Toby Talks Success, Awards, Performing for Troops

11/9/2007 Stephen L. Betts Toby Keith says a number of factors are always considered when choosing songs for his albums. In two one-hour special editions of GAC Nights, Toby tells host Suzanne Alexander that a combination of elements drew him to his latest No. 1 hit “Love Me If You Can.” “Craig Wiseman had [written] this and he said he actually had it on hold for three or four big stars/artists,” reveals Toby. “But what it boiled down to [is that] war is such a touchy subject that anytime you mention the word “war” or the troops or try to be patriotic, it’s almost taboo and ‘old hat’ to do it because the Iraq war has put such a bad taste in everyone’s mouth in America and in the world. And everyone is trying to stay away from it… So he had that song on hold and when I heard it, I said ‘this is the message I’ve been trying to say my whole life.’” For more from Toby, including what drives him to succeed, winning (and not winning) awards, performing abroad for US troops, his upcoming movie, his charity Ally’s House and more, check out GAC Nights, Monday, Nov. 12, at 4 p.m. (ET), only on GAC.