What Am I Gonna Do About You (song)
Encyclopedia
"What Am I Gonna Do About You" is a song written by Jim Allison, Doug Gilmore, and Bob Simon. It was first recorded by American country
music artist Con Hunley
in 1986 on the Capitol Records
label and later by Reba McEntire
for her 1986 studio album of the same name
. Produced by Jimmy Bowen
and McEntire, it became a number one single on the Billboard Magazine country music chart.
It debuted at #54 on the Hot Country Single's chart for the week of October 11, 1986 and peaked at #1 for the week of January 17, 1987.
in 1985 on the Capitol Records
label with "Lord, She Sure Looks Good Tonight" on the B-side. His version was released on the Capitol #5525, spending 15 weeks on the country charts and peaking at #48.
It was recorded by Reba McEntire in 1986 at the Sound Stage Studio in Nashville, Tennessee
. The song is characterized as a slow ballad
, which describes how a woman tries to recover from a love affair, saying throughout the song, "what am I gonna do about you." The song's chorus is also repeated throughout the song:
," stating, "the title song had something of the feel of "Whoever's in New England" in its portrayal of a woman trying to recover from a painfully ended love affair."
(her second studio album of the year) and became a major hit in the United States and Canada. In the United States, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks the following year on January 17, 1987, becoming her seventh song to top the charts. The song's success helped the album certify "Gold" (and eventually "Platinum") by the Recording Industry Association of America
. It also became McEntire's first single to top the Canadian RPM
Country Tracks charts, reaching number one January 24.
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...
music artist Con Hunley
Con Hunley
Conard Logan "Con" Hunley is a country music singer.Hunley was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. After graduating from Central High School in Knoxville, Hunley began playing with local bands, maturing musically and gaining his first fans. Hunley joined the Air Force in 1965 and spent most of his...
in 1986 on the Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
label and later by Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
for her 1986 studio album of the same name
What Am I Gonna Do About You
What Am I Gonna Do About You is the eleventh album, and second straight #1 album for Reba McEntire on the Billboard country charts, containing two #1 singles, What Am I Gonna Do About You and One Promise Too Late....
. Produced by Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
and McEntire, it became a number one single on the Billboard Magazine country music chart.
It debuted at #54 on the Hot Country Single's chart for the week of October 11, 1986 and peaked at #1 for the week of January 17, 1987.
Background and content
"What Am I Gonna Do About You" was recorded by Con HunleyCon Hunley
Conard Logan "Con" Hunley is a country music singer.Hunley was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. After graduating from Central High School in Knoxville, Hunley began playing with local bands, maturing musically and gaining his first fans. Hunley joined the Air Force in 1965 and spent most of his...
in 1985 on the Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
label with "Lord, She Sure Looks Good Tonight" on the B-side. His version was released on the Capitol #5525, spending 15 weeks on the country charts and peaking at #48.
It was recorded by Reba McEntire in 1986 at the Sound Stage Studio in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. The song is characterized as a slow ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, which describes how a woman tries to recover from a love affair, saying throughout the song, "what am I gonna do about you." The song's chorus is also repeated throughout the song:
- What in the world am I gonna do about you
- Oh your memory keeps coming back from out of the blue
- Oh well I try and I try, but I still can't believe that we're through
- So tell me what in the world am I gonna do about you
- What am I gonna do about you
Critical reception
Upon its release and many years afterward, "What Am I Gonna Do About You" gained positive reviews. Although William Ruhlmann of Allmusic found the song not to have the characteristics of her previous releases, he received the song well. Ruhlmann found it to be nearly similar to that of her number one single, "Whoever's in New EnglandWhoever's in New England (song)
"Whoever's in New England" is the name of a popular single made famous by Reba McEntire in 1986. The song was considered one of her signature and breakthrough singles.-Song background:...
," stating, "the title song had something of the feel of "Whoever's in New England" in its portrayal of a woman trying to recover from a painfully ended love affair."
Release and chart performance
"What Am I Gonna Do About You" was released as McEntire's final single of the year September 15, 1986. The song became a preface of her 1986 album of the same nameWhat Am I Gonna Do About You
What Am I Gonna Do About You is the eleventh album, and second straight #1 album for Reba McEntire on the Billboard country charts, containing two #1 singles, What Am I Gonna Do About You and One Promise Too Late....
(her second studio album of the year) and became a major hit in the United States and Canada. In the United States, the song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks the following year on January 17, 1987, becoming her seventh song to top the charts. The song's success helped the album certify "Gold" (and eventually "Platinum") by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. It also became McEntire's first single to top the Canadian RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Country Tracks charts, reaching number one January 24.
Charts
| Chart (1986-1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 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... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |