Tim McGraw Pours Some Sugar on Def Leppard
Tim McGraw, whose catalog already includes off-beat collaborations such as “Over and Over,” a hip-hop recording he made with rapper Nelly, is now attempting to infiltrate the arena rock genre. “Nine Lives,” the first single planned for Def Leppard’s Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album, due out on March 18, was co-written by McGraw with Def Leppard’s Phil Collen, Rick Savage, and Joe Elliot.
According to McGraw’s PR contact, the idea of a co-write originated three years ago, when the pop-country crossover star approached his tour manager, Robert Allen — brother of Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen — about the possibility. Rumors began to emerge last October when McGraw sat in with Def Leppard on a performance of “Pour Some Sugar On Me” at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and were confirmed earlier this week.
“We didn’t start with any preconceived notions about the song,” comments McGraw of the odd coupling, “Each of us brought something different to the table and we drew on each other’s influence to finish it out.” While it is certainly tempting to attack McGraw prematurely over the decision to enter into yet another strange co-writing deal, we will have to wait until the single is released before we tear into it. The lines between pop, rock, and country genres have been increasingly blurred in recent years. Regardless of how we personally rate the cut when it is released, it will be interesting to see if two acts as different as Tim McGraw and Def Leppard can make a hit together.
Here’s the thing about Tim McGraw — One moment, he can record a great country song (”Everywhere,” “Just to See You Smile) or be very introspective and have a keen ability to put things into perspective (”Live Like You Were Dying”). Then, as you mention, he records with Def Leppard. I’m glad that you’re at least willing to wait to judge McGraw’s work (unlike Kenny Chesney, which is a different matter), but I have to agree — this seems odd. It’s one thing to want to branch out and be diverse; there’s nothing wrong with that and many artists have done it successfully. It’s another thing to do so just for the sake of doing so, increasing album sales, etc. What Tim’s motives are here, only he can answer.