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Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “The Cowboy in Me”
2001 | Peak: #1 I don’t get it. More importantly, I don’t get it and the song isn’t interesting enough to make me want to get it. “The Cowboy in Me” might be an amoebic form of the country lifestyle...
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Retro Single Review: Alan Jackson, “Tall, Tall Trees”
1995 | Peak:#1 Leave it to Alan Jackson to find a #1 single on a Roger Miller box set. Miller co-wrote “Tall, Tall Trees” with George Jones. Jones recorded it first. Miller recorded it a few years...
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Retro Single Review: George Strait, “What’s Going On In Your World”
1989 | #1 Has the fiddle ever sounded sweeter? George Strait’s eleventh consecutive #1 single, and seventeenth overall, is an absolutely delicious traditional country weeper. In a classic country...
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Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “When You Kiss Me”
2003 | Peak: #21 (U.K.) What do you do when you’ve already got so many songs that are wedding and anniversary staples? Release another one, of course. Perhaps if it had come before “You’re Still the...
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Retro Single Review: Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, “Say Forever You’ll Be...
1975 | Peak: #5 “Forever is the love,” they sing, “that is true and undemanding.” Which just goes to show that what makes for a great love doesn’t necessarily make for a great song. As they were...
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Retro Single Review: Shania Twain, “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing”
2004 | #18 Of all Shania Twain’s gifts as a singer-songwriter, her ability to tackle heartbreak may have been the most under-heralded. That side of Twain was well showcased on several standout tracks...
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Retro Single Review: Tim McGraw, “Unbroken”
2002 | Peak: #1 “Unbroken” was the fourth consecutive #1 single from Set This Circus Down, a streak unmatched by any other Tim McGraw album. It’s easy to understand why. With its spirited production...
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Retro Single Review: Alan Jackson, “I’ll Try”
1995 | Peak: #1 As promises of never-ending love go, this isn’t terribly optimistic. It’s like Alan Jackson didn’t get the songwriters manual that mandates flowery and unrealistic promises to walk a...
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Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Ace in the Hole”
1989 | Peak: #1 A Western Swing spin on “The Gambler.” Not much to say about it beyond that. It bounces along pleasantly enough, and despite the recycled life lessons, it still packs a little punch....
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Retro Single Reviews: Dolly Parton, 1975-1976
Today is Dolly Parton’s 67th birthday. What better time to revisit and relaunch our ongoing feature that reviews every single that she’s released in her illustrious career? This post will look at her...
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Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Overnight Success”
1989 | #1 Written by veteran songwriter Sanger D. “Whitey” Shafer (who had previously supplied Strait with hits such as “Does Forth Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” and “All My Ex’s Live In Texas”),...
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Retro Single Reviews: George Strait, 1990-1991
As the nineties began, George Strait was the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, a title noted on the belt buckle he wore on the cover of Livin’ it Up. Around this time, Billboard switched to...
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Retro Single Reviews: George Strait, 1992-1993
The comfortingly reliable George Strait mixes it up a bit during his 1992-1993 run of singles with a cover of a beloved classic, hardcore country, a surprising country rocker, and a sweet love song for...
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Retro Single Reviews: Shania Twain, 2004-2012
After the enormous success of the Up! project, Shania Twain released a top-selling Greatest Hits album in 2004, which spawned three singles. She then embarked on an extended hiatus before returning in...
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Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”
“Light of a Clear Blue Morning” 1977 Peak: #11 Country | #87 Pop Written by Dolly Parton Dolly Parton often repeats the story of how “I Will Always Love You” was inspired by her desire to split with...
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Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Here You Come Again”
“Here You Come Again” Peak: Country #1 (5 weeks) | Pop #3 | AC #2 Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil “I’m not leaving country. I’m taking it with me.” With those famous words, Dolly Parton declared...
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Retro Single Review: George Strait, “Lovebug”
“Lovebug” Written by Wayne Kemp and Curtis Wayne Peak: #8 To understand why George Strait would send his cover of George Jones novelty song to radio, let’s go back to 1994. These were the days of the...
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Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right”/”Two...
“It’s All Wrong But It’s All Right” Written by Dolly Parton Peak: #1 Country “Two Doors Down” Written by Dolly Parton Peak: #19 Pop | #12 Adult Contemporary In a caffeine-fueled all night writing...
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Retro Single Review: Dolly Parton, “Heartbreaker”
“Heartbreaker” Written by Carole Bayer Sager and David Wolfert Peak: #1 Country | #37 Pop | #12 Adult Contemporary And here is where we start running into trouble. Dolly Parton’s first overtures to the...
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Retro Single Review: George Strait, “The Man in Love With You”
“The Man in Love With You” Written by Steve Dorff and Gary Harju Peak: #4 “I Cross My Heart” gets a sequel, and it’s pretty darn good. “The Man in Love With You” is a humble declaration of love, as a...
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