It was originally performed by American singer and actress LeAnn Rimes and was the first single from her second studio album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs (1997).

[4][5] A second version was performed by American singer Trisha Yearwood, which was featured in the film Con Air.

[9] Diane Warren wrote "How Do I Live" for consideration for the 1997 action blockbuster Con Air soundtrack.

[13][14] Neither version of the song was included on the soundtrack album for the film (which consists of the score by Trevor Rabin and Mark Mancina).

Rimes's version was released as the first single from her album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs (1997).

[16] Larry Flick from Billboard described the song as a "straight-ahead pop ballad" and noted that Rimes "has a field day with this beautiful, richly soulful Diane Warren composition, giving it a youthful exuberance and wide-eyed innocence that will melt even the coldest heart."

He also added that Rimes "is so vigorously courting the pop world with this single" and that she "has offered a tune that makes the most of her formidable pipes and leaves listeners salivating for more.

He added that the production by the singer with Tony Brown "is lush and textured, but it is her vocal that is this single's centerpiece.

She noted, "When Yearwood sings, ”If you ever leave/Baby, you would take away everything good in my life,” her voice throbs with adult emotion.

2, it competed directly with two songs by R&B singer Usher, "You Make Me Wanna..." and "Nice & Slow", which were released five months apart from each other.

23, MCA refused to issue further copies of the single, afraid of cannibalizing album sales.

[citation needed] As a result, the limited press run of 300,000 sold out quickly, and the single was off the Hot 100 after 12 weeks.

[24] In a retrospective compilation in conjunction with SiriusXM from 2019, Billboard ranked "How Do I Live" second on their list of top performing songs of the decade.

Conversely, in both Ireland and Australia as well as on the Canadian country charts, Yearwood's version managed to outpace Rimes's peak at Nos.

[27] Yearwood also performed the song at the Country Music Association for which she won the 1997 award for Female Vocalist of the Year.

[28] Yearwood also won the 1997 Academy of Country Music Award for Top Female Vocalist.