"Small Town Southern Man" is a song written 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

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

. It was released in November 2007 as the lead single from his album '' Good Time'' (see

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). The song reached the top of the ''

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charts in March 2008, becoming Jackson's 23rd number one hit on that chart, and his first since "

Remember When Remember When may refer to: Music * "Remember When" (Alan Jackson song), 2003 * " Remember When (We Made These Memories)", a 1965 song by Wayne Newton * " Remember When (Push Rewind)", a 2012 song by Chris Wallace * "Remember When", a song by Colo ...

" in February 2004.

Content

Described by the magazine ''

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'' as a "loping, fiddle-and-steel-guitar-driven song", "Small Town Southern Man" is set in a moderate tempo and composed of three verses. Its lyrics tell of the life of Jackson's father, and how he was "raised on the ways and gentle kindness of a small town Southern man". Despite several similarities between his life and the song, Jackson said it wasn't a tribute to his father or a grandfather, although he did draw from his own ancestry as an inspiration. This is especially evident in the line, "First there came four pretty daughters for the Small Town Southern Man, then a few years later came another, a boy; he wasn't planned," (Jackson has 4 sisters, is the youngest and only son). According to him, the song is actually a tribute to anyone with a rural upbringing such as his own: "Wherever you go, there are rural people that are working for a living and raising families. They all have the same qualities and goals as a small town Southern man."

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for ''Country Universe'', gave it an A rating. He calls the song "a deserving tribute to fathers who put family before everything else, and a comfort to the sons and daughters that miss them once they’re gone".

Chart performance

Year-end charts

References

External links

Music video at CMT.com
{{Alan Jackson singles 2007 singles 2007 songs Alan Jackson songs Songs written by Alan Jackson Music videos directed by Roman White Song recordings produced by Keith Stegall Arista Nashville singles Songs about the American South