When it comes to 90’s country, Alan Jackson probably did it better than anyone else.
It seems like every album and every song that Jackson put out in the 1990’s was a certified hit, and that streak of successful and popular music was helped out by his third studio album A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ’bout Love).
Jackson practically made naming his albums an art form, and the name of this project really set the tone for the rest of his career. The creativity also bled into song titles with this album as well, but we’ll get to that in just a second.
A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ’bout Love) was released on this date back in 1992, and it was chock full of classic Alan Jackson hits. The singles that were released ahead of the album are easily some of Jackson’s biggest songs, with one standing far above the rest.
“Chattahoochee” was the third single released from the project, and of course, we all know how that went over. The tune won Single of the Year and Song of the Year at the CMA Awards, and also accidentally created an entire lifestyle.
Jackson included his thoughts on the song in the notes of his 1995 compilation album The Greatest Hits Collection, saying:
“Jim McBride and I were trying to write an up-tempo song and Jim came in with the line ‘way down yonder on the Chattahoochee’. It kind of went from there.
It’s a song about having fun, growing up, and coming of age in a small town – which really applies to anyone across the country, not just by the Chattahoochee. We never thought it would be as big as it’s become.”
Well Alan, it got really big. Maybe even “biggest song of your career” big…
Other singles that were included ahead of A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ’bout Love) were “Tonight I Climbed the Wall,” “(Who Says) You Can’t Have It All,” “Mercury Blues,” and “She’s Got the Rhythm (and I Got The Blues).”
Remember how I said Jackson liked to get creative and artful with his titles? How great of a name is “She’s Got the Rhythm (and I Got The Blues)?”
It’s that attention to detail that helped A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ’bout Love) reach the number one spot on the Top Country Albums chart, as well as the 13th spot on the U.S. Billboard Top 200.
Four years after the release of Jackson’s hit album, it was recognized and certified 6x platinum by the RIAA. It’s safe to say that it is easily one of Alan’s most popular albums of all time, and also marked the first time that one of projects reached the number one spot on the country charts.
Third time’s the charm, right?
Take a listen to some of the biggest hits from the album, as well as my personal favorite of the track list (“Tropical Depression”) below:
“Chattahoochee”
“She’s Got The Rhythm (and I Got the Blues)”
“Tropical Depression”
