Tim McGraw Earns 44th Radio No. 1 Hit With “I Called Mama”

Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw has earned his 44th career No. 1 radio hit with “I Called Mama,” a poignant reminder to stay close to those you love. The song has earned more than 72.7 million streams, and marks McGraw’s fourth decade of earning chart-topping singles, which matches his four-decade streak of No. 1 albums, which he marked with his 16th studio project Here On Earth, released earlier this year.

“I Called Mama,” which was written by Lance Miller, Marv Green and Jimmy Yeary, has become McGraw’s highest career chart debut and reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Digital sales chart.

McGraw’s own mother is featured on cover art for “I Called Mama.” In a recent media virtual Zoom call, McGraw recalled his mother’s devotion to their family.

“She found out she was pregnant with me during her senior year of high school,” he recalled. “She had me young and she didn’t get to graduate because I came along, and then she went through some terrible things early in my life. I know how tough she is, how resilient she is, how strong of a woman she is and how well she raised…me and my two sisters that all grew up together. One thing I really remember, and for her it was probably one of a hundred times that I didn’t see, but I can remember us being on our own, her and me and my two sisters…and her working three jobs just to try to keep the basics in line.”

The song marks McGraw’s first single release since he announced his return to Big Machine Label Group earlier this year. McGraw previously released three albums for Big Machine, including Two Lanes of Freedom (2013), Sundown Heaven Town (2014), and Damn Country Music (2015).