Scotty McCreery‘s days as an ‘American Idol‘ contestant are over, but that doesn’t mean he’s left the show completely behind. You’ll hear Scotty’s voice every time a contestant is sent home during Season 11 — and he’ll be making Tim McGraw a nice chunk of change in the process.

That’s because Scotty recorded a cover of McGraw’s 1999 hit ‘Please Remember Me’ for use as the Season 11 ‘Idol’ exit song. “I’ve known that song forever and loved it,” he explained during a recent interview. “I sent (him) a little message and told him we just cut it and it was going to be on ‘Idol’ every week. He said, ‘Oh, man. That’s really cool. I’m sure you nailed it.’ He gave me some good feedback.”

Recording the track, which will be released as a single on iTunes tomorrow (March 8), reminded Scotty of the tension he felt while waiting to hear if he was being sent home every week on ‘Idol.’ “Every week, when the song would play and we’d have to watch the goodbye video, it was always a tough time,” he recalled. “I never had to experience it, but I always felt it.”

He still has fond memories of the show, of course, and was not only thrilled to be asked to record the new exit song, but plans to return this season. “I was ecstatic and I’m glad to get to be on there. It’s cool to still be connected to the show every week,” he said. “Most likely, I’ll be able to come back and perform and get to see all those familiar faces and give the current Idols some advice.”

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