jmjiloveyou - Choices

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jmjiloveyou

Sep 07, 2025 09:05am

<h1>Choices (Billy Yates song)</h1><p>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</p><p><br></p><p>"<strong>Choices</strong>" is a song written by American country music singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Yates_(singer)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billy Yates</a> and Mike Curtis, first recorded by Yates on his 1997 self-titled album for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almo_Sounds" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Almo Sounds</a>.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choices_(Billy_Yates_song)#cite_note-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><sup>[1]</sup></a> It was later covered by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Jones" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">George Jones</a>, who released as the first single from his album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Hard_Truth" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Cold Hard Truth</em></a> on May 8, 1999, and it peaked at number 30 on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_(magazine)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Billboard</em></a> country charts. There is speculation that Yates drew inspiration for the song from his time working at a business or firm, where he often had to make choices.</p><h2>Background</h2><p>After recording five studio albums for MCA Nashville between 1991 and 1998, Jones signed with Asylum and released the single "Choices." The music video, which features photographs of the singer throughout his life, had a more gripping resonance in light of Jones's March 1999 drunk driving accident with lines like, "Now I'm living and dying with the choices I've made." Radio stations began receiving calls to hear it and the song eventually reached the Top 30 and won Jones the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Male_Country_Vocal_Performance" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance</a>.</p><p>The song was at the center of controversy when the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_Music_Association" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Country Music Association</a> invited Jones to perform it on the 1999 awards show, but required that he perform an abridged version. Jones refused and did not attend the show. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Jackson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Alan Jackson</a> was angry with the association's decision, and halfway through his performance of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_a_Top" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pop a Top</a>" during the show, he signaled to his band and played the chorus of Jones' song in protest, before angrily exiting the stage to a long standing ovation. The performance has since been cited as one of the best and most memorable moments in CMA history.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choices_(Billy_Yates_song)#cite_note-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><sup>[2]</sup></a></p><p>Canadian singer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Leonard Cohen</a>, a George Jones fan, released a version of the song on the 2015 LP Can't Forget. The day Jones died in 2013, Cohen performed "Choices" on stage in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Winnipeg</a>, Manitoba, Canada as a tribute to the country legend.</p>