Old Alabama

"Old Alabama"
Single by Brad Paisley featuring Alabama
from the album This Is Country Music
Released	March 14, 2011 (2011-03-14)
Format	Music download
Genre	Country
Length	4:35
Label	Arista Nashville
Writer(s)	Brad Paisley Chris DuBois Dave Turnbull Randy Owen
Producer	Frank Rogers
Certification	Gold (RIAA)[1]
Brad Paisley singles chronology
"This Is Country Music" (2010) "Old Alabama" (2011) "Remind Me" (2011)

"Old Alabama" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Brad Paisley, featuring guest vocals from the band Alabama. The song is the second single from Paisley's studio album, This Is Country Music, released on May 23, 2011.

Content

When writing the song, Paisley thought that the bridge to Alabama's 1982 single "Mountain Music" would fit well with the song. Instead of sampling that song, he asked Alabama band members Randy Owen, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry to join him in the studio and sing the bridge.^[2]

"Old Alabama" incorporates into its lyrics the titles of several of Alabama's classic songs, including "Why Lady Why," "Tennessee River," "Feels So Right," "Love in the First Degree" and "Dixieland Delight." A man's illustration of his idea of spending time with a desirable woman on a Saturday night, the song references the names of Alabama songs that the couple are listening to on their way to an unnamed rendezvous. In the song's bridge, Owen, Gentry and Cook sing the bridge of "Mountain Music," in fact the same parts they did on their original 1982 hit. The song ends with a fiddle-heavy reprisal of "Old Alabama"'s refrain, which is musically in the vein of "Mountain Music."

Critical reception

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock rated the single three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the references to Alabama songs were "cleverly intertwined" and that the appearance of Alabama gave the song a "nostalgia" factor.^[3] Blake Boldt of The 9513 thought that the tributes to the band Alabama were "admirable", but criticized the melody for sounding similar to his 2007 single "Online" and thought that it "leans heavily […] on song mentions and recycled production."^[4]

Music video

The music video was directed by Jim Shea and premiered in May 2011. It features the group Alabama and appearances from NASCAR drivers, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon and Rick Hendrick. The video was filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina.^[5]

Chart performance

"Old Alabama" entered the Hot Country Songs charts at number 44 on the chart dated for the week ending March 26, 2011. It has since become Alabama's first number one hit since "Reckless" in 1993. It is also the seventeenth number one for Paisley.^[6]

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[7]	41
US Billboard Hot 100[8]	38
US Country Songs (Billboard)[9]	1

Preceded by "Heart Like Mine" by Miranda Lambert

Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single June 4-11, 2011

Succeeded by "Without You" by Keith Urban

References

1. ^ "American single certifications – Brad Paisley – Old Alabama". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22Old+Alabama%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
2. ^ Richardson, Gayle (19 March 2011). "Brad Paisley Says Working With Alabama Was 'Mind-Blowing'". The Boot. http://www.theboot.com/2011/03/19/brad-paisley-says-working-with-alabama-was-mind-blowing/. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
3. ^ Bjorke, Matt (11 March 2011). "Brad Paisley — "Old Alabama"". Roughstock. http://www.roughstock.com/blog/brad-paisley-old-alabama-featuring-alabama. Retrieved 22 May 2011. 
4. ^ Boldt, Blake (17 March 2011). "Brad Paisley "Old Alabama" review". The 9513. http://www.the9513.com/brad-paisley-featuring-alabama-old-alabama/. Retrieved 27 March 2011. 
5. ^ Brad Paisley Recruits NASCAR Legends for ‘Old Alabama’ Video
6. ^ Trust, Gary (23 March 2011). "Alabama Returns To Country Songs Summit". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/alabama-returns-to-country-songs-summit-1005197622.story. Retrieved 23 March 2011. 
7. ^ "Brad Paisley Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Brad Paisley. Prometheus Global Media.
8. ^ "Brad Paisley Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Brad Paisley. Prometheus Global Media.
9. ^ "Brad Paisley Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Country Songs for Brad Paisley. Prometheus Global Media.