You're Gone (Diamond Rio song)

For the song by Marillion, see You're Gone (Marillion song).

"You're Gone"
Single by Diamond Rio
from the album Unbelievable
Released	June 1, 1998
Genre	Country
Length	3:59 (album version) 3:31 (radio edit)
Label	Arista Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Jon Vezner, Paul Williams
Producer(s)	Michael Clute, Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio singles chronology
"Imagine That" (1998) "You're Gone" (1998) "Unbelievable" (1998)
Music video
"You're Gone" on YouTube

"You're Gone" is a song written by Paul Williams and Jon Vezner, and recorded by American country music group Diamond Rio. It was released in June 1998 as the lead-off single from their album Unbelievable. It peaked at number 4 in the United States and number 5 in Canada, in the Country charts of both territories.

Content

According to co-writer Paul Williams, the song came about when he and Vezner were discussing the death of one of Williams' old friends, Tom Jans, as well as other people who influenced their lives.

It just seemed like what we should write about are the people who are no longer in our lives who had a positive effect on us. And it just poured out of us. The people that pass through our lives-we remember what they say to us, and we remember how they touch us. ~Paul Williams, 1998.^[1]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Jon Vezner and Paul Williams have written a song that grabs the listeners by the ears immediately with the opening lines "I said hello I think I'm broken/And though I was only jokin'/It took me by surprise when you agreed/I was trying to be clever/For the life of me I never/Would have guessed how far the simple truth would lead." This is an incredible song, and Diamond Rio lead vocalist Marty Roe delivers the powerful poetry in a voice that perfectly conveys the complex emotions in the lyric. The production by the talented Mike Clute and the Rio boys is clean and uncluttered, letting the vocal and piano drive home the impact of the lyric. This is just the first single from a great new album that shows these guys plan to hang on to that Country Music Assn. vocal group trophy they recaptured last fall."^[2]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Peter Zavadil, and premiered on CMT on June 4, 1998 during CMT's "Delivery Room".

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1998) Peak position Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] 5 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1998) Position Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 45 US Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 39

References

1. Price, Deborah Evans (1998-06-06). "Arista's Diamond Rio Makes Timely Return". Billboard: 49, 51. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
2. Flick, Larry (1998-06-06). "Reviews & Previews: Singles" (PDF). Billboard. p. 20. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
3. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7058." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 12, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
4. "Diamond Rio Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM. December 14, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
6. "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.