A Few Questions (song)
Encyclopedia
"A Few Questions" is a song written by Ray Scott
, Phillip Moore, and Adam Wheeler, and recorded by American
country music singer Clay Walker
. It was released in April 2003 as the lead-off single and title track to his 2003 album, A Few Questions
. It peaked at #9 on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.
In an interview with Country Weekly
Walker said, "It feels awesome to be back on the radio with a new song. Our last hit was two years ago with 'Chain of Love.' There's nothing as cool as reaching fans with fresh music." Walker also said, "A Few Questions' is touching people the way it touched me the first time I heard it. The choruses come right out of the Book of Job. When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 1996, the Book of Job is part of the Bible I read over and over, trying to understand what I needed to do. And every time I sing the song, it lifts up my own spirits as much as it lifts those of others. My favorite line in the song is When you look down on me, can you see the good through all the bad. That's a powerful thought." In another interview with Country Weekly Walker stated, "It's a very deep song to me. It really relates to me in a lot of ways, because I think everybody has questions in life.
In an interview with the Arizona Daily Star
, Walker said "In today's world, you couple the music that's out there and the world events, I think people just want some stuff that's got substance to it, it's kind of neat to have one of those songs." In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, Walker stated, "I was in Salt Lake City and took a call from a lady, and she was crying. She said the song really affected her in a way, because there's a line that goes, "How can two people who've built a loving home/Try for years and never have a child of their own?/And somewhere out there tonight/There's a baby no one's holding tight." She told me, "I watched my sister-in-law have two children and not even care about them. I've always wanted kids and can't even have them. And now I know the answer to that question [in the song], because I've adopted those two kids." So the song has really had an impact on people, and I've been really blessed to have a song like that." After playing a concert in Oregon Walker said, "It's so exciting to see the reaction of the fans and realize that this song has moved them the way it moved me the first time I heard it."
During an interview with CMT
Walker revealed that philosophical songs like "A Few Questions", "The Chain of Love" and "It Ain't Pretty", are not his favorite form of songs when he said, "Those kinds of story songs are the ones that choke you up. I'm not a person that tends to listen to those songs a whole lot because they are deep. I like something with a little more vocal range in it. But those three songs really do make me think. It takes great songwriters to write them because they're totally lyric-based. They're not standing on production. They're standing on the story and the words." Walker told the Daily News
, "I haven't had a new single at radio in a couple of years, but now I am on the best label in town. Wether I fumble or not is up to me."
ballad with string section
, piano
, and classical guitar
accompaniment. In it, the male narrator asks God
a few questions that he has in mind, such as why a couple could fail to produce a child, when there are other children who are unloved and in need of a family.
An electric guitar
solo precedes the third verse, in which he asks what God thinks of him ("Can you see the good through all the bad").
wrote, "Walker is equally inept at theology, as this album's title track fails to help explain why bad things happen to good people."
Ray Scott (singer)
Carlton Ray Scott, Jr. is an American country music artist. He started his first band at age 19, and later moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to attend the Music Business Institute. After receiving an associate's degree, he moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he started another band before moving...
, Phillip Moore, and Adam Wheeler, and recorded by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music singer Clay Walker
Clay Walker
Ernest Clayton "Clay" Walker Jr. is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You," which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die." Both singles were included on...
. It was released in April 2003 as the lead-off single and title track to his 2003 album, A Few Questions
A Few Questions
-Critical reception:Ralph Novak of People Magazine gave the album 2 and a half stars and wrote "The singer ponders a bit too much for his own good."...
. It peaked at #9 on the 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...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts.
Background
Walker revealed after he heard the song that "I got it immediately. There was no mistaking that the song would belong to my life.In an interview with Country Weekly
Country Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
Walker said, "It feels awesome to be back on the radio with a new song. Our last hit was two years ago with 'Chain of Love.' There's nothing as cool as reaching fans with fresh music." Walker also said, "A Few Questions' is touching people the way it touched me the first time I heard it. The choruses come right out of the Book of Job. When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis back in 1996, the Book of Job is part of the Bible I read over and over, trying to understand what I needed to do. And every time I sing the song, it lifts up my own spirits as much as it lifts those of others. My favorite line in the song is When you look down on me, can you see the good through all the bad. That's a powerful thought." In another interview with Country Weekly Walker stated, "It's a very deep song to me. It really relates to me in a lot of ways, because I think everybody has questions in life.
In an interview with the Arizona Daily Star
Arizona Daily Star
The Arizona Daily Star is the major morning daily newspaper that serves Tucson and surrounding districts of southern Arizona in the United States. The paper was purchased by Pulitzer in 1971; Lee Enterprises bought Pulitzer in 2005....
, Walker said "In today's world, you couple the music that's out there and the world events, I think people just want some stuff that's got substance to it, it's kind of neat to have one of those songs." In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, Walker stated, "I was in Salt Lake City and took a call from a lady, and she was crying. She said the song really affected her in a way, because there's a line that goes, "How can two people who've built a loving home/Try for years and never have a child of their own?/And somewhere out there tonight/There's a baby no one's holding tight." She told me, "I watched my sister-in-law have two children and not even care about them. I've always wanted kids and can't even have them. And now I know the answer to that question [in the song], because I've adopted those two kids." So the song has really had an impact on people, and I've been really blessed to have a song like that." After playing a concert in Oregon Walker said, "It's so exciting to see the reaction of the fans and realize that this song has moved them the way it moved me the first time I heard it."
During an interview with CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
Walker revealed that philosophical songs like "A Few Questions", "The Chain of Love" and "It Ain't Pretty", are not his favorite form of songs when he said, "Those kinds of story songs are the ones that choke you up. I'm not a person that tends to listen to those songs a whole lot because they are deep. I like something with a little more vocal range in it. But those three songs really do make me think. It takes great songwriters to write them because they're totally lyric-based. They're not standing on production. They're standing on the story and the words." Walker told the Daily News
Daily News (Kingsport)
The Daily News of Kingsport, Tennessee is a daily newspaper, one of two published in Kingsport. It began as a weekly newspaper called The Post; it was later renamed the Kingsport Post, then the Post-News. It began publication as the Daily News as a daily supplement to the Post on July 12, 1971....
, "I haven't had a new single at radio in a couple of years, but now I am on the best label in town. Wether I fumble or not is up to me."
Content
"A Few Questions" is a country popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
ballad with string section
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and classical guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
accompaniment. In it, the male narrator asks God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
a few questions that he has in mind, such as why a couple could fail to produce a child, when there are other children who are unloved and in need of a family.
An electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
solo precedes the third verse, in which he asks what God thinks of him ("Can you see the good through all the bad").
Reception
Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a negative review. In his review, he stated that "it really isn't Clay Walker or his performance of [the song] that is so moving." Cohoon also said that "he [Walker] delivers this song in the same way he handles all his other ballads." In his review of the album, Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard TimeCountry Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
wrote, "Walker is equally inept at theology, as this album's title track fails to help explain why bad things happen to good people."
Chart positions
"A Few Questions" debuted at #58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of April 26, 2003. After spending 21 weeks on the chart, it peaked at #9 on the country chart dated September 13, 2003, where it held for four consecutive weeks. It spent a total of 27 weeks on the country chart.Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 55 |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 35 |