 Academy of Country Music Awards
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Music Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Single of the Year ||
2007 MTV Video Music Awards2007 MTV Video Music AwardsThe 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four...
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Best New Artist ||
2007 Country Music Association AwardsCountry Music Association AwardsThe Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Single of the Year ||
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| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
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| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Music Video of the Year ||
2007 ASCAP Country Music Awards
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Song of the Year ||
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| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Most Performed Song of the Year ||
2007 Teen Choice AwardsTeen Choice AwardsThe Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with...
|-| align="center"|2007 ||align="center"| "Before He Cheats" ||align="center"| Choice Payback Track ||
Chart performance
"Before He Cheats" first appeared on the charts in February 2006. Although it had not at that point been released as a single, many country stations began giving the song unsolicited airplay, leading it to debut on Billboard's Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
at #59. By the time the song was officially released as Some Hearts' third single in August of that year, it had already racked up 20 non-consecutive weeks on the chart, reaching as high as #49. After the official release, the song climbed the country charts quickly, reaching #1 in November and remaining there for five weeks. This was Underwood's third consecutive number one country single and fourth number one single overall. It also managed to debut on the Hot 100 at #92, and by November it had reached #16 on that chart. A controversy involving Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
's reaction to Underwood's win for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2006 CMA
CMA
- Accounting :* Cash management account* Certified Management Accountant, an accountant who has met certain qualifications* Certified market analyst, a financial analyst who has met certain qualifications set by the American Academy of Financial Management...
s (at which Underwood performed "Before He Cheats") helped bring attention and sales to the single. By the end of 2006, the song began to slowly descend the charts, and it had appeared the single had peaked.
However, Top 40 radio began to take notice of the song in February 2007, around the time of Underwood's Grammy wins. As the single increased its top 40 airplay, it began to rebound on the Hot 100. The new airplay, along with attention from numerous award show wins for the song, such as favorite country song at the 2007 People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...
in January and Video of the Year at the 2007 CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
s in April, reinvigorated digital sales as well. When it finally peaked at number 8 in May 2007, it had already logged 38 weeks on the chart, making it the longest trek to the top 10 ever. As pop airplay began dying down, the song got a third life on the adult contemporary format, which began playing the song in May. "Before He Cheats" spent 64 consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, before finally falling off in late November 2007. The song is the fourth-longest charting single on the Hot 100, following LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
's "How Do I Live
How Do I Live
"How Do I Live" is the title of a song written by Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes in 1997 and shortly afterward by Trisha Yearwood...
", Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me
You Were Meant for Me (Jewel song)
"You Were Meant for Me" is a folk pop song written by Jewel and Steve Poltz and performed by Jewel on her first album, Pieces of You. It relates the singer's incomprehension of a failed relationship, and her inadequate attempts at moving on with her life. It was the second single from that album...
"/"Foolish Games
Foolish Games
"Foolish Games" is a song by Jewel released as her third/fourth and final single, taken from her debut album Pieces of You. It was also the third single to be lifted from the Batman & Robin motion picture soundtrack...
" and Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
's "I'm Yours
I'm Yours (Jason Mraz song)
"I'm Yours" is the first single released by Jason Mraz from his third studio album We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. The song was originally released on a limited edition EP called Extra Credit as a demo in 2005 to promote his second studio album Mr. A–Z. It was performed in his 2004 and 2005...
". It is the second longest running hit so far this decade.
"Before He Cheats" was ranked sixth on the 2007 Hot 100 Year-End Chart and fifth on the 2007 Hot 100 Airplay Year-End Chart by Billboard Magazine. It was also ranked tenth on the 2007 Adult Contemporary Year-End Chart.
| Chart (2006–2007) | Peak position |
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