Little Rock (Collin Raye song)
Encyclopedia
"Little Rock" is a song written by Tom Douglas
and recorded by American
country music singer Collin Raye
. It was released in March 1994 as the second single released from his CD, Extremes
, it peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and number 7 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks.
, which also serves as a metaphor for his faltering marriage caused by his alcoholism. He explains that he sells VCR's at a Wal-Mart
and that he hasn't had a drink in nineteen days. The narrator repeats the phrase "I think I'm on a roll here in Little Rock" but later explains that his only problem is that his significant other is not with him (presumably she separated or divorced him).
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that the "cinematic" production and "Raye's on-the-money delivery are the perfect vehicles for this moving song about a guy who's hit bottom and is climbing back up one step at a time.
Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated April 9, 1994. It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, and peaked at #2 on the chart dated July 2, 1994 (having been blocked from Number One by Neal McCoy
's "Wink
").
Tom Douglas (songwriter)
Thomas Stevenson "Tom" Douglas is an American country music songwriter. Active since the early 1990s, he has written Top Ten hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye and others....
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 Collin Raye
Collin Raye
Floyd Collin Wray Floyd Collin Wray Floyd Collin Wray (born August 22, 1959 or 1960,Although multiple online sources all indicate Raye's date of birth as 1959, Raye's MySpace lists his date of birth as 1960. Furthermore, the 2004 Deseret News article cited in this article indicates the singer as...
. It was released in March 1994 as the second single released from his CD, Extremes
Extremes (album)
Extremes is the third studio album released by American country music artist Collin Raye. As with Raye's first two albums, Extremes received platinum certification in the United States for sales of over one million copies. The singles released from this album were "That's My Story", "Man of My...
, it peaked at number 2 on the U.S. 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 chart and number 7 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks.
Background and content
"Little Rock" centers around a man, who is a recovering alcoholic trying to rebuild his life in Little Rock, ArkansasLittle Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, which also serves as a metaphor for his faltering marriage caused by his alcoholism. He explains that he sells VCR's at a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and that he hasn't had a drink in nineteen days. The narrator repeats the phrase "I think I'm on a roll here in Little Rock" but later explains that his only problem is that his significant other is not with him (presumably she separated or divorced him).
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of 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...
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that the "cinematic" production and "Raye's on-the-money delivery are the perfect vehicles for this moving song about a guy who's hit bottom and is climbing back up one step at a time.
Music video
The music video was directed by Sherman Halsey and premiered in mid-1994. The video follows the song storyline by depicting a recovering alcoholic.Chart performance
The song debuted at #63 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 chart dated April 9, 1994. It charted for 20 weeks on that chart, and peaked at #2 on the chart dated July 2, 1994 (having been blocked from Number One by Neal McCoy
Neal McCoy
Hubert Neal McGaughey, Jr. is an American country music singer of mixed Irish and Filipino descent. Known professionally as Neal McCoy, he has released ten studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio...
's "Wink
Wink (song)
"Wink" is the title of a song written by Bob DiPiero and Tom Shapiro, and recorded by American country music singer Neal McCoy. It was released in 1994 as the second single from his 1994 album No Doubt About It. Also the second consecutive Number One from that album, "Wink" spent four weeks at the...
").
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 2 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 7 |