"Better as a Memory" is a single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country music singer Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney

Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...

. It is the fourth and final single released from his 2007 CD Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates is the twelfth studio album by country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released in the United States on September 11, 2007. The CD was leaked on the Internet on September 5, 2007, almost a week before its release....

. Produced by Buddy Cannon, the tune was voted one of NSAI’s “Ten Songs I Wish I’d Written” in November 2008. It is also the fourteenth number-one hit of Chesney's career, peaking on the chart week of June 28, 2008.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad in which the narrator addresses a former lover with whom he has split up. He then lists a series of similes regarding himself (such as "built to fade like your favorite song", and "always sure until I doubt"), ultimately telling her that he is "better as a memory / than as [her] man".

Reception

Leeann Ward, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a B- rating. He said the lyrics seem to be somewhat "self-indulgent" but then said that "the production is nice and Kenny’s vocals are spot on."

Chart performance

Chart (2008)	Peak position
US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...	100