Hear Scotty McCreery’s Moving ‘Five More Minutes’
In June 2016, Scotty McCreery gave the live debut of an emotional new song at the Grand Ole Opry that quickly became a fan favorite. As the American Idol champ explains in the Opry video, “Five More Minutes” was written with Frank Rogers and Monty Criswell shortly after the death of his paternal grandfather in 2015 and now, nearly a year later, the studio version of “Five More Minutes” has finally arrived.
The recording is notably more atmospheric than its Opry counterpart, with lush, echoing guitar parts and gentle drum programming that usher in McCreery’s verses about the fleeting nature of time. He touches on fond memories that he would have extended if he could – fishing in the creek with his dad, high school athletics glory days, an extended kiss on his girlfriend’s front porch – before describing his grandfather’s last moments, and how he wishes he could stave off the inevitable for a little longer. “I wish I had me a pause button. Lord knows I’d hit it and give myself five more minutes,” he sings, pushing his sturdy baritone into a higher register that matches the vulnerable lyric.
“Five More Minutes” also serves as a return of sorts for McCreery, who hasn’t released an official single since 2015’s “Southern Belle” and being dropped by Mercury Nashville. He hasn’t shared plans for his third album, but he’s been busy on the road in the meantime and released his autobiography Go Big or Go Home in 2016.