Live a Little (song)

"Live a Little" is a song written by David Lee Murphy and Shane Minor, and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It is the third single from his 2010 album Hemingway's Whiskey, and it was released to radio in March 2011.

Background and writing

Chesney told the Nashville Music Scene that the song defines him as a person.^[1] Co-writer David Lee Murphy told The Boot that the two were just sitting around and Minor said he had a good idea for a song called "live a little, love a lot." They wrote the song at the end of summer and Murphy said "we had our windows down, just singing at top of our lungs."^[1]

Critical reception

Bill Frisicks-Warren of The Washington Post described the song negatively in his review of the album, saying that "Nothing — not even the singer's self-deprecating, Everyday Joe persona — can redeem [it]."^[2]

Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave it a "thumbs down". She believed that Chesney's singing sounded "uninterested" and that its subject matter was "too similar to other songs of his" and it had a "very similar melody" to his 2005 single "Keg in the Closet".^[3]

Stuart Munro of The Boston Globe called the song a "good-timing singalong".^[4] A positive review also came from Bobby Peacock of Roughstock, who gave it four stars out of five. His review said that the song was "delightfully unhurried" and that Chesney "has rarely sounded better."^[5]

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a C grade, saying that the song starts with a "pure pop/rock intro" and then transitions into acoustic country but eventually "disintegrates to generic Chesney: loud but not assertive, cute but not clever, upbeat but not uplifting."^[6]

Chart performance

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	61
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[8]	1
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[9]	78

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[10]	46

Preceded by "This" by Darius Rucker	Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single May 7, 2011	Succeeded by "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans

References

1 2 Horner, Marianne (16 March 2011). "Kenny Chesney, 'Live a Little' - Story Behind the Lyrics". The Boot. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
↑ Friskics-Warren, Bill (2010-09-28). "Click Track - Album review: Kenny Chesney, "Hemingway's Whiskey"". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
↑ Justus, Karlie (24 February 2011). "Kenny Chesney - "Live a Little"". Engine 145. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
↑ Munro, Stuart (2010-09-27). "Kenny Chesney, 'Hemingway's Whiskey' - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
↑ Peacock, Bobby (25 February 2011). ""Live a Little" review". Roughstock. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
↑ Country Universe - Kenny Chesney: Live a Little review
↑ "Kenny Chesney – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Kenny Chesney. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
↑ "Kenny Chesney – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kenny Chesney. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
↑ "Kenny Chesney – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Kenny Chesney. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
↑ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

Kenny Chesney singles

In My Wildest Dreams	"Whatever It Takes" "The Tin Man" "Somebody's Callin'"

All I Need to Know	"Fall in Love" "All I Need to Know" "Grandpa Told Me So"

Me and You	"Back in My Arms Again" "Me and You" "When I Close My Eyes"

I Will Stand	"She's Got It All" "A Chance" "That's Why I'm Here" "I Will Stand"

Everywhere We Go	"How Forever Feels" "You Had Me from Hello" "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" "What I Need to Do"

Greatest Hits	"I Lost It" "Don't Happen Twice" "The Tin Man" (re-release)

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems	"Young" "The Good Stuff" "A Lot of Things Different" "Big Star" "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems"

When the Sun Goes Down	"There Goes My Life" "When the Sun Goes Down" (w/ Uncle Kracker) "I Go Back" "The Woman with You" "Anything but Mine" "Keg in the Closet"

The Road and the Radio	"Who You'd Be Today" "Living in Fast Forward" "Summertime" "You Save Me" "Beer in Mexico"

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates	"Never Wanted Nothing More" "Don't Blink" "Shiftwork" (w/ George Strait) "Better as a Memory"

Lucky Old Sun	"Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" (w/ The Wailers) "Down the Road" (w/ Mac McAnally)

Greatest Hits II	"Out Last Night" "I'm Alive" (w/ Dave Matthews) "Ain't Back Yet"

Hemingway's Whiskey	"The Boys of Fall" "Somewhere with You" "Live a Little" "You and Tequila" (w/ Grace Potter) "Reality"

Welcome to the Fishbowl	"Feel Like a Rock Star" (w/ Tim McGraw) "Come Over" "El Cerrito Place"

Life on a Rock	"Pirate Flag" "When I See This Bar"

The Big Revival	"American Kids" "Til It's Gone" "Wild Child" (w/ Grace Potter) "Save It for a Rainy Day"

Cosmic Hallelujah	"Noise" "Setting the World on Fire" (w/ Pink) "Bar at the End of the World"

Guest singles	"Hey, Good Lookin'" (w/ Jimmy Buffett, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait) "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" (w/ Tracy Lawrence and Tim McGraw) "Every Other Weekend" (w/ Reba McEntire)

See also	Discography "Back Where I Come From" "Baptism" "Some People Change" "Take Me There" "Turning Home"

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