As Good as I Once Was
Encyclopedia
"As Good as I Once Was" is a single by American country music
singer Toby Keith
that reached the top of the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
chart. This song and his 2003 single "Beer for My Horses
" are both his longest-running Number One hits, each having spent six weeks at Number One. "As Good As I Once Was" was the second single from Keith's 2005 album Honkytonk University
.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
The song was named BMI's
song of the Year for 2006.
and premiered on May 16, 2005.
We see Toby in a tavern with his best friend, Dave. A couple of rednecks grab him and start a riot in the tavern. At one point, one of the people in the tavern bump into Toby and his beer starts sloshing. He starts yelling in slow-motion. Near the end, Toby comes face-to-face with a taller man, who punches him. We then see Toby being carried to an ambulance with the people at the tavern waving good-bye at him. The video ends with the ambulance driving off into the night.
stated "the song is a good one, so good that it rivals anything off of Toby's "How Do You Like Me Now?!" album. It's a fun track about getting older, and how we don't have as much "energy" as we once had." Sputnik Music called it "a testament to how much old age sucks" while Allmusic declared the song was "wonderfully self-depreciating".
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a negative rating. He said that "does anybody believe, unless they knew the size of his bank account, that two hot twins would approach Toby in a crowded bar and request a threesome?"
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...
singer Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
that reached the top of 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 Songs
Hot 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. This song and his 2003 single "Beer for My Horses
Beer for My Horses
"Beer for My Horses" is the title of a song recorded by American country music artists Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. It was released in April 2003 as the fourth and final single from Keith's 2002 album Unleashed. The song spent six weeks at Number One on the U.S...
" are both his longest-running Number One hits, each having spent six weeks at Number One. "As Good As I Once Was" was the second single from Keith's 2005 album Honkytonk University
Honkytonk University
Honkytonk University is an album by country music singer Toby Keith, released in 2005. The album has been certified 2× Multi-Platinum for sales of in excess of 2 million units....
.
The song appears on the game Karaoke Revolution Country.
The song was named BMI's
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
song of the Year for 2006.
Content
The narrator is put into situations that test his masculinity, including a bar fight. He claims that he is not "as good as [he] once was", but that he can still hold his own occasionally.Music video
The music video was directed by Michael SalomonMichael Salomon
Michael Salomon is a music video/film director, who has directed many music videos, including many of Toby Keith's music videos...
and premiered on May 16, 2005.
We see Toby in a tavern with his best friend, Dave. A couple of rednecks grab him and start a riot in the tavern. At one point, one of the people in the tavern bump into Toby and his beer starts sloshing. He starts yelling in slow-motion. Near the end, Toby comes face-to-face with a taller man, who punches him. We then see Toby being carried to an ambulance with the people at the tavern waving good-bye at him. The video ends with the ambulance driving off into the night.
Reception
Matt Bjorke writing for About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
stated "the song is a good one, so good that it rivals anything off of Toby's "How Do You Like Me Now?!" album. It's a fun track about getting older, and how we don't have as much "energy" as we once had." Sputnik Music called it "a testament to how much old age sucks" while Allmusic declared the song was "wonderfully self-depreciating".
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a negative rating. He said that "does anybody believe, unless they knew the size of his bank account, that two hot twins would approach Toby in a crowded bar and request a threesome?"
Chart performance
"As Good as I Once Was" debuted at #37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 21, 2005.| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 28 |