It has been a year since Chris Stapleton released his last studio record, Higher.
With that album celebrating its birthday and being nominated for a Grammy Award, we decided to ask our fans one of the hardest questions we’ve ever polled at Whisky Riff.
“What is the best Chris Stapleton song?”
This seems like an impossible question, right? How can you pick the best from a catalog with no bad songs? However, y’all came through firing off your favorite song (or songs) from the Kentucky native.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were quite a few votes for “Where Rainbows Never Die,” which Stapleton sang when he was a part of The Steeldrivers. Other popular votes included “What Are You Listening To?,” “Traveller,” “Crosswinds,” and, of course, for those who love a country heartbreaker, “Maggie’s Song.”
After spending some substantial time in this post’s comments, I realized that my favorite Chris Stapleton song, “The Day I Die, ” was never mentioned. I thought about how that song compares to the rest of Chris Stapleton’s prolific catalog of love songs, and it made me realize that “The Day I Die” might be one of his most underrated tracks.
Stapleton is quite the wordsmith when it comes to expressing his deep feelings for his wife, Morgane Stapleton. He often pens tender songs inspired by her and their once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. And while we all know and love the great love songs like “I Think I’m In Love With You,” “When I’m With You,” or “Loving You on My Mind,” there is a certain heaviness about “The Day I Die” that these other songs don’t carry.
Every time I fire up this track, it always brings tears to my eyes as Stapleton sings of love so profoundly that even the thought of losing it makes him never want to love again. It’s a beautiful ballad that combines a love song with heartbreak, thinking about not having your person by your side.
Stapleton sings the song from a heartbreak perspective, feeling like the love he lost might have been too good to be true and questioning if it was true, as the authentic feelings he carried for this person were so heavy. He declares in the lyrics that he will not be able to live happily without the one he loves.
“I had never ever, ever hurt this way
The pain is almost more than I can take
I’d give anythin’ for you to stay with me
And never say, “Goodbye””
When my heart stops breakin’
When my eyes won’t cry
When there’s a day I can live without you, baby
It’ll be the day I die…”
As with many other Stapleton songs, the melancholy melody and his silky, smooth vocals captivate you after the first notes. Stapleton conveys such hurt in his vocals; listeners can feel the love and loss in his voice, further driving home the lyrics’ message.
Given that Stapleton dedicated this record to Morgane, you know the words he sings are true: The day he can live without her is “The Day I Die.”
Fire it up, and don’t say we didn’t warn you if you cry after listening to this one.
