The track was released via Capitol Records Nashville on March 26, 2001, as the lead single to her debut studio album My World (2001).

[6] He stated that "the single is clearly meant to put the album in hands and minds of country music radio station programmers.

[6] Ray Waddell of Billboard, in his review for My World, called the song "a sultry debut single [that] has an undercurrent of desperation.

"[7] "What I Really Meant to Say" debuted at number 53 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of March 31, 2001.

She became the third artist of the year to have their debut single reach number one after Shelton's "Austin" and Jamie O'Neal's "There Is No Arizona".