It Was

For the song by Ayumi Hamasaki, see Secret (Ayumi Hamasaki album).

"It Was" is a song recorded by American country music artist Chely Wright. The song was released on October 4, 1999 by MCA Nashville as the second single from her fourth studio album Single White Female (1999). It was written by Mark Wright and Gary Burr and was produced by Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon, and Norro Wilson.

"It Was"
Single by Chely Wright
from the album Single White Female
B-side	"Rubbin' It In"
Released	October 4, 1999
Genre	Country
Length	3:51
Label	MCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Mark Wright Gary Burr
Producer(s)	Tony Brown Buddy Cannon Norro Wilson
Chely Wright singles chronology
"Single White Female" (1999) "It Was" (1999) "She Went Out for Cigarettes" (2000)

The song reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 2000.^[1]

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave the song a favorable review, saying that it "has a hauntingly beautiful melody and affecting lyric about the mercurial nature of love" and that "Wright possesses a strong voice, full of emotional depth and presence."^[2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions and premiered in August 1999.^[3]

Chart performance

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4]	37
US Billboard Hot 100[5]	64
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	11

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[7]	47

Release history

Release dates and format(s) for "It Was"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	October 4, 1999	Country radio	MCA Nashville	[8]