A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)
Encyclopedia
"A Father's Love" is the title of a song recorded by American country
artist Bucky Covington
. It was released in March 2010 as his sixth single, and was intended to be included on an album titled I'm Alright.
from Shenandoah
. Although Gazdziak felt the song was "predictable," he found the song had its "moments that feel genuine." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock spoke favorably of the song, which he felt was "exactly the kind of song and performance that Bucky Covington needed to come out with to help re-establish himself as a mainstream country music artist." With its "soft acoustic, traditional-based melody" and "tender lyrics," Bjorke noted that it "feels like the kind of song that should be a hit in the hands of any singer." Leeann Ward of Country Universe gave the song a B+ rating, describing Covington's vocals as "both believable and emotive" and noting the "pleasant production that does not shy away from the steel guitar."
chart for the week of April 10, 2010. The song entered the Top 40 in its fourth week on the charts and peaked at number 23 in July 2010.
covered the song on their 2010 self-titled album
. Their version was released as the album's third single on January 24, 2011 and debuted at number 98 on the Canadian Hot 100
for the week of April 16, 2011.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Bucky Covington
Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series American Idol. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records...
. It was released in March 2010 as his sixth single, and was intended to be included on an album titled I'm Alright.
Content
"A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" is a country ballad, driven by acoustic guitar and banjo with steel guitar fills. The song's male narrator describes the way his father shows his love for him by doing rather than saying. In the first verse his father spends time making sure his car is tuned up before he leaves for college, and in the second verse he visits his son at his new house and performs maintenance work on it. In the song's bridge, the son visits his father for his sixty-fifth birthday; before he leaves, his father inspects his car once again, showing "a father's love."Reception
Sam Gazdziak of The 9513 gave the song a thumbs-up, favoring Covington's vocal performance, which he compares to Marty RaybonMarty Raybon
Marty Raybon Marty Raybon Marty Raybon (born December 8, 1959 is an Award Winning American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of the band Shenandoah, a role which he held from 1985 to 1996. He recorded his first solo album, Marty Raybon, in 1995 on Sparrow...
from Shenandoah
Shenandoah (band)
Shenandoah is an American country music group founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1984 by Marty Raybon , Ralph Ezell , Stan Thorn , Jim Seales , and Mike McGuire...
. Although Gazdziak felt the song was "predictable," he found the song had its "moments that feel genuine." Matt Bjorke of Roughstock spoke favorably of the song, which he felt was "exactly the kind of song and performance that Bucky Covington needed to come out with to help re-establish himself as a mainstream country music artist." With its "soft acoustic, traditional-based melody" and "tender lyrics," Bjorke noted that it "feels like the kind of song that should be a hit in the hands of any singer." Leeann Ward of Country Universe gave the song a B+ rating, describing Covington's vocals as "both believable and emotive" and noting the "pleasant production that does not shy away from the steel guitar."
Chart performance
"A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the week of April 10, 2010. The song entered the Top 40 in its fourth week on the charts and peaked at number 23 in July 2010.
| Chart (2010) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Bubbling Under Hot 100 |
22 |
High Valley version
Canadian country music group High ValleyHigh Valley
High Valley is a Canadian country music group from Blumenort, Alberta which is located close to the town of La Crete. The band is composed of brothers Brad, Bryan and Curtis Rempel...
covered the song on their 2010 self-titled album
High Valley (album)
High Valley is the second studio album by Canadian country music group High Valley. It was released on September 14, 2010 by Open Road Recordings in Canada and by Centricity Music in the United States...
. Their version was released as the album's third single on January 24, 2011 and debuted at number 98 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
for the week of April 16, 2011.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 | 98 |