"It Was" is a song recorded by American country music artist Chely Wright. The song was released on October 4, 1999 by MCA Nashville as the second single from her fourth studio album Single White Female (1999). It was written by Mark Wright and Gary Burr and was produced by Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon, and Norro Wilson.

"It Was"
Single by Chely Wright
from the album Single White Female
B-side"Rubbin' It In"
ReleasedOctober 4, 1999
GenreCountry
Length3:51
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Mark Wright
Gary Burr
Producer(s)Tony Brown
Buddy Cannon
Norro Wilson
Chely Wright singles chronology
"Single White Female"
(1999)
"It Was"
(1999)
"She Went Out for Cigarettes"
(2000)

The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 2000.[1]

Critical reception

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Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave the song a favorable review, saying that it "has a hauntingly beautiful melody and affecting lyric about the mercurial nature of love" and that "Wright possesses a strong voice, full of emotional depth and presence."[2]

Music video

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The music video was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions and premiered in August 1999.[3]

Chart performance

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Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] 37
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 64
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 11

Year-end charts

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Chart (2000) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 47

Release history

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Release dates and format(s) for "It Was"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 4, 1999 Country radio MCA Nashville [8]

References

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  1. ^ "Chely Wright Hot Country Songs Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Price, Deborah Evans (October 2, 1999). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "CMT : Videos : Chely Wright : It Was". Country Music Television. Retrieved January 28, 2012.[dead link]
  4. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9996." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. December 6, 1999. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "Chely Wright Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Chely Wright Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  8. ^ "Going for Adds - Country" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 1, 1999. p. 82.