Old Hippie

"Old Hippie"
Single by The Bellamy Brothers
from the album Howard & David
B-side	"Wheels"
Released	April 1985
Format	7" single
Recorded	March 1985
Genre	Country
Length	4:03
Label	MCA/Curb Records 52579
Writer(s)	David Bellamy
Producer	Emory Gordy, Jr. and Jimmy Bowen
The Bellamy Brothers singles chronology
"I Need More of You" (1985) "Old Hippie" (1985) "Lie to You for Your Love" (1985)

"Old Hippie" is a single by American country music duo The Bellamy Brothers. Released in April 1985, it was the first single from their album Howard & David.

The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in July 1985^[1] and No. 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.^[2]

Song background

The title "Old Hippie" refers to the unnamed title character, an aging hippie who uses marijuana, listens to the Woodstock-influenced rock music of the late 1960s and for years refuses to let go of his lifestyle, despite societal changes around him. It is also explained that, sometime prior to Woodstock, he was drafted to Vietnam and forced to "become a man while he was still a boy." Afterward, he began waiting in for something good to happen in his life, before adopting his way of life. Eventually, the man does change, taking up such interests as jogging while staying away from parties and nightclubs.

The song's lyrics reference the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, which had taken place in August 1969, and the December 1980 shooting death of John Lennon.

Two versions of the song exist. In addition to a slightly different guitar lick at the end, the major difference comes at the line "He's got young friends in the new wave ... ". One version uses the line, "but he's just too damn old", the other replaces the word "damn" with the word "friggin'."

Sequel

A decade after the song's release, the brothers recorded a sequel song titled "Old Hippie (The Sequel)".^[3] The song follows the same, unnamed title character 10 years after the original. Just as with "Old Hippie," the sequel sees the man -- now with a thinning hairline -- continuing to struggle with his memories of Vietnam and changes in society, only with updated references. In the song's final verse, it is alluded that he has married and has started a family, and with an optimistic eye to the future has taken on more conservative values.

The lyrics make references to President Clinton, country music singers including Merle Haggard, George Jones, Billy Ray Cyrus and Garth Brooks; and Woodstock '94.

"Old Hippie (The Sequel)" appeared on the album Sons of Beaches/Native American. Released in early 1996, the song failed to chart on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Chart performance

Chart (1985)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	2
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

Preceded by "Dixie Road" by Lee Greenwood

RPM Country Tracks number-one single August 10, 1985

Succeeded by "40 Hour Week (For a Livin')" by Alabama

References

1. ^ The Bellamy Brothers Chart History
2. ^ RPM Country Tracks
3. ^ Johnson, Karen (May-June 1995). "The Bellamy Brothers: Snake Rattle & Roll". Tampa Bay Magazine 10 (3): 51. http://books.google.com/books?id=0Dkouiq9Ou0C&pg=PA51&dq=%22bellamy+brothers%22+%22old+hippie%22&hl=en&ei=2KPNTMmeDsTinAfwjNjlDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22bellamy%20brothers%22%20%22old%20hippie%22&f=false.