Tattoos on This Town
Encyclopedia
"Tattoos on This Town" is the title of a song written by Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley and Neil Thrasher
, and recorded by American country
artist Jason Aldean
. It was released to country radio September 5, 2011, serving as the fourth single from his 2010 studio album, My Kinda Party
.
song, in which a man expresses his desires of leaving something behind on his small town to let others know he and his girlfriend were here.
The video, directed by Wes Edwards
, portrays a young couple's love story, starting from their teenage years, fast-forwarding through marriage and settling down, all the way to the young man's leaving for war. Some time later, his wife is paid a visit by two Marines who inform her about the death of her husband. It then fast-forwards through the young widow's life, in which she attends her husband's funeral and also gives birth to a son. As the video ends, the son, now a young boy (wearing his late father's old cap), throws a stone into the lake near the tree where his parents had carved "I Love You" many years before. Throughout the video, Aldean and his band perform inside an aircraft hangar, filmed in Smyrna, Tennessee
.
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave "Tattoos on This Town" 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising Aldean's performance and comparing the song to many of his previous hits, saying how this song "runs parallel to our own tales of mischief, lost innocence and heartache".
Ben Foster of Country Universe gave the song a B rating, praising the song's lyrical construction, as well as how it "succeeds due to the fact that it rises about the superficial idealization and cliché formulas that have bogged down a great deal of Aldean’s material".
Upon its release as a single, the song debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of August 27, 2011 and peaked at number 2, making it his thirteenth top ten hit on this chart. It also debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of October 8, 2011 and has peaked at number 40. Most recently, it debuted at number 96 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Neil Thrasher
Joe Neil Thrasher, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1995 and 1997, he and Kelly Shiver comprised the duo Thrasher Shiver, which recorded a studio album for Asylum Records in 1996 and charted two singles on the Billboard country charts in early 1997...
, and recorded by American country
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 Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
. It was released to country radio September 5, 2011, serving as the fourth single from his 2010 studio album, My Kinda Party
My Kinda Party
Michael McCall with the Associated Press lauded Aldean for his "fresh sound" on the album saying he "stands at the forefront of a movement combining country themes with hard-rock chords"...
.
Content
"Tattoos on This Town" is an up-tempo country rockCountry rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
song, in which a man expresses his desires of leaving something behind on his small town to let others know he and his girlfriend were here.
Music video
The music video for "Tattoos on This Town" debuted for download on iTunes on September 20, 2011. It then premiered on VEVO on September 22, 2011, and on CMT and GAC on September 26, 2011.The video, directed by Wes Edwards
Wes Edwards
Wes Edwards is a music video and commercial director. He has directed several Jason Aldean videos, as well as others.-Music videos directed:This is a list of music videos directed by Wes Edwards...
, portrays a young couple's love story, starting from their teenage years, fast-forwarding through marriage and settling down, all the way to the young man's leaving for war. Some time later, his wife is paid a visit by two Marines who inform her about the death of her husband. It then fast-forwards through the young widow's life, in which she attends her husband's funeral and also gives birth to a son. As the video ends, the son, now a young boy (wearing his late father's old cap), throws a stone into the lake near the tree where his parents had carved "I Love You" many years before. Throughout the video, Aldean and his band perform inside an aircraft hangar, filmed in Smyrna, Tennessee
Smyrna, Tennessee
Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. Smyrna's population was 25,569 people at the 2000 census. The Census estimate of the 2009 population is 39,142.-Geography:Smyrna is located at ....
.
Critical response
"Tattoos on This Town" has received generally positive reviews from critics.Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave "Tattoos on This Town" 4.5 out of 5 stars, praising Aldean's performance and comparing the song to many of his previous hits, saying how this song "runs parallel to our own tales of mischief, lost innocence and heartache".
Ben Foster of Country Universe gave the song a B rating, praising the song's lyrical construction, as well as how it "succeeds due to the fact that it rises about the superficial idealization and cliché formulas that have bogged down a great deal of Aldean’s material".
Chart performance
"Tattoos on This Town" debuted at number 18 on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in 2010 as an album cut based on downloads.Upon its release as a single, the song debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart the week of August 27, 2011 and peaked at number 2, making it his thirteenth top ten hit on this chart. It also debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of October 8, 2011 and has peaked at number 40. Most recently, it debuted at number 96 on the Canadian Hot 100.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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