Live Like You Were Dying

The title track was the first single from the album. The song peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, held it for seven weeks, and peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=tim mcgraw|chart=all}} |title=Tim McGraw Music News & Info |magazine=Billboard.com |access-date=2012-02-28}} The song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The music video for the title track prominently featured McGraw's father, former baseball player Tug McGraw, who had died of brain cancer. This song was also the number one country song of 2004 according to Billboard Year-End.

The next single from this album is "Back When", which also reached #1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The third single, "Drugs or Jesus" peaked at #14, making it the first McGraw single since 1993 not to reach the country Top 10 (not counting "Tiny Dancer"). "Do You Want Fries with That" was the fourth single and peaked at #5, and the fifth and final single, "My Old Friend", peaked at #6.

"How Bad Do You Want It" was featured as the theme song to CMT's Trick My Truck. "Can't Tell Me Nothin'" was previously recorded by Travis Tritt on his 2002 album Strong Enough.

{{Track listing

| title1 = How Bad Do You Want It

| writer1 = {{hlist|Jim Collins|Bill Luther}}

| length1 = 3:44

| title2 = My Old Friend

| writer2 = {{hlist|Craig Wiseman|Steve McEwan}}

| length2 = 3:37

| title3 = Can't Tell Me Nothin{{'-}}

| writer3 = {{hlist|Steve Bogard|Rick Giles}}

| length3 = 3:08

| title4 = Old Town New

| writer4 = {{hlist|Bruce Robison|Darrell Scott}}

| length4 = 5:00

| title5 = Live Like You Were Dying

| writer5 = {{hlist|Wiseman|Tim Nichols}}

| length5 = 4:58

| title6 = Drugs or Jesus

| writer6 = {{hlist|Brett James|Chris Lindsey|Aimee Mayo|Troy Verges}}

| length6 = 4:39

| title7 = Back When

| writer7 = {{hlist|Jeff Stevens|Stan Lynch|Stephony Smith}}

| length7 = 4:59

| title8 = Something's Broken

| writer8 = {{hlist|Casey Beathard|Kevin Horne}}

| length8 = 3:42

| title9 = Open Season on My Heart

| writer9 = {{hlist|Rodney Crowell|James T. Slater}}

| length9 = 3:39

| title10 = Everybody Hates Me

| writer10 = {{hlist|Beathard|Ed Hill}}

| length10 = 3:28

| title11 = Walk Like a Man

| writer11 = Tom Douglas

| length11 = 3:35

| title12 = Blank Sheet of Paper

| writer12 = {{hlist|Don Schlitz|Brad Warren, Brett Warren}}

| length12 = 4:07

| title13 = Just Be Your Tear

| writer13 = {{hlist|Wiseman|Tony Mullins}}

| length13 = 4:47

| title14 = Do You Want Fries with That

| writer14 = {{hlist|Beathard|Kerry Kurt Phillips}}

| length14 = 3:59

| title15 = Kill Myself

| writer15 = {{hlist|Bob DiPiero|Anthony Smith|Bobby Terry}}

| length15 = 3:07

| title16 = We Carry On

| writer16 = {{hlist|Slater|Douglas}}

| length16 = 4:12

}}

Tim McGraw & The Dance Hall Doctors

• Tim McGraw – lead vocals
• Jeff McMahon – acoustic piano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond B3 organ, synthesizers
• Denny Hemingson – electric guitar, steel guitar, baritone guitar, slide guitar, dobro, Melobar guitar
• Bob Minner – acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin (2, 12)
• Darran Smith – electric guitar, acoustic guitar (12)
• Deano Brown – fiddle, mandolin
• John Marcus – bass
• Billy Mason – drums
• David Dunkley – percussion

Background vocals

• Russell Terrell (1, 3, 4, 8, 14)
• Steve McEwan (2)
• Greg Barnhill (4–7, 11, 16)
• Kim Carnes (4, 6)
• Bob Bailey (6)
• Kim Fleming (6)
• Vicki Hampton (6)
• Rodney Crowell (9)
• Wes Hightower (10, 15, 16)
• Faith Hill (12)
• Brett Warren (12)
• Gene Miller (13, 16)
• Chris Rodriguez (13)

Strings on tracks 5, 6, 11 & 15

• David Campbell – string arrangements
• Suzie Katayama – string contractor
• Larry Corbett and Suzie Katayama – cello
• Bob Becker and Evan Wilson – viola
• Charlie Bisharat, Darius Campo, Susan Chatman, Mario DeLeon, Berj Garabedian, Armen Garabedian, Natalie Leggett and Sara Parkins – violin

• Missi Gallimore – A&R direction
• Byron Gallimore – producer, mixing
• Tim McGraw – producer, mixing
• Darran Smith – producer
• Julian King – tracking engineer (1, 3–13, 15)
• David Bryant – second tracking engineer (1, 3–13, 15)
• Steve Churchyard – string engineer (5, 6, 11, 15)
• Greg Lawrence – additional engineer (5, 6, 11, 15), second string engineer (5, 6, 11, 15)
• Jesse Chrisman – assistant engineer
• Ricky Cobble – assistant engineer (1, 3–13, 15)
• Matt Cullen – assistant engineer
• Jason Gantt – assistant engineer, Pro Tools engineer
• Erik Lutkins – assistant engineer, Pro Tools engineer
• Sara Lesher – assistant engineer
• Harry McCarthy – technician assistant
• John Prestia – technician assistant
• Mike Rector – technician assistant
• Hank Williams – mastering
• Ann Callis – production assistant
• Kelly Clauge Wright – creative director
• Glenn Sweitzer – art direction, design
• Mark Seliger – cover photography
• Tony Duran – back photography

Studios

• Tracks 1, 3-13 & 15 recorded at Allaire Studios (Shokan, New York).
• Tracks 2, 4, 14 & 16 recorded at Blackbird Studio (Nashville, Tennessee).
• Strings recorded at Record One Studio B (Sherman Oaks, California).
• Mixed at Essential Sound (Houston, Texas) and Emerald Sound Studio (Nashville, Tennessee).
• Mastered at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee).

Live Like You Were Dying debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number one, his third number-one album, and on the Top Country Albums at number one, making it his seventh number one on that chart.

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{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Tim McGraw|title=Live Like You Were Dying|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2005|access-date=February 8, 2023}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Tim McGraw|title=Live Like You Were Dying|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=2004|certyear=2006|access-date=February 8, 2023}}

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{{Reflist}}

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Category:2004 albums

Category:Tim McGraw albums

Category:Curb Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Byron Gallimore

Category:Albums with cover art by Tony Duran

Category:Albums produced by Tim McGraw