Why “Making Memories of Us” has nearly disappeared from his setlist for the past decade


Some songs aren’t performed for the audience — they’re sung for the artist themselves. And sometimes, they become too painful to sing at all. That’s exactly what happened with Keith Urban and his haunting ballad “Making Memories of Us.”

Keith Urban - Making Memories Of Us (Official Music Video)

A love song that once meant everything
Released in 2005, “Making Memories of Us” was a gentle, heartfelt vow wrapped in melody. It topped the charts and became a fan favorite, appearing in almost every live show during the peak of Keith’s career.

But after 2014, the song quietly vanished from his setlists.

A quiet disappearance and an unspoken wound
In a rare moment of honesty, Keith once said: “There are songs that are too close. Too real.”
At that time, he was battling post-rehab struggles, navigating tension in his marriage with Nicole Kidman, and confronting painful memories he wasn’t ready to face.

What the public heard as a tender ballad was, for Keith, a whispered promise he once made to his wife — a promise he felt he hadn’t fully lived up to.

Too honest. Too near. Too raw.
He didn’t abandon the song. He simply tucked it away. But fans never forgot. And every time someone asks him to sing it again, they likely don’t realize… it’s a song Keith is still learning to forgive himself for.

Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban (Single, Contemporary Country):  Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song list - Rate Your Music

🎵 Suggested listening: “Making Memories of Us” – Keith Urban
Press play, and let the lyrics take you into a moment of truth, pain, and hope that never made it to the stage again.

Lyrics:

I’m gonna be here for ya babyI’ll be a man of my wordSpeak the language in a voice that you have never heard
I wanna sleep with you foreverAnd I wanna die in your armsIn a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm
And I’m gonna love youLike nobody loves youAnd I’ll earn your trustMakin’ memories of us
I wanna honor your motherAnd I wanna learn from your paI wanna steal your attentionLike a bad outlaw
And I wanna stand out in a crowd for youA man among menI wanna make your world betterThan it’s ever been
And I’m gonna love youLike nobody loves youAnd I’ll earn your trustMakin’ memories of us
We’ll follow the rainbowWherever the four winds blowAnd there’ll be a new dayComin’ your way
I’m gonna be here for ya from now onThis you know somehowYou’ve been stretched to the limitsBut it’s alright now
And I’m gonna make you this promiseIf there’s life after thisI’m gonna be there to meet youWith a warm, wet kissYes I amAnd I’m gonna love you
Like nobody loves youAnd I’ll earn your trustMakin’ memories of us oh-ohI’m gonna love youLike nobody loves you babyAnd I’ll win your trustMakin’ memories of usOh baby umm