NO NEWS from Lonestar
(written by Sam Hogin/Phil Barnhart/Mark D. Sanders)

Initially, the members of Lonestar thought this song might have been too off the wall for them. Singing about Dead Heads and Pearl Jam was a little radical for a country band. After going back and forth a bit, they decided to cut the song, and it became their first No. 1 record.

RUNNIN’ AWAY WITH MY HEART from Lonestar
(written by Michael Britt/Sam Hogin/Mark D. Sanders)

This song is special to Lonestar because it’s their first hit written by a band member, Michael Britt. The other members of the band say this song solidified Michael as a writer, and the song fit the sound and direction they all wanted to go in.

COME CRYIN’ TO ME from Crazy Nights
(written by John Rich/Wally Wilson/Mark D. Sanders)

At the point in time when Lonestar made this record they still were searching for an identifiable sound. With “Come Cryin’ To Me,” Lonestar began establishing their sound and setting themselves apart from other acts. It also was one of their first “feel good’ songs in a long line of them.

YOU WALKED IN from Crazy Nights
(written by R. J. Lange/Bryan Adams)

The members of the band still chuckle about the video for this song for many reasons: In the video there are women wearing bikinis with cameras on helmets and are filmed rollerblading around the band. A three ring circus for sure. Regardless, the song became a hit and is still an energetic element of their live show today.

EVERTHING’S CHANGED from Crazy Nights
(written by Richie McDonald/Paul Nelson/Larry Boone)

In Richie McDonald’s first No. 1 song as a writer, he talks about going back to the little town he grew up in and seeing how everything had changed except for his feelings for a special person.

AMAZED from Lonely Grill
(written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo/Chris Lindsey)

Some of the members of the group say this song was the beginning of their career because it made Lonestar an international phenomenon. Prior to this song, the group feared they were on the brink of losing their record deal. “Amazed” represented a turning point because Lonestar had gone from a five piece band to a four piece band and hired Dann Huff as their producer. The subsequent change in their sound helped this song appeal to a wide array of music listeners.

This song has touched a lot of people, like a little girl named Summer. When Lonestar was in Kansas City for a radio telethon to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Summer and her mother told the members of the group that she had been born with a large, cancerous cyst on her wrist. They traveled from Kansas City to Memphis regularly for treatment at St. Jude, and on the trips, the two always listed to “Smile” because they said it kept them close. Members of the band said it meant the world to them that they found strength in their music.

WHAT ABOUT NOW from Lonely Grill
(written by Anthony Smith/Aaron Baker/Ron Harbin)

This original idea behind this song was for it to be a jingle for Chevy trucks. It didn’t work out that way, so writers Aaron Baker, Ron Harbin and Anthony Smith eventually expanded it to make it a complete song and pitched it to Lonestar. After the song spent four weeks at No. 1, it was later used in regional Toyota commercials.

The author of this song, Kwesi B., had no idea it was No. 1 on the charts until he was chatting with Richie McDonald’s sister Cathy Chamberlain when both were taking a computer class in Nashville. When Cathy told Kwesi her brother was in Lonestar, he responded by saying Lonestar had cut one of his songs. But Kwesi, who is from Europe, didn’t know the song had been a hit until Cathy told him.

I’M ALREADY THERE from I’m Already There
(written by Richie McDonald/Gary Baker/Frank Myers)

The band was performing for 20,000 troops and their families at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville in April when one lady and her three year old approached the members of the band. Lonestar said Shelly Pacorney wanted to let them know what the song meant to her and her late husband Frederick, who had been killed in the war. Shelly told Lonestar that “I’m Already There” kept their hopes alive while they were separated. The members of the group signed an autograph book for three-year old Taylor, writing their names next to signatures of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Richie McDonald’s message was this: “Taylor, Daddy’s Already There.”

WITH ME from I’m Already There
(written by Brett James/Troy Verges)

Producer Dann Huff was very passionate about this song, but the band wasn’t convinced at first. However, once they started working the song up in the studio, it all came together. The result was a Top 10 hit that became an energetic sing-along concert favorite. Drummer Keech Rainwater directed the song’s video.

NOT A DAY GOES BY from I’m Already There
(written by Steve Diamond/Maribeth Derry)

One month to the day after 9/11, Lonestar visited Ground Zero, meeting firefighters, volunteers and victims’ families. There, they heard numerous stories about how this song helped people get through the tragedy, and felt blessed to have been a part of the healing process. Some members of the group believe this is their best song.

I PRAY from Greatest Hits - From There to Here
(written by Chuck Cannon/James Dean Hicks)

Lonestar believes their new song provides a message of hope and faith during trying times, and hopes that it will comfort those in need.

WALKING IN MEMPHIS from Greatest Hits - From There to Here
(written by Marc Cohn)

Richie McDonald liked to fool around with this song, playing it on piano. One day sitting around, the other members of the band starting singing along. Then the group starting singing it in concert, and it has been very well received. They’ve been playing it live for years, and finally decided to record it.

MY FRONT PORCH LOOKING IN from Greatest Hits - From There to Here
(written by Richie McDonald, Frank Myers, Don Pfrimmer)

Song writers Don Pfrimmer and Frank Myers were visiting Richie McDonald to help round up some horses that had run off and build a new fence. At one point, they gathered on McDonald’s front porch and Frank looked at the magnificent scene that is Richie’s land. “What an incredible view,” he said. Don responded by turning around and looking inside the house and saying, “Yeah, but it’s not like the view looking in.” That view was of Richie’s four-year old daughter Mollie, two-year old daughter Maisis and his wife Lori, in the kitchen. The next day the three writers got together and came up with this song.