I'll Be (Edwin McCain song)
"I'll Be" is a song written and sung by American singer Edwin McCain. The song was released in January 1998 as the first single from his second album, Misguided Roses. McCain recorded an acoustic version of the song for his follow-up album, Messenger.
The radio version of "I'll Be", which was released on a CD-single with "Grind Me in the Gears" as the B-side, differs from the album version. Its opening melody is played with electric guitar (as opposed to acoustic on the album) and the vocal and saxophone lines differ.
On December 22, 1999, McCain also recorded a version with Warren Haynes on the live concert album from the 11th Annual Christmas Jam, a benefit concert for Habitat for Humanity in Asheville, North Carolina. The album is titled Wintertime Blues: The Benefit Concert.
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Although "I'll Be" has become a popular wedding song, McCain said "it's really more of a prayer" written in a moment of personal desperation after a break-up, the idea being that "maybe if I write my future, it'll come true."