Song · Kid Rock
“Only God Knows Why” by Kid Rock
From the album Devil Without a Cause (1998)
“Only God Knows Why” by Kid Rock appears on 9 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1999 and 2005. It was first released in 1998 on the album Devil Without a Cause. Its best result is #3 on the 89X Top 89 Songs of 2000. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #73 alternative song of 2000 and #6,102 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Kid Rock Videos). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Only God Knows Why" is the moment Kid Rock put down the party cup and picked up the lighter: the first ballad he ever put on record, tucked away as track 11 on Devil Without a Cause, his 1998 album for Atlantic. It's a weary, road-worn power ballad with a Southern rock ache, the swagger drained out of his voice and something tired and searching left in its place.
He produced it with John Travis and mixed it with Al Sutton, and shares the writing credit with Travis, Kenny Olson and Uncle Kracker. Released as a single in 1999, it climbed to number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had enough staying power to rank 67th among the biggest hits of 2000. VH1 later ranked it the 19th greatest power ballad, and outlaw country singer David Allan Coe cut a live version in 2003.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 88 | 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON | 89X Top 89 Songs of 1999 | 89 |
| 2000 | 86 | Live 105 San Francisco, CA | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2000 | 105 |
| 2000 | 27 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2000 | 101 |
| 2000 | 44 | K-Rock New York, NY | K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2000 | 93 |
| 2000 | 3 | 89X Detroit, MI / Windsor, ON | 89X Top 89 Songs of 2000 | 89 |
| 2000 | 32 | The Edge Phoenix, AZ | KEDJ Millennium Meltdown Countdown 2001 | 50 |
| 2000 | 42 | Radio & Records United States (national airplay chart) | Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2000 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 764 | KISW | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) | 999 |
| 2005 | 702 | 99X | 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) | 1000 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Only God Knows Why" by Kid Rock.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.