What a Way to Live

For the Willie Nelson song, see What a Way to Live (song).

What a Way to Live
Studio album by Mark Chesnutt
Released	September 13, 1994 (1994-09-13)
Recorded	1993–1994
Studio	Javelina (Nashville, Tennessee) Woodland (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre	Country
Length	33:25
Label	Decca
Producer	Mark Wright
Mark Chesnutt chronology
Almost Goodbye (1993) What a Way to Live (1994) Wings (1995)
Singles from What a Way to Live
"She Dreams" Released: July 12, 1994 "Goin' Through the Big D" Released: October 18, 1994 "Gonna Get a Life" Released: February 21, 1995 "Down in Tennessee" Released: June 12, 1995

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

What a Way to Live is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Mark Chesnutt. His first album for Decca Records, it earned RIAA gold certification in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. The tracks "She Dreams", "Goin' Through the Big D", "Gonna Get a Life", and "Down in Tennessee" were all released as singles, peaking at #6, #2, #1, and #23, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. "She Dreams" was co-written and originally recorded by Tim Mensy on his 1992 album This Ol' Heart, from which it was released as a single, peaking at #74 on the country charts that year. Mark duets with Waylon Jennings on the track "Rainy Day Woman" which Jennings first recorded on his 1974 album The Ramblin' Man. The title track was originally recorded by Willie Nelson in 1960.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"What a Way to Live"	Willie Nelson, Hank Craig	2:40
2.	"Live a Little"	Roger Springer, Tony Martin	2:46
3.	"She Dreams"	Tim Mensy, Gary Harrison	3:43
4.	"Goin' Through the Big D"	Mark Wright, Ronnie Rogers, John Wright	2:34
5.	"Down in Tennessee"	Wayland Holyfield	3:21
6.	"Gonna Get a Life"	Frank Dycus, Jim Lauderdale	3:43
7.	"It's Almost Like You're Here"	Charles Quillen, John Priestley, Jonathan Clift	3:34
8.	"Rainy Day Woman" (duet with Waylon Jennings)	Waylon Jennings	3:51
9.	"This Side of the Door"	Mensy, Shawn Camp	3:23
10.	"Half of Everything (And All of My Heart)"	David Lott, Glenn Gordon, Mark Chesnutt	3:50

Personnel

• Brent Rowan - electric guitar
• Tim Broussard - squeezebox
• Mark Chesnutt - lead vocals
• Glen Duncan - fiddle, mandolin
• Pat Flynn - acoustic guitar
• Paul Franklin - steel guitar
• Owen Hale - drums
• Rob Hajacos - fiddle
• Roy Huskey Jr. - upright bass
• Paul Leim - drums
• B. James Lowry - acoustic guitar
• Tim Mensy - acoustic guitar
• Steve Nathan - keyboards
• Russ Pahl - steel guitar
• Matt Rollings - keyboards
• Biff Watson - acoustic guitar
• Bob Wray - bass guitar

Background Vocals: Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, John Wesley Ryles, Bergen White, Jana King, Lisa Silver, Dennis Wilson, Cindy Walker, Tom Flora, Chris Harris, Matt Kaminski, Ann Wright, Kim Rogers. Strings by the Nashville String Machine, conducted by Carl Gorodetzky and arranged by Bergen White.

Production

Recording Engineers

• Warren Peterson
• Robert Charles
• King Williams
• Larry Jeffries

Mixers

• Lynn Peterzell
• Mark Hagen
• Mark Friego

Master Editor

• Glenn Meadows

Production Coordinator

• Joe Johnston

Art Direction/Design

• Simon Levy

Photography

• Keith Carter

Hair & Make-up

• Lucy Santamassino

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position US Billboard 200[2] 98 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[3] 15

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[4] 56

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[5]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. What a Way to Live at AllMusic
2. "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
3. "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
4. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
5. "American album certifications – Mark Chesnutt – What a Way to Live". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 21, 2021.