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Jennifer Nettles<\/a> is looking back at the unlikely inspiration behind one of Sugarland<\/a>‘s biggest songs.<\/p>\n As the country duo celebrates the 20th anniversary of their 2006 album Enjoy the Ride<\/em> with a North American tour, Nettles is revealing how \u201cStay\u201d came together.<\/p>\n Released as the album’s fourth single in 2007, the Grammy-winning ballad<\/a> tells the story of an affair from the perspective of the other woman. Nettles says the idea came from another country hit.<\/p>\n \u201cStay\u201d was the first Sugarland song to feature lyrics written solely by Nettles, and she says a Reba McEntire song sparked the idea. Read More: <\/b><\/em>Here Are the 21 Saddest Country Songs by Women, Ranked<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe song is purely fictional,\u201d Nettles, 52, told People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cI was inspired by that Reba McEntire song \u2018Whoever’s in New England.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n McEntire’s 1986 hit is told from the perspective of a woman who suspects her husband is having an affair while he’s away on business.<\/p>\n Nettles heard the song and started thinking about the story from another perspective.<\/p>\n There\u2019s so many songs that are like this \u2014 you cheated, and there\u2019s another person, and I\u2019ve been wronged, and I\u2019ve been wronged, and I\u2019ve been wronged. And I thought there\u2019s at least three people in this equation, and none of them are probably having the best time, considering that they\u2019ve all found themselves there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cSo, I thought, wouldn\u2019t it be interesting to just try to put on the cloak of this other woman? What must she be going through?\u201d<\/p>\n Nettles and Kristian Bush turned the idea into a simple acoustic ballad, and the duo loved how different it sounded from the rest of Enjoy the Ride<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/em> <\/b>Why Did Kristen Hall Sue Sugarland?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cStay\u201d went on to reach No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned Sugarland its first two Grammy Awards.<\/p>\n It had such an impact. It just goes to show you, and Kristian and I still say this, a good song, you can strip away all of the other instruments and play it as it was composed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nettles added, \u201cIf it can stand up like that<\/a>, it can certainly stand up with everything else that you might want to add to it. [\u2018Stay\u2019] is such a testament to that in and of itself.\u201d<\/p>\n Country music is all about the most important parts of life — love, heartbreak, faith and hard work — so it’s no surprise that parenthood is a source of inspiration for a whole lot of country songs. Full of parental advice and heartfelt messages of unconditional love, these songs are priceless gifts to the children who inspire them. But it’s not just the kids that benefit: The country fans who love these songs can relate with their own experiences of parenthood, and even share them with their own beloved children.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJennifer Nettles Was Inspired by Reba<\/h3>\n
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Sugarland’s ‘Stay’ Became a Hit<\/h3>\n
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26 Country Songs Inspired By An Artist’s Child <\/h2>\n