Toby Keith was not only a talented singer, but a hit songwriter as well. The Oklahoma native released dozens of singles throughout his career, which was tragically cut short when he passed away one year ago today.
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Keith was as proud of his songwriting as he was of his performance ability. His final record was 100% Songwriter, 13 of the many songs that he wrote by himself throughout his career. We're taking a closer look at four of his biggest hits, which he penned alone.
1. "Should've Been A Cowboy"
Keith's first single also became his first No. 1 hit, and he wrote it by himself. "Should've Been A Cowboy" was on Keith's self-titled freshman record. The song was inspired by a real-life event, when Keith saw a man get turned away in favor of a real-life cowboy.
"A guy said to another guy, 'In all honesty, you should've been a cowboy,' when a girl didn't dance with him in his hunting clothes," Keith told The Oklahoman. "And I thought, 'Man, that sounds like a song idea,' and it was all over me."
2. "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This"
By the time "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" came out in 2000, Keith had made a name for himself with rowdy, slightly irreverent songs like "A Little Less Talk And a Lot More Action" and "How Do You Like Me Now?!" But Keith also had a soft, romantic side, one he showed off in "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This." The song is on Keith's fifth album, How Do You Like Me Now?!.
The song says in part, "You shouldn't kiss me like this / Unless you mean it like that / 'Cause I'll just close my eyes and I won't know where I'm at . We'll get lost on this dance floor, spinnin' around . And around and around and around." Keith later said the sweet song was "a three-and-a-half minute song about a five-second kiss" (via Songfacts).
3. "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)"
Keith was always known to be patriotic, but his love for his country really comes out in "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)." Not surprisingly, the song, from Keith's seventh studio album, Unleashed, was inspired in part by the tragic events on September 11, 2001, along with the loss of his own father earlier that year.
Keith released "Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue (The Angry American)" in 2002.
"I wrote [the song] on the back of a Fantasy Football sheet that was laying there," Keith recalled to The Boot. "I just turned it and wrote around the edges and, in about 20 minutes, wrote the lyric out and called it 'The Angry American.' When I turned it in, they said, 'Well, it really doesn't say 'angry American' in there. Why don't you call it 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue?'' So, I did."
4. "Don't Let The Old Man In"
Few of Keith's songs are as poignant as "Don't Let The Old Man In." The song was inspired by a conversation Keith had with Clint Eastwood, when Eastwood was filming the movie The Mule, as Eastwood was about to turn 88.
"He said, 'I just get up every morning and go out. And I don't let the old man in,' " Keith told Billboard. "And I thought, I'm writing that."
Keith gave the song to Eastwood, who included it in the movie. Keith's final televised performance was singing this song, at the 2023 People's Choice Awards, where Keith was given the. Country Icon Award.
