"Down in Tennessee" is a song written by

Wayland Holyfield Wayland D. Holyfield (March 15, 1942 – May 6, 2024) was an American songwriter and leader in the songwriting community. Personal life Wayland Holyfield was born in Mallettown, Conway County, Arkansas. He was educated in Arkansas public school ...

and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist John Anderson. It was released in November 1985 as the second single from the album '' Tokyo, Oklahoma''. The song reached number 12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart.

Critical reception

Kip Kirby, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that "the heartsick blues are well handled here by an artist who sings ballads with tears in every syllable."

Chart performance

Mark Chesnutt version

"Down in Tennessee" was also recorded by American country music artist

Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...

. It was released in June 1995 as the fourth single from the album ''

What a Way to Live ''What a Way to Live'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Mark Chesnutt. His first album for Decca Records, it earned RIAA gold album, gold certification in the United States for sales of 500,000 copies. The tracks "She D ...

''. The song reached number 23 on the ''

chart.Whitburn, pp. 92-93 It also peaked at number 7 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Chesnutt's version is "just as compelling on this powerful ballad of a man dealing with lost love." She goes on to say that Chesnutt "makes you feel like hurting right along with him."''

'', June 17, 1995, Vol. 107, No. 24, Page 57.

Chart performance

"Down in Tennessee" debuted at number 66 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of June 17, 1995.

References

{{authority control 1985 singles 1995 singles 1985 songs John Anderson (musician) songs Mark Chesnutt songs Songs written by Wayland Holyfield Warner Records singles Decca Records singles Song recordings produced by Jim Ed Norman Song recordings produced by Mark Wright (record producer)