I May Hate Myself in the Morning
Encyclopedia
"I May Hate Myself in the Morning" is the title of a song written by Odie Blackmon and recorded by American
country
artist Lee Ann Womack
. The song was released in October 2004 as the lead-off single for her 2005 album, There's More Where That Came From
. It was a Top 10 hit on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts.
Womack told The Mirror, "This is the kind of stuff I grew up listening to. How true is this song? Even if you haven't been in that situation, we all know somebody who has. It's just honest." In an interview with The Mirror Womack said, "I was kind of languishing, not really sure what I wanted to do or what I needed to do. But then I heard I May Hate Myself in the Morning, and that was my answer. To put it in visual terms, it was like I had a big question mark over my head, and then all of the sudden, I had a big light bulb over my head. That song made me want to get back in the studio and make music again. I knew from the beginning that I wanted Hate Myself to be the first single. That song was not really like the other things that were happening on radio at the time, but at some point, you just have to stand up and say, 'This is who I am."
After winning the award for best single from the Country Music Association
Womack said, "'If you are listening to music that doesn't touch you, music that doesn't mean anything to you, tune into your country station, because we have songs about your life, we have songs that you will love, we have songs that speak to your heart."
backed by acoustic guitar, with steel guitar and string fills. The narrator describes how she is aware of the consequences when she wakes up in the morning, but she is going to have a night of passion with a man anyway.
wrote, "That refrain -- I may hate myself in the morning/But I'm gonna love you tonight -- already sounds like a classic couplet, and it also helps add some intriguing wrinkles to Ms. Womack's smooth persona; the lyrics imply, without quite saying so, that the lovers may have other commitments." Editors at Billboard wrote, "The title cut, with its weeping fiddle and soaring performance from Womack, is an instant entry into the country lexicon." Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle
wrote, "First single I May Hate Myself in the Morning is a winning example of Womack's new outlook, melding her lilting vocal work with a comfortably lazy arrangement. It's a great moment." Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald
wrote, "The title track is a cheatin' ballad of the highest quality, conjuring equal measures of guilt and giddiness in the grooves."
was released for the song, directed by Trey Fanjoy
. In the video, Womack is shown sitting in a bedroom by the window and lying on her bed, gazing off into the distance as she sings, mixed with scenes of her dancing in a pool hall with a man (Jack Ingram
) and the same man sitting in a chair reading in a separate room. The cover for the single is shown close-up in several places of the video, including on a pay phone that Womack uses.
The music video was ranked #38 on the 2008 version of CMT's 40 Sexiest Videos.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
. The song was released in October 2004 as the lead-off single for her 2005 album, There's More Where That Came From
There's More Where That Came From
There's More Where That Came From is a 2005 album from Lee Ann Womack. It received numerous awards and critical acclaim and was also Womack's highest selling album since 2000's I Hope You Dance. The album was Womack's return to a traditional country music style, as well as her seventh album...
. It was a Top 10 hit on both the U.S. and Canadian country charts.
Background
Womack told Billboard, "Frank brought home 'I May Hate Myself in the Morning.' It was almost like the song said, 'Just go with me, this is the direction we need to go. With every record I usually will find one song as the anchor and build the record around it. That was the song for this record that I started with, and I [looked] for material that fit with that."Womack told The Mirror, "This is the kind of stuff I grew up listening to. How true is this song? Even if you haven't been in that situation, we all know somebody who has. It's just honest." In an interview with The Mirror Womack said, "I was kind of languishing, not really sure what I wanted to do or what I needed to do. But then I heard I May Hate Myself in the Morning, and that was my answer. To put it in visual terms, it was like I had a big question mark over my head, and then all of the sudden, I had a big light bulb over my head. That song made me want to get back in the studio and make music again. I knew from the beginning that I wanted Hate Myself to be the first single. That song was not really like the other things that were happening on radio at the time, but at some point, you just have to stand up and say, 'This is who I am."
After winning the award for best single from the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Womack said, "'If you are listening to music that doesn't touch you, music that doesn't mean anything to you, tune into your country station, because we have songs about your life, we have songs that you will love, we have songs that speak to your heart."
Content
"I May Hate Myself in the Morning" is a balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
backed by acoustic guitar, with steel guitar and string fills. The narrator describes how she is aware of the consequences when she wakes up in the morning, but she is going to have a night of passion with a man anyway.
Reception
Kalefa Sannh of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote, "That refrain -- I may hate myself in the morning/But I'm gonna love you tonight -- already sounds like a classic couplet, and it also helps add some intriguing wrinkles to Ms. Womack's smooth persona; the lyrics imply, without quite saying so, that the lovers may have other commitments." Editors at Billboard wrote, "The title cut, with its weeping fiddle and soaring performance from Womack, is an instant entry into the country lexicon." Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
wrote, "First single I May Hate Myself in the Morning is a winning example of Womack's new outlook, melding her lilting vocal work with a comfortably lazy arrangement. It's a great moment." Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
wrote, "The title track is a cheatin' ballad of the highest quality, conjuring equal measures of guilt and giddiness in the grooves."
Music video
A music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was released for the song, directed by Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...
. In the video, Womack is shown sitting in a bedroom by the window and lying on her bed, gazing off into the distance as she sings, mixed with scenes of her dancing in a pool hall with a man (Jack Ingram
Jack Ingram
Jack Owen Ingram is an American Texas Country artist signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eight studio albums, one extended play, six live albums and eighteen singles. Although active since 1992, Ingram did not reach the U.S. country Top 40 until the late...
) and the same man sitting in a chair reading in a separate room. The cover for the single is shown close-up in several places of the video, including on a pay phone that Womack uses.
The music video was ranked #38 on the 2008 version of CMT's 40 Sexiest Videos.
Chart performance
"I May Hate Myself in the Morning" debuted at number 58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 23, 2004.| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
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