Did Lady Gaga give Scotty McCreery the edge he needed to win American Idol in 2011? She certainly gave him the right advice, even if it did make him say a prayer afterward.

McCreery's American Idol win is the subject of this episode of the The Secret History of Country Music because there's just so much you either forgot about or missed the first time around. Lauren Alaina almost needing to bow out? That happened. The "Five More Minutes" singer throwing shade at actor Jack Black? He still hasn't made that right!

Did you know "I Love You This Big" wasn't going to be McCreery's coronation song and first single? They spent four hours working on another song that'd appear on his debut album that fall, but producers chose to switch it up the day of the finale. He'd only spent 15 minutes tracking "I Love You This Big"!

This ep. is all about Gaga, however. The pop star appeared wearing a very un-countrylike outfit to tell then-17-year-old McCreery how to properly hold a microphone. She admits she didn't realize how conservative he was — the country boy from Garner, N.C. didn't blush in front of her, but his laughter was muted.

The Secret History of Country Music is a new weekly series hosted by Taste of Country News host Ania Hammar. We'll go deeper inside the stories of country music's biggest hits, moments and figures. Look for episodes about Willie Nelson and Chris Stapleton coming up, and be sure to subscribe to Taste of Country's YouTube channel so you never miss a new episode.

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