"You won't find this" reminds me of one of the questions suggested by Carrie's career path - why didn't she try to get international exposure earlier?
(I know that that is one of those "what if.." questions that some might see as idle or pointless - but, as an overseas fan, it interests me).
Cathy Dennis, who co-wrote that song, is one of the most successful Pop composers that this country has produced in the modern era. She's won Grammys and Novello awards, and some of her songs, like "Toxic", "Can't Get You Out of My Head", and "I Kissed A Girl" have been very big international hits. ("Toxic" even got played on some AMA reporting stations in the US - though don't ask me why!). She's been closely associated with Simon Fuller's 19 management, and wrote the main title music for American Idol.
It seems that it would have been relatively easy for Fuller to set up a writing session and a major release - if not with this song, then with something else, tailored for a world wide launch. Perhaps Cathy's frequent identification with Dance music was seen as an obstacle - but this song shows that she can work with mainly Country songwriters (Tom Shapiro), and give sympathetic treatment to contemporary Country (This song makes better use of Country imagery than much of the material on radio, with its central theme of getting away from a place, but not from regret; the noticeable use of twang in the intro and instrumental passages; and Carrie's vocal which alternates between a Country narration style and more Pop-influenced choruses - all elements that have re-appeared in much of her album work over the years).
I suspect that much of the reason may lie in Fuller's apparent belief that a Country career is inherently separate from, and not easily reconciled with, international exposure. The more Alternative and Roots leaning acts don't tend to see this dichotomy, and often tour and promote here from the start (Kacey Musgraves and Margo Price, for example, built up reviews and audiences here very quickly) - but they usually draw more from off-format influences in Rock and Folk, rather than Pop, and are easily absorbed by an audience looking for a mixture of authenticity and progression. On the more Mainstream wing, conventional wisdom seems to be that you either promote to straight Pop, or largely leave the international market alone. Given Carrie's known preference for identifying as Country and not promoting directly to Pop, Fuller probably opted for the latter course and concentrated on Carrie's home market.
As it was, he invited Carrie to England (her helicopter ride to his home in Sussex), but views of the rolling Downs seem to have been about her only early introduction to the country. Neither of the first two albums even got a release here until later. Ann Edelblute though is clearly closer to Carrie, and probably in a better position to weigh up all the possibilities - and I'm pleased that she has her own HQ outfit.
