Last Dollar (Fly Away)
Encyclopedia
"Last Dollar"is the title of a country music
song written by Big Kenny, one half of the duo Big & Rich
. It was recorded by Tim McGraw
for his 2007 album Let It Go
. Released as that album's lead-off single in early 2007, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" reached Number One on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts, becoming McGraw's first Number One country hit since "Back When
" in late 2004.
, wrote "Last Dollar" after a disastrous night of gambling in Las Vegas
on New Year's Eve
in 2002.
He and his manager were in the city as part of the Alabama
farewell tour. Alphin had $200 to his name and $140,000 in credit card debt, and in hopes of increasing his cash on hand, he went to the blackjack tables. At one point, he had won nearly $1,000, but instead of stopping, he continued to play. Eventually, he lost all but $21. He gave the dealer a $20 tip, leaving Alphin with literally his last dollar. "That night as I looked down at the sole breaking off of my shoe it hit me like a ton of bricks," Alphin said. "But with that realization came the freedom of knowing that I also had nothing to lose."
From that point, Alphin's career took off, both as a songwriter and as part of the duo Big & Rich
. Several years after the incident, he played some of his songs for McGraw. "I'll never forget the day I played him the song," Alphin said. "We were at Blackbird Studio and Tim was making a new album. As we sat together in my truck, I played him a couple of the songs that I was recording. The second song I played was "Last Dollar." He looked over at me and said, "Are you gonna let me record that?"
The song is an up-tempo in the key of E Major
. Its lyrics take the point of view of a man who is "down to his last dollar", but still in a positive mood ("One, two, three, like a bird I sing / 'Cause you've given me the most beautiful set of wings").
McGraw's daughters, Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey, sing on the song's final chorus. When Alphin heard McGraw's final version, with the children joining in at the end, "I nearly lost it," he said. "That moment of reflection in Las Vegas all that time ago gave me the hope to keep going and now five years later, that hope is a hit song for my friend Tim McGraw."
on New Year's Day 2007. At the end, his kids, and his wife Faith Hill
are shown, as well as producer Byron Gallimore
and his kids.
The song reached Number One on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs
chart dated April 14, 2007. "Last Dollar" also entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #81 on April 7, 2007; one week later, it reached its peak at #13 on that chart.
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...
song written by Big Kenny, one half of the duo Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
. It was recorded by Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
for his 2007 album Let It Go
Let It Go (Tim McGraw album)
Let It Go is the eleventh album by Tim McGraw. Released on March 27, 2007, it was his first studio album in two and a half years. Let It Go entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one with sales of 325,000...
. Released as that album's lead-off single in early 2007, "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" reached Number One 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 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...
charts, becoming McGraw's first Number One country hit since "Back When
Back When
"Back When" is the title of a song written by Stan Lynch, Stephony Smith and Jeff Stevens, and recorded by American country music singer Tim McGraw. It was released in August 2004 as the second single from McGraw's 2004 album Live Like You Were Dying...
" in late 2004.
Background
William Kenneth Alphin, otherwise known as Big Kenny, one-half of country rock duo Big & RichBig & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
, wrote "Last Dollar" after a disastrous night of gambling in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
in 2002.
He and his manager were in the city as part of the Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
farewell tour. Alphin had $200 to his name and $140,000 in credit card debt, and in hopes of increasing his cash on hand, he went to the blackjack tables. At one point, he had won nearly $1,000, but instead of stopping, he continued to play. Eventually, he lost all but $21. He gave the dealer a $20 tip, leaving Alphin with literally his last dollar. "That night as I looked down at the sole breaking off of my shoe it hit me like a ton of bricks," Alphin said. "But with that realization came the freedom of knowing that I also had nothing to lose."
From that point, Alphin's career took off, both as a songwriter and as part of the duo Big & Rich
Big & Rich
Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich. Both members alternate as lead vocalists and play rhythm guitar...
. Several years after the incident, he played some of his songs for McGraw. "I'll never forget the day I played him the song," Alphin said. "We were at Blackbird Studio and Tim was making a new album. As we sat together in my truck, I played him a couple of the songs that I was recording. The second song I played was "Last Dollar." He looked over at me and said, "Are you gonna let me record that?"
The song is an up-tempo in the key of E Major
E major
E major is a major scale based on E, with the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps .Its relative minor is C-sharp minor, and its parallel minor is E minor....
. Its lyrics take the point of view of a man who is "down to his last dollar", but still in a positive mood ("One, two, three, like a bird I sing / 'Cause you've given me the most beautiful set of wings").
McGraw's daughters, Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey, sing on the song's final chorus. When Alphin heard McGraw's final version, with the children joining in at the end, "I nearly lost it," he said. "That moment of reflection in Las Vegas all that time ago gave me the hope to keep going and now five years later, that hope is a hit song for my friend Tim McGraw."
Reception
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a B rating. He said the song is "a wry twist on the 'I’m poor, but rich because I have you' nonsense that often passes for a love song in country music." He then added that the only problem with the single is the high number of production tricks.Music video
The music video is partially a live video, and was directed by Sherman Halsey, and it premiered on CMTCMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
on New Year's Day 2007. At the end, his kids, and his wife Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
are shown, as well as producer Byron Gallimore
Byron Gallimore
Byron Gallimore is an American record producer known for his work in the field of country music. He has worked with artists such as Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, whose 1999 album Breathe won him the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.-Biography:Byron...
and his kids.
Chart performance
"Last Dollar (Fly Away)" debuted at #50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of January 13, 2007.The song reached Number One on the Billboard US 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 dated April 14, 2007. "Last Dollar" also entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #81 on April 7, 2007; one week later, it reached its peak at #13 on that chart.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 18 |
Track listing
US promotional CD single Curb CURBD-2015- "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" Album Version 4:29
- "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" Radio Edit 3:57
- Suggested Callout Research Hook :10
External links
- "Last Dollar (Fly Away)" video at CMT.com