Rodney Atkins has revisited his 3x-Platinum single, "Watching You," with his son Elijah Atkins, who first inspired the No. 1 hit nearly 20 years ago.
"I wrote 'Watching You' after my son Eli's preschool teacher told me he was singing 'If You're Going Through Hell' in class. It hit me… I've got little eyes watching everything I do. That moment became the heart of the song," Atkins reflects. "My son, Eli, grew up on this song. Now he's singing on it, and nothing makes me more proud. 'Watching You 2.0' brings our worlds together — his way, my way, one message."
"Watching You," a song from If You're Going Through Hell, became Atkins' second No. 1 and led Billboard's year-end country songs chart in 2007. The single garnered the songwriter a BMI Million-Air Award and the pinnacle spot on Country Aircheck's top-played songs of the decade list.
"Watching You 2.0 (feat. Elijah Atkins)" was written by Atkins, Steve Dean and Brian Gene White; and produced by Atkins, Michael X O'Connor and Seth Mosley.
While the original version of "Watching You" spawned an iconic music video that featured its muse — Atkins' firstborn — the sequel boasts the now 23-year-old "buckaroo" singing alongside his dad.
Meanwhile, Atkins returns to the Main Stage at CMA Fest with a Nissan Stadium performance set for June 8th.
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