Little Man (Alan Jackson song)
Encyclopedia
"Little Man" is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music
artist Alan Jackson
. It was released in May 1999 as the fourth and final single from his 1998 album High Mileage
. The song topped at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, and four on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
es that struggled to stay in business against big business
es, such as corporation
s, but did not make it, referring to them as "the little man". The narrator tells about his memories as he looks at the storefronts of abandoned businesses that went under. "I go back now and the stores are empty/ Except an old Coke sign dated 1950/ Boarded up like they never existed."
, Jasper, Florida
and Pavo, Georgia
. Most of the video shows Alan driving down the main street waving at the townspeople. It was directed by Steven Goldmann.
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) charts dated for the week ending May 29, 1999.
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 Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
. It was released in May 1999 as the fourth and final single from his 1998 album High Mileage
High Mileage
High Mileage is the seventh studio album by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released on September 1, 1998 and produced four hit singles on the Hot Country Songs charts for Jackson: "I'll Go on Loving You" , "Right on the Money" , "Gone Crazy" and "Little Man"...
. The song topped at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, and four on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
Lyrics
The song is about small businessSmall business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
es that struggled to stay in business against big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
es, such as corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, but did not make it, referring to them as "the little man". The narrator tells about his memories as he looks at the storefronts of abandoned businesses that went under. "I go back now and the stores are empty/ Except an old Coke sign dated 1950/ Boarded up like they never existed."
Music video
The music video starts out as Alan Jackson talking about his inspiration for writing the song before going into the actual video of the song. Jackson tells of a trip he took through random small towns where he saw many closed small businesses. Many of the places he visited he had been to as a child, and he realized how much they'd changed. The video was shot in the small town's of Lascassas, TennesseeLascassas, Tennessee
Lascassas is an unincorporated community in Rutherford County, Tennessee, near the city of Murfreesboro...
, Jasper, Florida
Jasper, Florida
Jasper is a city in Hamilton County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,780 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,848 . It is the county seat of Hamilton County. The United Methodist Church in Jasper, Florida is on the National Register...
and Pavo, Georgia
Pavo, Georgia
Pavo is a city that is divided by the county line between Brooks County and Thomas County, Georgia. It is part of the Valdosta, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Most of the video shows Alan driving down the main street waving at the townspeople. It was directed by Steven Goldmann.
Chart positions
"Little Man" debuted at number 68 on the BillboardBillboard (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 (now 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 dated for the week ending May 29, 1999.
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 39 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 4 |