"Old Alabama" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music

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 Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley

Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....

, featuring guest vocals from the band 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...

. The song is the second single from Paisley's studio album, This Is Country Music

This Is Country Music

Upon its release, This Is Country Music received general acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a average score of 82, based on 10 reviews. This indicates "universal acclaim".Chris Willman with...

, released on May 23, 2011.

Content

When writing the song, Paisley thought that the bridge to Alabama's 1982 single "Mountain Music

Mountain Music (song)

"Mountain Music" is the title of a song written by Randy Owen and recorded by his band, Alabama. It was released in January 1982 as the lead-off single and title track to Alabama's third album, Mountain Music.-About the song:...

" would fit well with the song. Instead of sampling

Sampling (music)

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...

 that song, he asked Alabama band members Randy Owen

Randy Owen

Randy Owen is an American country music artist. He is known primarily for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country rock band which saw considerable mainstream success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Although Alabama only records new albums on occasion, Owen himself has maintained a career...

, Jeff Cook and Teddy Gentry to join him in the studio and sing the bridge.

"Old Alabama" incorporates into its lyrics the titles of several of Alabama's classic songs, including "Why Lady Why

Why Lady Why

"Why Lady Why" is a song by the country music band Alabama. Written by Rick Scott and band member Teddy Gentry, the song was released in 1980, and eventually became the group's second No...

," "Tennessee River

Tennessee River (song)

"Tennessee River" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Written by the group's lead singer, Randy Owen, the song was released in 1980, and eventually became the group's first No...

," "Feels So Right

Feels So Right (song)

"Feels So Right" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Written by the group's lead singer, Randy Owen when he was only 18 years old, the song was released in 1981 as the title track to the band's second RCA Records album. It became the group's fourth straight No. 1 single "Feels...

," "Love in the First Degree

Love in the First Degree (Alabama song)

"Love in the First Degree" is a song made famous by the country music band Alabama. The song was released in 1981 and is included on the band's second RCA Records album, Feels So Right. It became the group's fifth straight No. 1 single "Love in the First Degree" is a song made famous by the country...

" and "Dixieland Delight

Dixieland Delight

"Dixieland Delight" is a song written by Ronnie Rogers and recorded by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in January 1983, the song was the lead-off single to Alabama's fourth album, The Closer You Get....-Background and writing:...

." A man's illustration of his idea of spending time with a desirable woman on a Saturday night, the song references the names of Alabama songs that the couple are listening to on their way to an unnamed rendezvous. In the song's bridge, Owen, Gentry and Cook sing the bridge of "Mountain Music

Mountain Music (song)

"Mountain Music" is the title of a song written by Randy Owen and recorded by his band, Alabama. It was released in January 1982 as the lead-off single and title track to Alabama's third album, Mountain Music.-About the song:...

," in fact the same parts they did on their original 1982 hit. The song ends with a fiddle-heavy reprisal of "Old Alabama"'s refrain, which is musically in the vein of "Mountain Music."

Critical reception

Matt Bjorke of Roughstock rated the single three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the references to Alabama songs were "cleverly intertwined" and that the appearance of Alabama gave the song a "nostalgia" factor. Blake Boldt of The 9513 thought that the tributes to the band Alabama were "admirable", but criticized the melody for sounding similar to his 2007 single "Online

Online (song)

"Online" is a single by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It is the second single from his 2007 album 5th Gear. The single is Brad's ninth overall Number One single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, as well as his fifth consecutive Number One...

" and thought that it "leans heavily […] on song mentions and recycled production."

Music video

The music video was directed by Jim Shea and premiered in May 2011. It features the group Alabama and appearances from NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 drivers, Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Waltrip

Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...

, Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon

Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...

 and Rick Hendrick

Rick Hendrick

Joseph Riddick Hendrick III , better known as Rick Hendrick, is the current owner of the American NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Marrow Program. He attended Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, and began his career in auto...

. The video was filmed in and around Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

.

Chart performance

"Old Alabama" entered the 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 at number 44 on the chart dated for the week ending March 26, 2011. It has since become Alabama's first number one hit since "Reckless

Reckless (Alabama song)

"Reckless" is the title of a song written by Michael Clark and Jeff Stevens, and recorded by American country music group Alabama. It was released in September 1993 as the first single from their album, Cheap Seats...

" in 1993. It is also the seventeenth number one for Paisley.

Chart (2011)	Peak position