LeAnn Rimes's "How Do I Live" remains the biggest hit of tunesmith Diane Warren's career.
That despite Disney chose Trisha Yearwood to perform it on the Con Air soundtrack, because the studio thought Rimes's version was "too pop" and not appropriate for a 14-year to sing.
Yet LeAnn's version became the longest-running single by a female artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Even thought it never made number-one -- blocked by Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" -- it remained on the chart for 69 weeks.
Warren tells Billboard, "Even though LeAnn came from the country world, I figured she had a better shot at crossing over into pop, and my prediction was right. She’s one of the most underrated -- and best -- singers in music. Trisha had a massive career and a Grammy-winning country hit because of it, but LeAnn’s version exploded. It was everywhere."
Rimes adds, "Diane really hit the co-dependency nerve of our society with ‘How Do I Live’ -- it’s played at weddings, funerals and just about every pivotal life-altering moment."