"If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)" is a song written by Ken Spooner and Kim Williams, 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 ...

singer

Joe Diffie Joe Logan Diffie (December 28, 1958 – March 29, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo (music), demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and ...

. The song reached the top of 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. ...

(now

Hot Country Songs 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. It was released in April 1991 as the third single from his debut album, '' A Thousand Winding Roads''.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Michael Salomon Michael Salomon (born in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, United States) is an American music video/film director, who has directed many music videos, including many of Toby Keith's music videos. He directed the video for Metallica's "One", which was no ...

and premiered in early 1991.

Critical reception

'' Cashbox'' magazine published a positive review of the song, stating that it "focuses on a much lighter storyline, compared to previous releases. This cut humorously sheds a 'devil-made-me-do-it' theme swallowed up by a fun and bouncy tempo."

Chart performance

The song debuted at No. 47 on the

chart dated April 6, 1991. It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, and peaked at No. 1 on the country chart dated June 15, 1991, giving Diffie his second No. 1 single.

Charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

Koe Wetzel Ropyr Madison Koe Wetzel (born July 14, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter. His music has been described variously as a "blend of rock and country", outlaw country, and "fusing country and grunge". Life and career Wetzel was born in ...

and

Jack Ingram Jack Owen Ingram (born November 15, 1970) is an American country music artist formerly signed to Big Machine Records, an independent record label. He has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, six live albums, and 19 singles. Alt ...

covered the song on

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, ...

's 2024 mixtape, '' Hixtape: Vol. 3: Difftape''.

References

1991 singles Songs about dancing Joe Diffie songs Jack Ingram songs Song recordings produced by Bob Montgomery (songwriter) Epic Records singles Music videos directed by Michael Salomon Songs written by Kim Williams (songwriter) 1990 songs {{1991-country-song-stub