On this day (October 14) in 1996, Alan Jackson released “Little Bitty” as the lead single from the album Everything I Love. The song topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for three weeks later in the year. The song was written by legendary songsmith Tom T. Hall, who had retired nearly a decade before Jackson recorded the song.
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Jackson wasn’t just one of the most successful recording artists of the 1990s. He was also an accomplished songwriter. He wrote or co-wrote many of his biggest hits, including “Chattahoochee” and “I’d Love You All Over Again.” However, he was an expert at choosing songs. At the same time, he often recorded songs penned by legendary songsmiths as a nod to the people who made the music that shaped him. “Little Bitty” is one of those songs.
“Little Bitty” doesn’t break new ground for Jackson. Instead, it fits comfortably among his best-loved songs. The lyrics are about the “little bitty” things that make life worth living. Notably, Jackson sings about getting married, starting a family, and raising a child. While those are big parts of anyone’s life, they’re small in the grand scheme of things. At the same time, the lyrics point out that all of those life-changing moments start with a “little bitty look” shared between the married couple at the beginning of their relationship.
The sentiment of enjoying the small things in life appears in several of Jackson’s biggest hits. Songs like “Livin’ on Love” and “Chattahoochee” are perfect examples of how his songs highlight the importance of the small and seemingly mundane things in life.
Alan Jackson Gets a Hit with a Song from a Retired Legend
Tom T. Hall is among the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. He penned classics like “Harper Valley PTA,” “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died,” “How I Got to Memphis,” and many others. However, he stepped away from writing new material around a decade before Alan Jackson recorded “Little Bitty.” Hall stopped writing new songs in 1986. Eight years later, in 1994, he retired from performing.
Featured Image by DUANE BRALEY/Star Tribune via Getty Images
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