The song was serviced to US radio in October 1997 and was commercially released on September 8, 1998, as the first single from his second album, Misguided Roses (1997).

Its opening melody is played with electric guitar (as opposed to acoustic on the album) and the vocal and saxophone lines differ.

[3] Although "I'll Be" has become a popular wedding song, McCain said "it's really more of a prayer" written in a moment of personal desperation after a break-up, the idea being that "maybe if I write my future, it'll come true.

[6] Under the chart rules at the time, which required songs to have a physical single release, "I'll Be" was initially ineligible for the Billboard Hot 100, but on September 8, 1998, a "very limited pressing" of the song was issued, making it then eligible;[1] it debuted at number seven on the Hot 100 on the issue dated September 26, 1998, and ultimately peaked at number five the following week.

The single cover of the song shows Egan sitting on a plush red sofa and holding a white guitar.

[28] At the height of the song's popularity in 1998, it was featured during a pivotal moment in the first-season finale episode titled "Decisions" on the WB series Dawson's Creek.