What a Way to Live

1994 studio album by Mark Chesnutt

What a Way to Live

Studio album by

Mark Chesnutt

Released

September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13)

Recorded

1993–1994

Studio

Javalina Recording Studios, Woodland Sound Studios, Nashville, TN

Genre

Country

Length

33:25

Label

Decca

Producer

Mark Wright

Mark Chesnutt chronology

Almost Goodbye
(1993)

What a Way to Live
(1994)

Wings
(1995)

Singles from What a Way to Live

"She Dreams"
Released: July 12, 1994
"Goin' Through the Big D"
Released: October 18, 1994
"Gonna Get a Life"
Released: February 21, 1995
"Down in Tennessee"
Released: June 12, 1995

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]

What a Way to Live is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Mark Chesnutt. His first album for Decca Records, it earned RIAA gold certification in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. The tracks "She Dreams", "Goin' Through the Big D", "Gonna Get a Life", and "Down in Tennessee" were all released as singles, peaking at #6, #2, #1, and #23, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. "She Dreams" was co-written and originally recorded by Tim Mensy on his 1992 album This Ol' Heart, from which it was released as a single, peaking at #74 on the country charts that year. Mark duets with Waylon Jennings on the track "Rainy Day Woman" which Jennings first recorded on his 1974 album The Ramblin' Man. The title track was originally recorded by Willie Nelson in 1960.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What a Way to Live"	Willie Nelson, Hank Craig	2:40
2.	"Live a Little"	Roger Springer, Tony Martin	2:46
3.	"She Dreams"	Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison	3:43
4.	"Goin' Through the Big D"	Mark Wright, Ronnie Rogers, John Wright	2:34
5.	"Down in Tennessee"	Wayland Holyfield	3:21
6.	"Gonna Get a Life"	Frank Dycus, Jim Lauderdale	3:43
7.	"It's Almost Like You're Here"	Charles Quillen, John Priestley, Jonathan Clift	3:34
8.	"Rainy Day Woman" (duet with Waylon Jennings)	Waylon Jennings	3:51
9.	"This Side of the Door"	Mensy, Shawn Camp	3:23
10.	"Half of Everything (And All of My Heart)"	David Lott, Glenn Gordon, Mark Chesnutt	3:50

Personnel

Brent Rowan - electric guitar
Tim Broussard - squeezebox
Mark Chesnutt - lead vocals
Glen Duncan - fiddle, mandolin
Pat Flynn - acoustic guitar
Paul Franklin - steel guitar
Owen Hale - drums
Rob Hajacos - fiddle
Roy Huskey Jr. - upright bass
Paul Leim - drums
B. James Lowry - acoustic guitar
Tim Mensy - acoustic guitar
Steve Nathan - keyboards
Russ Pahl - steel guitar
Matt Rollings - keyboards
Biff Watson - acoustic guitar
Bob Wray - bass guitar

Background Vocals: Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, John Wesley Ryles, Bergen White, Jana King, Lisa Silver, Dennis Wilson, Cindy Walker, Tom Flora, Chris Harris, Matt Kaminski, Ann Wright, Kim Rogers. Strings by the Nashville String Machine, conducted by Carl Gorodetzky and arranged by Bergen White.

Production

Recording Engineers

Warren Peterson
Robert Charles
King Williams
Larry Jeffries

Mixers

Lynn Peterzell
Mark Hagen
Mark Friego

Master Editor

Glenn Meadows

Production Coordinator

Joe Johnston

Art Direction/Design

Simon Levy

Photography

Keith Carter

Hair & Make-up

Lucy Santamassino

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[2]	98
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[3]	15

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[4]	56

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[5]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. What a Way to Live at AllMusic
^ "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
^ "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
^ "American album certifications – Mark Chesnutt – What a Way to Live". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 21, 2021.