Blake Shelton Recalls Being The First To Record “I Wanna Talk About Me”
Did you know one of Toby Keith’s biggest number-one hits was originally recorded by Blake Shelton?
It turns out, Keith’s 2001 single “I Wanna Talk About Me” was originally written with Shelton in mind.
Shelton shared the surprising detail during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he was promoting his new album For Recreational Use Only.
The 48-year-old recalled how his producer back then had written the country-rap song specifically for him, thinking it would be a perfect fit.
“So listen to this.. my producer at the time was a guy named Bobby Braddock, and he wrote me this song because I used to have these stupid raps,” Shelton said. “I would come into the studio singing every day about, you know, doo-doo and things like that. You know. Fun things.”
Shelton went into the studio and recorded his version of the song. However, when his label heard it for the first time, they quickly passed on it.
“We don’t want any part of that song,” his label had said, according to Shelton.
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While Shelton’s team didn’t think the song would be a hit for him, his producer believed it had potential.
Braddock decided to pitch it again, this time to Toby Keith. Keith ended up recording and releasing the track, and as we now know, it became a huge success.
Released as the second single from Keith’s album Pull My Chain, “I Wanna Talk About Me” soared to the top of the charts.
It became his seventh No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country chart. Even today, it remains one of the most iconic songs in his career.
But, Shelton doesn’t see it as a lost opportunity. In the end, everything worked out the way it was meant to. He clarified that he believes the song “found its right home” with Keith.
Watch Blake Shelton talk about originally recording Toby Keith’s “I Wanna Talk About Me” in the video below.
