Amazed

"Amazed" is a song written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo, and Chris Lindsey. The first version of the song was recorded by the American country music group Lonestar, whose version was released in March 1999 as the second single from their 1999 album Lonely Grill. Lonestar's version is their longest-lasting No. 1 single and biggest hit, spending eight weeks at the top of the Billboard country chart. A remix of the song made it reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts in 2000. The song has sold over 1,628,000 copies in the US as of December 2015.

Only five years after Lonestar's "Amazed" topped the Billboard Hot 100 did another country song top the chart, as Carrie Underwood's "Inside Your Heaven" debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2005. "Amazed" and "Inside Your Heaven" went on to become the only country songs in the 2000s decade to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Since the release of the original, the song has been covered by Bonnie Tyler, Duncan James, and Fady Maalouf, all of whom have released their respective versions as singles. Ben Mills, Boyz II Men and Shane Filan have included covers in their respective albums. On The Sing-Off (season 4, episode 3), judge Shawn Stockman, of Boyz II Men fame, mentioned that the song had been offered to them first, and they decided to turn it down.

Shane Filan

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Shane Steven Filan (born 5 July 1979) is an Irish singer and songwriter. He was one of the lead singers and frontman of Irish boy band Westlife until the group disbanded in 2012. After Westlife disbanded, Filan released his debut solo album, You and Me, in 2013.

Early life

Filan was born on 5 July 1979 to Peter and Mae Filan and grew up in Sligo, a busy commercial town in the northwest of Ireland. The youngest of seven children, he has three brothers and three sisters: Finbarr, Peter Jr, Yvonne, Liam, Denise and Mairead. His parents owned a diner in Sligo named Carlton Café located on Castle Street and Shane used to work there as a waiter from a very early age.

Filan attended Summerhill College, a Catholic school, with Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. All three of them participated in a school production of Grease when they were about 12. The Hawkswell Theatre became a significant part of their careers. Filan was a fan of Michael Jackson as a child, and claimed the singer inspired him to pursue a career in music.

Lonestar

Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals), Keech Rainwater (drums), and Dean Sams (keyboards, background vocals). Before the group's foundation, both Rainwater and Britt were members of the group Canyon. John Rich (bass guitar, lead and background vocals) was a member until 1998, when he was fired from the group. Rich later became a solo artist before joining Big Kenny to form Big & Rich, in addition to serving as a producer and songwriter for other artists. Between 2007 and 2011, McDonald exited the band for a solo career, with former McAlyster lead singer Cody Collins replacing him as lead vocalist in this timespan. McDonald has also composed singles for Clay Walker, The Wilkinsons, Billy Dean, and Sara Evans, in addition to releasing two solo albums and singing guest vocals on Mindy McCready's 1996 single "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now".

Lonestar has charted more than 20 singles on Hot Country Songs, including 9 that reached No. 1: "No News", "Come Cryin' to Me", "Amazed", "Smile", "What About Now", "Tell Her", "I'm Already There", "My Front Porch Looking In", and "Mr. Mom". "Amazed" also charted at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first country song to do so since "Islands in the Stream" in 1983. "Amazed" and "My Front Porch Looking In" were the top country songs of 1999 and 2003, respectively, on Billboard Year-End. The group has recorded seven albums, one EP, and a greatest hits package for the defunct BNA Records, one album for Saguaro Road Records, and one album for 4 Star Records. Three of their albums have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).