Josh Groban Shares Story Behind Duet '99 Years' with Jennifer Nettles

Josh Groban and his music have always been favorites of mine, and I always love learning the meanings behind songs. In this video, Josh is sharing the story behind his powerful new ballad, ‘99 Years.’

They build a house of love in the face of worry
But life has a way of rewriting the story
There were times when it looked like nothing could save them
And there were times when it looked like nothing could break them

“It’s one of those songs about the uncertainty of what’s ahead.” Josh shared. And after he finished writing the song, he realized that it should be performed as a duet. After wondering who would be perfect to sing alongside him, he decided on Jennifer Nettles because of the song’s ‘accidental’ country sound.

Josh reflected on his own parents’ 50-year marriage as he thought about the inspiration for the song’s lyrics. “My parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. I think many people in my generation and younger wonder, “what are they thinking about, the future-future?” He remarked that it’s more common for his generation to take it one day at a time.

“It’s a very topsy-turvy world we’re living in. And when I think about my parents and their last 50 years . . . all of the years of history that they’ve lived through, all of the trials and tribulations and hardships that they’ve gone through together . . . you know, that’s not something that I can fathom, not being married yet.”

Josh shared that it was these imaginings that led him to write this song about the ‘romance of these uncertainties.’

Will we look back down on 99 years of a wonderful life?
Where we laughed till we cried and our love grew stronger with every fight . . .
So let's look forward to you and I looking back
At 99 years like that, at 99 years like that

If you’ve been married for a long time, what would you want to share with someone who can’t begin to imagine what living a lifetime with someone would look like?