The Trace Adkins Hit That Almost Didn’t Happen: Songwriter Lee Thomas Miller on “You’re Gonna Miss This”
- Louisiana Country Music
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Before it became a No. 1 hit, “You’re Gonna Miss This” was a song no one was sure would ever work.
In this behind-the-scenes story, hit songwriter Lee Thomas Miller pulls back the curtain on the doubt and timing that nearly kept one of country music’s most emotional songs from ever reaching radio.
From the very beginning, doubt surrounded the song — not because it lacked meaning, but because its future was unclear.
Lee Thomas Miller knows that uncertainty well.
Miller co-wrote both “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “In Color,” and for a brief moment, neither song was guaranteed a future. Both were written in the same window. Both were tied to the same artist. And both nearly slipped through the cracks.
A Simple Phrase That Wouldn’t Let Go
Miller has long believed the best songs start with an idea — or better yet, a title.
The day “You’re Gonna Miss This” was written, Miller and fellow songwriter Ashley Gorley were both deep in the chaos of raising young kids. The spark came from a small, ordinary moment: a handyman watching Gorley’s kids tear through his tools and calmly brushing it off with a knowing smile.
It’s fine. I’ve got kids. You’re gonna miss this.
That line stuck.
They wrote the song quickly. It felt right. Not flashy — just honest. The kind of song that quietly tells the truth about time passing, even while you’re too busy to notice it.
Two Songs, One Window
Around that same time, Miller was also part of another powerful song: “In Color,” co-written with Jamey Johnson and James Otto.
Both songs entered the same orbit when Trace Adkins began recording new material. In fact, Trace cut “You’re Gonna Miss This” and “In Color” during the same stretch of sessions.
Early on, industry excitement leaned heavily toward “In Color.” Musicians coming off the session were buzzing about it. Behind the scenes, it felt like that was the song — the one that could define the next chapter of Trace’s career.
Then everything changed.
When “In Color” Went to Jamey Johnson
Before Trace could move forward with “In Color,” Jamey Johnson landed a new record deal. When label promotion got involved, they believed “In Color” was the one song radio would support — and it was pulled from Trace’s project and sent out under Jamey’s name.
For Miller, the moment was complicated.
It wasn’t disappointment toward Jamey — it was the feeling of losing what he believed was Trace’s career song. There was real fear, too. Jamey had a reputation for pushing against the system, and Miller worried the industry politics could derail the song entirely.
Instead of celebrating, there was uncertainty. One song was gone. The other still hadn’t convinced anyone.
The Song Trace Didn’t Want
Ironically, Trace Adkins wasn’t exactly excited about “You’re Gonna Miss This.”
Not because it wasn’t well written — but because it felt risky. The song subtly acknowledged getting older. Kids growing up. Time moving faster than you want it to. Those themes don’t always fit the image country artists try to project at their commercial peak.
Miller has since pointed out something worth listening for: how rarely you hear words like wife or kids on country radio.
“You’re Gonna Miss This” was a hard sell. Even Trace himself didn’t see it as a single.
A “Time Filler” Becomes a No. 1
The first single from the project stalled. Then Trace left town to film Celebrity Apprentice. With limited options and no time to overthink it, “You’re Gonna Miss This” was sent to radio — not with confidence, but necessity.
And then… it never slowed down.
The song climbed straight to No. 1, becoming the fastest-rising single of Miller’s career. On the morning it hit the top of the charts, Trace woke up as the artist behind the number one song in country music. That same night, he performed it live on national television.
A song nobody wanted to lead with had become the moment... and what followed was one of the rare Nashville endings where no one truly lost.
The Rare Nashville Ending Where Everyone Wins
What makes this story even rarer is how it ends.
“You’re Gonna Miss This” became one of Trace Adkins’ defining songs
“In Color” became Jamey Johnson’s signature recording and won Song of the Year honors
Trace later recorded his own version of “In Color” for a deluxe release
Two songs. Two artists. Two completely different paths — both almost lost along the way.
Miller’s takeaway is simple and honest:
When people later call a hit “undeniable,” it sounds nice. But when you’re living it, everything feels deniable.
Sometimes all you know is this; You wrote it correctly.
And then you wait.
Want to hear the full story in Lee Thomas Miller’s own words?
Watch the full interview below.
Closing: Why This Matters to Louisiana Country Music
For Louisiana artists, songwriters, and musicians chasing this path, this story is more than a great anecdote — it’s a reminder of how the music business really works.
Great songs don’t always arrive with confidence, certainty, or industry approval. Sometimes they’re misunderstood. Sometimes they’re shelved. Sometimes they’re given away. And sometimes the song you believe in the least ends up changing everything.
Louisiana has no shortage of talent — but what separates those who endure from those who fade is often patience, persistence, and the willingness to stay in the game when nothing feels clear. Lee Thomas Miller’s story proves that even at the highest level, doubt is part of the process.
If you’re writing, playing, or dreaming from Louisiana, this is the takeaway:
Write it honestly.
Write it correctly.
And don’t assume the door is closed just because it didn’t open the way you expected.
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