Since blowing the judges away with her southern charm and beautiful voice on American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood hasn't slowed down. With massive hits like "Before He Cheats," "Blown Away," "All American Girl" and "Something in the Water," Underwood is going down in history as one of the most successful female country artists. From her stunning performances at all of country music's award shows to charming fans on her TikTok, she's easily one of the most likable musicians of any genre. One of the best things about her though is she is unapologetically herself, especially when it comes to her religious beliefs.
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"Something in the Water"
Underwood has released gospel music but her message of faith in "Something in the Water" was really something special. The song was co-written by Underwood, Chris DeStefano, and Brett James and produced by Mark Bright, released as the lead single on her 2014 studio album Greatest Hits: Decade #1.
In an interview with the Tennesean, DeStefano shared the story behind writing the song with Underwood:
"I remember apologizing — you know, it's good to always apologize for ideas before you put them out there, so if your co-writers don't like it, you're kind of immediately forgiven. I played this piece of music for them... They both immediately reacted to this, and Carrie, through the first listen even, she started singing some of those melodies that are the final (song). She was just immediately in it," DeStefano shared.
Underwood had wanted to write a spiritual song about baptismal water and what happens to a person after experiencing a baptism. DeStefano went on to say, "God was in the room. God definitely had a huge hand in it that day. We wrote the whole song in, it couldn't have been (more than) a couple of hours."
In the song's recording, Underwood decided to make even more of an impact by adding her own spin on the gospel hymn "Amazing Grace" to the melody. "It was right at the end, and we were listening back (to the recording). And all of a sudden, I just hear Carrie singing that in the background. It was a special moment. I think we all cried that day."
DeStefano shared that it took about three months of listening to the song before he could make it through without crying. The song really takes the listener on an emotional journey so it's easy to imagine it means even more to everyone involved with its creation.
The song was immediately popular with listeners, reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts. It debuted at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Something in the Water" even earned Underwood a Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance. The beloved star has many popular songs in her repertoire, but this is a shining example that a message of faith can appeal to any audience.
