Story Behind the Song: Montgomery Gentry, ‘If You Ever Stop Loving Me’

In 2004, Montgomery Gentry scored a No. 1 hit -- the first of their career -- with "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," a song from their You Do Your Thing album. The track was also a major crossover success, hitting No. 30 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Bob DiPiero, Rivers Rutherford and Tom Shapiro co-wrote "If You Ever Stop Loving Me." Below, DiPiero shares the story behind the song. 

I think Rivers and Tom and I were totally in the same place when we sat down to write this song. We're really unique individuals, and to have a wife and someone who gives day in and day out ... we realized how lucky we are. I think we were all in that same universal space of "I'm all right, I'm okay / Ain't nothing but another day / But only God knows where I'd be / If you ever stop loving me."

I think it's a strong man being vulnerable in that song. This is a guy saying all the hard things he's been through and all the hard roads he's been down. The heart and soul of that song is the truth: I can deal with anything, except you leaving me. That's what I love about that song.

It's rockin' and, of course, for Montgomery Gentry, it was the perfect match and the perfect fit ... perfect timing and perfect record.

This story was originally written by Alanna Conaway, and revised by Angela Stefano.

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