Carrie Underwood Reveals She Almost Scrapped 'Before He Cheats' — Here's Why

Carrie Underwood admitted she initially hesitated to record her breakout hit "Before He Cheats," fearing the song's aggressive lyrics might conflict with her wholesome image.

The 42-year-old country star reflected on her decision while attending the Nashville American Idol season 9 press line. Introducing her hesitation, Underwood said as People reported, "I remember even when we were talking about recording that song, it was kind of like, 'Oh, is this too aggressive?'"

She explained that she worried the chorus, which references digging her keys into a "pretty little souped up four-wheel drive" and carving "my name into his leather seats," might damage her reputation as a "sweet farm girl" from her American Idol days. "Because I was like a sweet farm girl on [American Idol] — and I hope that's who I still am — but it was almost, 'Maybe we don't do this song,'" Underwood added.

According to a recent interview with Us Weekly, despite her initial concerns, Underwood went forward with the track, which became a signature hit. Reflecting on its lasting appeal, she said, "Everybody loved it so much, we went for it and it ... worked. But, yeah, 20 years later, we still see people perform it, and it's a lot of fun."

The singer also shared a humorous family moment illustrating the song's lasting reach. "I recently was vacuuming my house, and when I turned the vacuum off [there was] a noise coming from my bedroom and I was like, 'It's music,'" she recalled. "And I walk in there and my 6-year-old [Jacob] is lying on my bed watching my music video. And I was like, 'What are you doing?' And he's like, 'Nothing.'"

Underwood, who is married to former hockey player Mike Fisher, is the mother of two sons: 10-year-old Isaiah and 6-year-old Jacob. She spoke about revisiting her earlier hits in live performances, noting that she enjoys connecting with fans through her past discography. "We've kind of started pulling out some of those songs just to play in show form for some recent shows, and I feel like the fans are liking that," she said.

On her growth as an artist, Underwood added, "I feel like my voice has grown, my musicality, my songwriting, my performance abilities. I just — I feel better."