| 'Down the Road' | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mac McAnally | |||
| from the album Simple Life | |||
| B-side | 'She's Going Out of My Mind'[1] | ||
| Released | June 1990 | ||
| Genre | Country | ||
| Length | 2:42 | ||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||
| Songwriter(s) | Mac McAnally | ||
| Producer(s) | Jim Ed Norman Mac McAnally | ||
| Mac McAnally singles chronology | |||
|
'Down the Road' is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Mac McAnally. McAnally has charted with the song on two separate occasions. The first of these two versions was released as the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, and was a minor chart single for him that year. Eighteen years later, McAnally re-recorded the song as a duet with Kenny Chesney on Chesney's 2008 album Lucky Old Sun. This rendition is also McAnally's highest charting country hit, having reached Number One in February 2009.
Content[edit]
Mac McAnally Once in a Lifetime. For his new album, Once in a Lifetime, Mac McAnally is indeed doing something he's never done before. To reflect the intimacy of his concerts, he arranged most of the material around guitar and percussion – yet he acknowledges that several of. Mac McAnally is an American country music singer-songwriter, session musician and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his singles were hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and six more on the Hot Country Songs charts. His ninth chart entry came in late 2008-early 2009 as a guest vocalist on Kenny Chesney's Number One cover of his 1990 single.
'Down the Road' is a mid-tempo ballad. In it, the male narrator describes his childhood love interest — a girl who lives down the road from him. Eventually, the narrator proposes to marry her, only to find out the expectations her parents have of him.
In the second verse, the narrator is now an adult, and his daughter has a love interest who lives down the road. He then explains that he has the same expectations that the parents in the first verse had, but he will still let her go down the road.
According to Country Weekly magazine, McAnally was inspired to write the song one Christmas morning after thinking about what his two daughters' lives would be like in the future (he has since had a third).[2]
Mac McAnally version[edit]
Mac McAnally's original version is the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, his only album for Warner Bros. Records. It peaked at No. 70 on the Hot Country Songs charts. McAnally later released it on his 1994 album Knots.
Music video[edit]
McAnally's rendition also features a music video, directed by John Lloyd Miller. It features McAnally performing the song on a porch while playing electric guitar.
Chart positions[edit]
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] | 73 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 70 |
Kenny Chesney version[edit]
| 'Down the Road' | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally | |||
| from the album Lucky Old Sun | |||
| Released | November 10, 2008 | ||
| Recorded | 2008 | ||
| Genre | Country | ||
| Length | 2:59 | ||
| Label | Blue Chair/BNA | ||
| Songwriter(s) | Mac McAnally | ||
| Producer(s) | Buddy Cannon Kenny Chesney | ||
| Kenny Chesney singles chronology | |||
| |||
| Mac McAnally singles chronology | |||
|
In 2008, Kenny Chesney covered the song on his album Lucky Old Sun. Chesney's version features guest vocals from McAnally, who sings the second verse and chorus. Unlike McAnally's original which is accompanied by electric guitar, Chesney's rendition is more acoustic in nature, featuring only accompaniment from two steel-string acoustic guitars and congas. According to McAnally, the song 'was not supposed to be a duet', but he agreed to record it as a duet on Chesney's album.[2] Chesney and McAnally were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals on December 2, 2009.[5]
Composition[edit]
The Chesney and McAnally duet version is set in cut time in the key of E major. It has a moderate tempo and a main chord pattern of E-B-A-B. Chesney and McAnally's vocals range from B3-C♯5.[6]
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
Chesney's rendition received a 'thumbs-up' rating from The 9513. Critic Jim Malec said that the song 'provid[ed] him a comfortable pocket from which he can weave a tale' and added, 'Down The Road' brings together the best of Chesney with the best of McAnally, a songwriter whose greatest strength is his ability to breath [sic] life into characters that seem unquestionably real, and which help us discuss life's essential and often bittersweet truths.' He also said that it was Chesney's 'best vocal performance in years'.[7] Jacob Crogie of 411 Mania gave the Chesney version a four-out-of-five rating, saying 'This re-recording is a classic example of good country! It's got some solid musicality and is acoustic based to suit the subject matter. McAnally's writing provides solid, believable, sympathetic characters which allows the listener to connect to the song emotionally.'[8]
Chart positions[edit]
Chesney's version of the song made its chart debut at number 59 on the country charts dated for November 1, 2008. It fell from the charts the next week, then re-entered at number 38 for the week of November 15. It is McAnally's second Top 40 country chart entry, eighteen years after his previous one, the number 14 'Back Where I Come From' in 1990. The duet version reached number one on the country chart dated for February 28, 2009, giving Chesney his sixteenth Number One and McAnally his first, and to date, only Number One.
| Chart (2008–2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 47 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] | 57 |
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[12] | 30 |
References[edit]
- ^Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 261. ISBN0-89820-177-2.
- ^ abConaway, Alanna (April 20, 2009). 'Story Behind the Song: The Gift of Christmas Past'. Country Weekly. 16 (10): 28.
- ^'Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1283.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 4, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^'Mac McAnally Chart History (Hot Country Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List'Archived 2009-12-03 at WebCite, Grammy.com, December 2, 2009
- ^''Down the Road' sheet music'. Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^Malec, Jim (November 4, 2008). 'Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally - 'Down the Road''. The 9513. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
- ^Crogie, Jacob (December 10, 2008). 'The Singles Guy 12.10.08: I'm Bored, I'm Bored, Come On Let's Get High!'. 411 Mania. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot Country Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot 100)'. Billboard.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)'. Billboard.
- ^'Best of 2009: Country Songs'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
Major Works
Musician Mac McAnally with friends at MSU in 2017. Photo by Zach Rolland. Left to right: Kathy Steen, Mac McAnally, Lynne Philli[ps-Gaines, and Jack Haynes. Used by permission.
- Mac McAnally
- No Problem Here
- Cuttin' Corners
- Nothin' but the Truth
- Finish Lines
- Simple Life
- Live and Learn
- Knots
- Word of Mouth (June '99) and many others
Collaboration CD's
- One Voice
- The Prince of Egypt
- The Stars Come Out For Christmas
- Friends for Life
Biography of Mac McAnally
By Josh Ammerman (SHS) (1999) Updated below.
In the second verse, the narrator is now an adult, and his daughter has a love interest who lives down the road. He then explains that he has the same expectations that the parents in the first verse had, but he will still let her go down the road.
According to Country Weekly magazine, McAnally was inspired to write the song one Christmas morning after thinking about what his two daughters' lives would be like in the future (he has since had a third).[2]
Mac McAnally version[edit]
Mac McAnally's original version is the second single from his 1990 album Simple Life, his only album for Warner Bros. Records. It peaked at No. 70 on the Hot Country Songs charts. McAnally later released it on his 1994 album Knots.
Music video[edit]
McAnally's rendition also features a music video, directed by John Lloyd Miller. It features McAnally performing the song on a porch while playing electric guitar.
Chart positions[edit]
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] | 73 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 70 |
Kenny Chesney version[edit]
| 'Down the Road' | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally | |||
| from the album Lucky Old Sun | |||
| Released | November 10, 2008 | ||
| Recorded | 2008 | ||
| Genre | Country | ||
| Length | 2:59 | ||
| Label | Blue Chair/BNA | ||
| Songwriter(s) | Mac McAnally | ||
| Producer(s) | Buddy Cannon Kenny Chesney | ||
| Kenny Chesney singles chronology | |||
| |||
| Mac McAnally singles chronology | |||
|
In 2008, Kenny Chesney covered the song on his album Lucky Old Sun. Chesney's version features guest vocals from McAnally, who sings the second verse and chorus. Unlike McAnally's original which is accompanied by electric guitar, Chesney's rendition is more acoustic in nature, featuring only accompaniment from two steel-string acoustic guitars and congas. According to McAnally, the song 'was not supposed to be a duet', but he agreed to record it as a duet on Chesney's album.[2] Chesney and McAnally were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals on December 2, 2009.[5]
Composition[edit]
The Chesney and McAnally duet version is set in cut time in the key of E major. It has a moderate tempo and a main chord pattern of E-B-A-B. Chesney and McAnally's vocals range from B3-C♯5.[6]
Reception[edit]
Critical[edit]
Chesney's rendition received a 'thumbs-up' rating from The 9513. Critic Jim Malec said that the song 'provid[ed] him a comfortable pocket from which he can weave a tale' and added, 'Down The Road' brings together the best of Chesney with the best of McAnally, a songwriter whose greatest strength is his ability to breath [sic] life into characters that seem unquestionably real, and which help us discuss life's essential and often bittersweet truths.' He also said that it was Chesney's 'best vocal performance in years'.[7] Jacob Crogie of 411 Mania gave the Chesney version a four-out-of-five rating, saying 'This re-recording is a classic example of good country! It's got some solid musicality and is acoustic based to suit the subject matter. McAnally's writing provides solid, believable, sympathetic characters which allows the listener to connect to the song emotionally.'[8]
Chart positions[edit]
Chesney's version of the song made its chart debut at number 59 on the country charts dated for November 1, 2008. It fell from the charts the next week, then re-entered at number 38 for the week of November 15. It is McAnally's second Top 40 country chart entry, eighteen years after his previous one, the number 14 'Back Where I Come From' in 1990. The duet version reached number one on the country chart dated for February 28, 2009, giving Chesney his sixteenth Number One and McAnally his first, and to date, only Number One.
| Chart (2008–2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 47 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] | 57 |
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[12] | 30 |
References[edit]
- ^Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 261. ISBN0-89820-177-2.
- ^ abConaway, Alanna (April 20, 2009). 'Story Behind the Song: The Gift of Christmas Past'. Country Weekly. 16 (10): 28.
- ^'Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 1283.' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 4, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- ^'Mac McAnally Chart History (Hot Country Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Nominees List'Archived 2009-12-03 at WebCite, Grammy.com, December 2, 2009
- ^''Down the Road' sheet music'. Musicnotes.com. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^Malec, Jim (November 4, 2008). 'Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally - 'Down the Road''. The 9513. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2008.
- ^Crogie, Jacob (December 10, 2008). 'The Singles Guy 12.10.08: I'm Bored, I'm Bored, Come On Let's Get High!'. 411 Mania. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot Country Songs)'. Billboard.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot 100)'. Billboard.
- ^'Kenny Chesney Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)'. Billboard.
- ^'Best of 2009: Country Songs'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
Major Works
Musician Mac McAnally with friends at MSU in 2017. Photo by Zach Rolland. Left to right: Kathy Steen, Mac McAnally, Lynne Philli[ps-Gaines, and Jack Haynes. Used by permission.
- Mac McAnally
- No Problem Here
- Cuttin' Corners
- Nothin' but the Truth
- Finish Lines
- Simple Life
- Live and Learn
- Knots
- Word of Mouth (June '99) and many others
Collaboration CD's
- One Voice
- The Prince of Egypt
- The Stars Come Out For Christmas
- Friends for Life
Biography of Mac McAnally
By Josh Ammerman (SHS) (1999) Updated below.
On July 15, 1957 in Red Bay, Alabama, a man named Lyman 'Mac' Corbitt McAnally, Jr., was born. Mac McAnally has contributed much to the world of music, not only as a songwriter but also as a singer. McAnally grew up in Belmont, Mississippi, where his father was one of his high school administrators. This outstanding musician began his musical career at the early age of three, singing while his mother played the piano. After that, his mother had him take piano lessons to extend his apparent musical talents. Mac got a job playing the piano for a state line club in southern Tennessee. Soon thereafter, he started to play the guitar for fun. At the age of fifteen, Mac began his song writing career when wrote the song, 'People Call Me Jesus.'
While in the eleventh grade at his high school in Belmont, Mississippi, McAnally convinced his father to let him have a 'premature graduation.' Since his father was the assistant principal of his high school this was a hard task. However, he was soon able to wear his father down. His father finally allowed him to quit school. He then began playing night clubs around the state (Trammel). When Mac was seventeen, he moved to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and started working in the music recording industry. He signed with Wishbone Production and Publishing Company as a songwriter and artist (Alabama hall.).
Mac had very few influences as a child; but his first record was 'Let it Be' by the Beatles. Mac's music career didn't pick up until producers Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey heard some of his material. They encouraged him to record some of his music. Mac released the cut 'I Need You Tonight, ' which appeared on a Hank Williams recording. He then released his first solo album, Mac McAnally on Ariola Records in 1977. One of Mac's most famous songs came from that album. The song 'Its a Crazy World' became a hit on the radio and became number two on the adult contemporary charts and made it into the pop top forty chart. It was apparent that Mac was good at music (Trammel).
Mac was a hit and was compared to literary figures like William Faulkner and Flannery O' Conner. His songs were what he called 'short stories mashed into a popular song format.' (union county historical…) After the release of his first album, Mac began to tour. He played gigs in Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York City. A year after the release of his first album, Mac released, 'No Problem Here, ' which was also a superb expression of Mac's talent. Mac was under a lot of pressure to put this album out, so it was kind of rushed. Mac then released, 'Cutting Corners' in 1980. For this album Mac made the big leap from Ariola to MCA records because Ariola was 'going disco'. Mac has released five albums since then, and a new solo album was to be released during the summer of 1999.
Mac has also worked with other artists on several albums, including the Prince of Egypt soundtrack (Mac.McAnally.com). He has more than just his solo singing career under his belt. He has also been a songwriter for many famous people, having written Shenendoah's 'Two Dozen Roses' and Alabama's Old Flame (Highland Vill…). He also works a lot with Jimmy Buffet, and he is currently on tour with him. In fact, Mac will be touring with Jimmy all summer long ('99). He will playing smaller gigs on his nights off. Mac has had a strong musical career so far. With the release of his new album in the summer he shows us that he is not done yet.
In the spring of 1999, McAnally was presented with an award given to him by the Mississippi Arts and Letters Commission.
Mac Mcanally Kids
UPDATE:
McAnally was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and named Country Music Association's Musician of the Year in recent years. In 2010, he was the winner of one of four Mississippi Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts. In 2015 and 2016, the internationally- recognized musician has given a concert at Bettersworth Auditorium at Mississippi State to benefit MSU's Department of Music. Mac McAnally, has been named Country Music Association Musician of the Year for eight years in a row.
Timeline
- 1957 – Lyman Corbitt McAnally is born on July 15
- 1960 – Began musical career singing for mom
- 1960? Began taking piano lessons
- 1970 – Got first job playing piano for night club
- 1971 – Bought first record, 'Let it Be' (the Beatles)
- 1972 – Began song writing career writing 'People call me Jesus'
- 1973 or 74 –Quits school in the eleventh grade
- 1976 – Moves to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and begins working in the music industry
- 1977 – Released 'Mac McAnally' on Ariola Records
- 1978 – Released 'No Problem Here' on Ariola Records
- 1980 – Released 'Cuttin' Corners' on RCA records
- 1983 – Released 'Noting But the Truth' on Geffen
- 1988 – Released 'Finishing Lines' on Geffen
- 1989 – Released 'Simple Life' on WB/Geffen
- 1992 – Released 'Live And Learn' on MCA
- 1994 – Released 'Knots' on MCA
- 1996 – Released the song 'Its everything' on the CD 'One Voice' on MCA
– Released the song 'Just one night' on the CD 'The Stars Come Out For Christmas' on Steve Vaus Productions
– released the song ' Only Passing Through' on the cd 'Friends for Life (recorded at the Bluebird Cafe)' on Alive Hospice Inc. - 1998 – released the song 'The Moving of the Mountain'on the 'Prince of Egypt'soundtrack on Dreamworks
- 1999 – released the CD 'Word of Mouth'
- 2004 Semi-True Stories
- 2006 Cuttin' Corners (re-release)
- 2009 Down by the River
- 2010 Winner of Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts
Related Websites
- The official Mac McAnally home page
- McAnally performs benefit concert at Mississippi State in 2017
Bibliography
Does Mac Mcanally Have Children
- 'Alabama Hall of Fame'[online]www.alamhof.org/mcanally.htm
- Dilworth, Andrea Wright. 'Highland Village hosts state sons'. The Clarion-Ledger 7. May, 1998: 8F
- 'Mac.McAnally.com' [online]www.mac.mcanally.com.March '99
- Trammel Mike.'Its a Crazy World, the unofficial Mac McAnally homepage.[online]www.noproblemhere.com.March '99
- Union County Historical Society. Mac McAnally . P.O. Box 657 New Albany, Ms 38652
