What a Way to Live is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Mark Chesnutt. His first album for Decca Records, it earned RIAA gold certification in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. The tracks "She Dreams", "Goin' Through the Big D", "Gonna Get a Life", and "Down in Tennessee" were all released as singles, peaking at #6, #2, #1, and #23, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. "She Dreams" was co-written and originally recorded by Tim Mensy on his 1992 album This Ol' Heart, from which it was released as a single, peaking at #74 on the country charts that year. Mark duets with Waylon Jennings on the track "Rainy Day Woman" which Jennings first recorded on his 1974 album The Ramblin' Man. The title track was originally recorded by Willie Nelson in 1960.
| What a Way to Live | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 13, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
| Studio | Javalina Recording Studios, Woodland Sound Studios, Nashville, TN | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 33:25 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Producer | Mark Wright | |||
| Mark Chesnutt chronology | ||||
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| Singles from What a Way to Live | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What a Way to Live" | Willie Nelson, Hank Craig | 2:40 |
| 2. | "Live a Little" | Roger Springer, Tony Martin | 2:46 |
| 3. | "She Dreams" | Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Goin' Through the Big D" | Mark Wright, Ronnie Rogers, John Wright | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Down in Tennessee" | Wayland Holyfield | 3:21 |
| 6. | "Gonna Get a Life" | Frank Dycus, Jim Lauderdale | 3:43 |
| 7. | "It's Almost Like You're Here" | Charles Quillen, John Priestley, Jonathan Clift | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Rainy Day Woman" (duet with Waylon Jennings) | Waylon Jennings | 3:51 |
| 9. | "This Side of the Door" | Mensy, Shawn Camp | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Half of Everything (And All of My Heart)" | David Lott, Glenn Gordon, Mark Chesnutt | 3:50 |
Personnel edit
- Brent Rowan - electric guitar
- Tim Broussard - squeezebox
- Mark Chesnutt - lead vocals
- Glen Duncan - fiddle, mandolin
- Pat Flynn - acoustic guitar
- Paul Franklin - steel guitar
- Owen Hale - drums
- Rob Hajacos - fiddle
- Roy Huskey Jr. - upright bass
- Paul Leim - drums
- B. James Lowry - acoustic guitar
- Tim Mensy - acoustic guitar
- Steve Nathan - keyboards
- Russ Pahl - steel guitar
- Matt Rollings - keyboards
- Biff Watson - acoustic guitar
- Bob Wray - bass guitar
Background Vocals: Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, John Wesley Ryles, Bergen White, Jana King, Lisa Silver, Dennis Wilson, Cindy Walker, Tom Flora, Chris Harris, Matt Kaminski, Ann Wright, Kim Rogers. Strings by the Nashville String Machine, conducted by Carl Gorodetzky and arranged by Bergen White.
Production edit
Recording Engineers
- Warren Peterson
- Robert Charles
- King Williams
- Larry Jeffries
Mixers
- Lynn Peterzell
- Mark Hagen
- Mark Friego
Master Editor
- Glenn Meadows
Production Coordinator
- Joe Johnston
Art Direction/Design
- Simon Levy
Photography
Hair & Make-up
- Lucy Santamassino
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
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Year-end charts edit
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Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[5] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. What a Way to Live at AllMusic
- ^ "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ "American album certifications – Mark Chesnutt – What a Way to Live". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
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