"Little Red Rodeo" is a song written by

Phil Vassar Phillip George Vassar Jr. (born May 28, 1962) is an American country music artist. Vassar made his debut on the country music scene in the late 1990s, co-writing singles for several country artists, including Tim McGraw (" For a Little While", ...

Charlie Black Charles Frank Black (November 23, 1949 – April 23, 2021) was an American country music songwriter and record producer. Biography Black graduated from University of Maryland in 1970 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee the same year. His first c ...

and

Rory Bourke Rory Michael Bourke (born July 14, 1942, Cleveland, Ohio) is an American country music songwriter and music publisher. Bourke moved to Nashville in 1964 and worked for a period in the promotional department of Mercury Records. His songwriting ...

, 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

Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...

. It was released in December 1997 as the third and final single from his compilation album '' The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits''. The song was a Top 5 hit on the ''

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chart. He sang it on an episode of ''

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''.

Content

The singer spends most of the song chasing his former lover, who has driven off in a "candy apple red" (Isuzu) Rodeo, leaving a note that she did not think he was looking for a permanent relationship. Eventually conceding that he had not been committed enough, he takes chase from Texas to

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, stopping at a diner where her sister works, then at a gas station where the attendant acknowledges she had been there and expected him to chase her. By the end of the song, he has not yet caught the Isuzu but was "closing the gap."

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 46 on the

chart dated December 20, 1997. It charted for 22 weeks on that chart, and reached a peak of number 3 on the chart dated March 14, 1998.

Year-end charts

Other versions

, who co-wrote the song, later recorded it on his 2006 CD, '' Greatest Hits, Vol. 1''.

References

{{authority control 1997 singles 1997 songs Collin Raye songs Songs written by Phil Vassar Song recordings produced by Paul Worley Songs written by Rory Bourke Epic Records singles Song recordings produced by Billy Joe Walker Jr. Songs written by Charlie Black