On This Day in 2002, Alan Jackson Was at No. 1 With the Album That Produced Two of the Most Powerful Songs in His Discography

On this day (February 27) in 2002, Alan Jackson was at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with Drive. The LP ruled over the country chart for six consecutive weeks. It also topped the Billboard 200 for four weeks, making it Jackson’s most successful crossover release. The album’s success was driven by a pair of deeply moving hit singles–“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) and “Drive (For Daddy Gene).”

Videos by American Songwriter

The success of Drive illustrates Jackson’s popularity at the turn of the century. Throughout the 1990s, his albums charted well on the Billboard 200. His debut was the only LP to miss the top 40, and most of his full-lengths landed within the top 10. However, Drive was his first to top the all-genre albums chart. It didn’t just top the chart. It debuted at No. 1 on both charts dated February 20, 2003.

[RELATED: On This Day in 2001, Alan Jackson Released One of the Most Emotional Songs of His Career—a Song He Wishes He Never Had To Write]

Alan Jackson Delivers Two Emotional Gut Punches

As a songwriter, Alan Jackson has never shied away from sharing his feelings with his audience. However, Drive sees him at his most vulnerable. The songs on the LP came together after he had experienced two tragedies, one of which was personal, while he shared the other with millions of people.

Jackson wrote “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” in honor of his late father months after his death. He didn’t want to write a sad song. So, he waited until he could see past that part of the grief. The result was a song built from two generations of happy childhood memories.

The September 11 terrorist attacks shook the American population to its core. While some songwriters penned angry, patriotic, saber-rattling songs in response to the event, Jackson was a little more thoughtful.

“Every time I tried to write something, it just, I don’t know. It didn’t seem right,” Jackson said. “I’ve always been real careful about writing or recording preachy songs, and I didn’t want it to look like I was taking advantage of the situation for my own career or something,” he added.

Jackson was initially reluctant to record the song. Then, he played it for his wife, Denise, and his producer, Keith Stegall. They convinced him to cut the song and release it. After recording the track, Stegall insisted that Jackson play the song for a group of RCA executives. The track stunned everyone in the room. Later that week, on November 7, 2001, he debuted the song at the CMA Awards.

The song was so popular with fans and other hurting Americans that the label chose to move the album’s release date forward several months. It was initially set to drop in spring 2002. Instead, it hit shelves in late January.

Featured Image by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images