Taylor Swift
ListenTim McGraw · 2006
Taylor Swift — “Tim McGraw,” official 2006 music video.
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2006 · Big Machine Records
Tim McGraw
“Tim McGraw” began in a high school math class. With her boyfriend about to leave for college, Taylor Swift imagined the music that might bring her back to his mind. She carried that idea into an after-school writing session with Liz Rose. [4] [5]
| Accession | OMMA-0028 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Taylor Swift |
| Release | 2006 · United States |
| Label | Big Machine Records · BMRTS0101 |
| Format | CD single · three tracks |
| Issue | U.S. radio promotional issue |
| Disc matrix | 6526AM-01 BMRTS0101 061805-28 |
| Recorded grade | NM · NM inserts |
Release history and significance
Swift was a freshman when she began “Tim McGraw.” In a November 2006 interview, she recalled anticipating the end of a relationship with a college-bound boyfriend and thinking about what would remind him of her. A favourite Tim McGraw song was the first association that came to mind. She identified it as “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’,” whose insistence on learning through experience appealed to her. The single grew from a teenager’s particular circumstances into a song about the way music holds a memory. [4]
By then, Swift and Nashville songwriter Liz Rose had established a regular after-school writing routine. Rose remembered Swift arriving with the idea from math class and a clear intention to build the song around McGraw’s name. Rose initially wondered who would record something so specific, but trusted Swift’s sense of the song. [5]
Rose described their collaboration as a process of listening, shaping and arranging: Swift brought the story and began playing and singing; together they moved lines, tried alternatives and developed the lyric. That account gives both writers their place in the finished song while showing how firmly its emotional direction came from Swift. [5]
Produced by Nathan Chapman, “Tim McGraw” became Swift’s debut single when she was sixteen. This Big Machine promotional CD carried the album cut, a shorter radio edit and a repeat of the album cut, with a radio impact date of 19 June 2006. It is the physical link between those school-day writing sessions and the song’s introduction to country radio. [1]
Swift supported the release with personal visits to radio stations. Programmer Tim Roberts remembered her offering to perform with her guitar in a restaurant parking lot rather than simply play a CD—a small glimpse of the determination behind the record’s launch. [2]
Market context
Discogs sales for this promotional edition range from US$21.58 to US$425, with a median of US$30.80, as listed on 13 September 2026. The latest recorded sale was 31 December 2025. [1]
Physical Description
A printed compact disc in a clear jewel case, with a colour picture insert and rear title-and-track insert. No barcode appears. The three-track programme distinguishes this BMRTS0101 issue; the printed promotion states that it is not for sale. [1]
Condition
Disc and printed inserts are graded Near Mint.
Provenance
Acquired through eBay from seller toysyndicate on 21 July 2025.
Sources
- Discogs, Taylor Swift — Tim McGraw, release 5545111. Big Machine BMRTS0101 promotional issue, programme, credits, radio impact date and sales history.
- Ben Rogerson, Taylor Swift’s early radio visits, MusicRadar, 2 April 2026. Tim Roberts’s account of Swift offering to perform in the restaurant parking lot.
- Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw. Official music video.
- Chris Neal interviews Taylor Swift, “Can’t Tell me Nothin’,” Nashville Scene, 2 November 2006. Swift’s contemporary account of freshman-year math class, the college-bound boyfriend and the McGraw song she had in mind.
- James Dinh interviews Liz Rose, iHeartRadio, 16 June 2016. After-school writing routine, the Tim McGraw idea and Rose’s account of their collaborative process.
Catalogue text reviewed 13 September 2026.