No. 1 Celebration: Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again”

Pictured (back row L-R): EMI’s Josh Van Valkenburg, producer Mark Bright, Sony Music Nashville’s Gary Overton and Lesly Tyson and BMG Chrysalis’ Kos Weaver. (front row L-R): BMI’s Jody Williams, David Hodges, Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan. Photo: Rick Diamond

Carrie Underwood, Hillary Lindsey and David Hodges were honored for their chart-topping single, “See You Again,” yesterday (Sept. 19) at the Country Music Association offices in Nashville. The song marks Underwood’s ninth No. 1 as a songwriter and ASCAP writer Hillary Lindsey’s 12th time at the top of the charts. Hodges, a former member of the rock band Evanescence, was gifted with a guitar from BMI to commemorate his first Country chart-topping song. It was the 29th chart-t0pper for Underwood’s producer Mark Bright.

Country Radio Broadcasters’ Bradford Hollingsworth, the Country Music Association’s Brandy Simms, Josh Van Valkenburg of Sony/ATV, and representatives from ASCAP’s LeAnn Phelan and BMI’s Jody Williams were among the many to offer congratulations to the songwriters, radio promotion staff and publishers. Sony/ATV made a donation to the Humane Society on behalf of the writers, while Avenue Bank offered a donation to Underwood’s C.A.T.S. Foundation.

“I’ve been nervous the whole week because I’ve never been to a No. 1 party here,” said Hodges. He expressed thankfulness that he was able to not only co-write the song, but sing on it. “I got a call from Mark [Bright] saying Carrie really wanted Hillary and myself to sing background on the song because we wrote it with her,” says Hodges. “I loved that because it is so different from what most artists do and Carrie is so involved in the song.”

The song was one of three originally penned by the trio for possible inclusion on the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader soundtrack. “I thank the Chronicles of Narnia people for asking Carrie to write for the movie and Carrie for asking us to write songs with her for it,” said Lindsey. “Almost three years later [after “There’s A Place For Us” was chosen for the movie], I thought ‘See You Again’ was done because we didn’t use it in the movie, then we found out she’s putting it on her album.”

For Underwood, it was a song she felt still had a future and deserved to be heard. “I had so much fun writing with these two. It’s so fun writing with people you like to be around because you know that whatever happens, you had a great time. I knew this song had a place–some place–and that I would find it,” said Underwood, who also spoke about hearing numerous stories of how the song has brought comfort and hope to the lives of those who listened to it. “No. 1 parties are awesome, but the biggest reward is hearing how the song affects people.”