On this day (July 30) in 1993, Alan Jackson was at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Chattahoochee.” The song held the top spot for four consecutive weeks and won Song and Single of the Year at the CMA Awards. Decades later, it remains one of Jackson’s best-known songs.
While “Chattahoochee” names a river that flows through northern Georgia, the lyrics are nearly universal. It’s not about growing up in that area. Instead, it is about coming of age in a small town. As a result, listeners from across the country could relate to the story that unfolds in the song’s lyrics. On who the song would resonate with, Jackson said, “The regular working people, professional people, just trying to do the same things–make a living, raise a family, enjoy life.” He added, “I learned that there’s a Chattahoochee everywhere.”
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Alan Jackson Co-Wrote “Chattahoochee” on His Tour Bus
According to Songfacts, Jim McBride had the initial idea for the song. He had just finished reading a book about the Chattahoochee River. With that in the back of his mind, he began playing with a melody and wrote the song’s opening lines. Then, he found out how close the river was to Alan Jackson’s hometown, Newnan, Georgia. He set the song aside for the moment, knowing he had to finish it with Jackson.
“By that time, Alan was a big star, so there was no more writing on 16th Avenue anymore. We wrote on the road. I would go out with him on his bus, and we would write out there,” McBride explained. Not long after he got the idea for what would become “Chattahoochee,” he went on the road with Jackson.
[RELATED: 5 Timeless Alan Jackson Songs That Aren’t “Chattahoochee”]
“I sang the first couple lines, and he was all over it,” McBride said. “We started working on it in Tallahassee. Then, we finished it the next day in Thibodeaux, Louisiana. We finished it before sound check, and he showed it to the band. They actually worked it up in sound check and performed it that night.”
Featured Image by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images
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