Scotty McCreery has always paid respect to the artists who came before him. He’s become known for his authentic covers of country staples such as “The Dance,” “I Told You So,” and “Long Black Train.”

This year (2026), McCreery is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his American Idol win, which kick-started his country music career. He gave the fans a gift to mark the occasion in the form of a retrospective record he fittingly titled 15.

15 features nine of McCreery’s previous hits, including “Five More Minutes” and “This Is It.” It also includes a brand-new song, titled “Been a Good Run,” and three covers.

The closing track on 15 is McCreery’s take on a Kris Kristofferson classic, “Why Me, Lord.”

Simply titled “Why Me” when Kristofferson released his original recording in 1973, the song was one of the biggest hits of the year. It peaked at #1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and #16 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart. “Why Me” later ranked at #6 on the year-end Hot 100 chart for 1973.

Other artists rushed to record “Why Me,” which made it even more popular. Over the years, the song has been recorded or performed by Elvis Presley, Connie Smith, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty, Josh Turner, and many more.

Several of these artists recorded the song as “Why Me, Lord” instead of using Kristofferson’s original title.

For McCreery, “Why Me, Lord” felt like a natural fit to include on 15. A press release about the album says the song “sums up how he feels about the last 15 years.”

Those emotions shine through as McCreery sings the powerful opening lyrics:

“Why me, Lord, what have I ever done,
To deserve even one of the pleasures I’ve known?
Tell me, Lord, what did I ever do,
That was worth lovin’ you, or the kindness you’ve shown?”

You can tell that McCreery poured his heart and soul into this recording. Listen to him sing Kristofferson’s “Why Me, Lord” in the clip below.

Scotty McCreery Covered Other Country Hits On 15, Including “Hello Darlin’” And “Your Man”

Scotty McCreery’s entire journey started with a cover of Josh Turner’s “Your Man.” Now, 15 years later, he brought things full circle by recording the song with Turner for 15.

“Josh has been nothing but gracious and kind to me from day one, and he even inducted me into the Grand Ole Opry a few years ago,” McCreery said in a press release about their collaboration. “They say you should never meet your heroes, but that certainly does not apply here. He’s become a mentor and valued friend.“

Additionally, McCreery finally released his version of “Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty. The song has been a fan favorite in McCreery’s concert setlist for years.

In June, McCreery shared a short video of himself singing “Hello Darlin’” on social media. After one month, the video had earned over 40 million views on Instagram alone, with millions more on Facebook and TikTok.

Fans who loved that teaser video were overjoyed when McCreery’s full recording of “Hello Darlin’” came out following the release of 15 on July 17th. You can listen to that recording in the clip below.

Which classic country song would you like to hear Scotty McCreery sing next?