For the women who love him

Keith Urban

“Once in a Lifetime”

(Capitol Nashville)

Don’t beat yourself up for jumping to the conclusion that Keith Urban’s so-in-love new single, the first from his new album due in November, is all about his paparazzi-loving romance with Nicole Kidman.

Who wouldn’t go there, especially given that the dreamy-looking Australian singer-songwriter and his belle epic have avoided discussing their relationship in public? And then along comes this:

I can see it in your eyes

And feel it in your touch

I know that you’re scared

But you’ve never been this

loved

It’s a long shot baby

I know it’s true

But if anyone can make it

I’m bettin’ on me and you

And that’s just the opening.

As pulsing guitars push the country-rock beat along a la his hit “Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me,” Urban goes on to sing with silky emotion and the occasional crack in his voice of his picture of marital bliss -- a future with not one child but two (a boy and a girl, natch) and a long life side by side with his beloved.

So you’re forgiven for thinking it’s written to his wife, Kidman. But long before he paired up with her, Urban, who wrote the song with John Shanks, used his music to connect with all the millions of Mrs. Urban wannabes, who voraciously gobbled up his records and concert tickets.

With “Once in a Lifetime,” he’s one upped Kenny Chesney’s similarly themed 1999 single “How Forever Feels,” another ode to commitment that is a cornerstone of both stars’ success. In that respect, “Once in a Lifetime” dispenses with any of the complexities that accompany real-life love, and as such doesn’t dramatically reveal any hidden facets of Urban’s psyche, or his heart.

It is, however, the kind of song that’ll jump from the upper reaches of radio playlists to most-requested at weddings and anniversaries.

For the record, Kidman very likely is the inspiration for the sentiment of the single. But in terms of who it’s ultimately directed at, she’s just one in a million.

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-- Randy Lewis