In this day and age, it’s hard to find something that everyone can agree on. But I don’t think anyone would argue against the timeless message that the great Alan Jackson delivered within his hit song “Chattahoochee”… it’s officially “hotter than a hoochie coochie.”
When you take a look at AJ’s catalogue, which is chock-full of hits, the biggest and most beloved has to be “Chattahoochee.” It was released as a part of his third studio album, A Lot About Livin’ (And A Little ‘Bout Love), and the song inspired by the actual river (that runs across northern Georgia, along the Georgia/Alabama border, and down into Florida) peaked at No. 1 on the country charts.
It was also the first ever song of Alan’s to enter the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 46.
And right now, myself and many other Americans find ourselves repeating a specific part of the famous “Chattahoochee” chorus. A historic heat wave is gripping much of the United States, and the National Weather Service even put out a statement telling everyone to make cooling plans as the heat isn’t supposed to let up until after the 4th of July weekend:
“This is no ordinary heat. Several all-time heat records are likely to be broken across the Eastern U.S. this weekend, with triple-digit heat up and down the East Coast. Stay hydrated, have a cooling plan and Stay Cool for the 4th.”
In case you aren’t great at reading graphs, there’s a whole lot of the eastern United States that’s in the “major” and “extreme” heat areas. That means that it’s scientifically “hotter than a hoochie coochie.”
While feels like temperatures are soaring into triple digits, and the humidity makes one step into the outdoors feel like you just jumped in a pool, everyone is trying to figure out how to celebrate the 250th birthday of America without sweating their you-know-what off.
Just as Alan Jackson let us know that it was “hotter than a hoochie coochie” with his song, the lyrics and music video for “Chattahoochee” provide some great tips for beating the heat:
1) Take a dip: Be like Alan Jackson and find a body of water to dive into… and if possible, water ski through it. That breeze will feel nice.
2) Hydrate: Create your own “pyramid of cans” and keep the beverages of your choosing flowing (they have canned water now, you know).
3) Snack Strategically: Grab a grape snow cone, or anything else that could help cool you off.
4) Dress Appropriately: Wear garments that are meant for maximum airflow, and it doesn’t hurt to wear a big ol’ hat to block the sun.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering what the heck “hotter than a hoochie coochie” even means, we did some digging on that recently and found out.
The song actually came about because Alan is from Georgia, and songwriter Jim McBride is from Alabama. When McBride thought up the song, he knew Jackson would know the Chattahoochee River when he pitched him the idea. He never knew that he’d have to field questions about the song’s lyrics for 30-plus years… but he did eventually let the world know what “hotter than a hoochie coochie” actually meant:
“A county fair strip show.”
There you have it.
Do your best to stay safe this 4th of July weekend. It’s going to be a hot one, and don’t act like you are tougher than the heat. Be like Alan Jackson and embrace it, and follow the four tips listed above closely… a grape snow cone can go a long way in this kind of heat wave.
“Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson
