Songoftheday 11/9/22 -She left without leavin' a number, said she needed to clear her mind...

 

 

"Austin" - Blake Shelton

from the album Blake Shelton (2001)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 10

 

Today's song comes from singer Blake Shelton, who grew up in south-central Oklahoma before moving to Nashville to start his country music career. He was originally signed to Giant Records, who released his debut single "Austin". Written by David Kent and Kirsti Manna, the song has Shelton telling the story about a woman who moved away from her ex-boyfriend. After time, she called him up repeatedly, getting an answering machine that gave his whereabouts but ended that if it was Austin, he still loved her. Of course eventually she leaves her number, to have him call back. The song is well-written, being a "list song" without being a list song, and the wrap-around theme of the callback works well, though of course it was of its time; these days this all would be through text. Shelton's younger voice is vulnerable enough to put across the nervousness of the lyrics (and a big key change!), and in return Blake found himself not only with a big country radio hit, but thanks to sales of the CD single, a big appearance on the Hot 100...

"Austin" became Blake's first hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart, reaching the top-20 in September of 2001. The song spent a hefty five weeks at #1 on the Country Airplay chart as well. This was a notable feat, since not long after the song was released, Giant Records shut down, with Warner Brothers taking over the sales and promotion. The Blake Shelton album, released in July of that year, made it to #45 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #3 on the Country Albums list, going on to sell over a million copies.

Shelton's next single from the debut, "All Over Me", was co-written by Shelton with country music veteran Earl Thomas Conley and Mike Pyle. It was a "big" love ballad, though it was a little standard (though it gave Blake a chance to bring out his falsetto in the chorus). The song reached #18 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, while it "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #110. That was followed by "Ol' Red", a remake of a song recorded as album tracks by both George Jones and Kenny Rogers. A song that again told a story, an even more captivating one involving doggie treats and a prison escape, really put Blake apart from the rest of the bland male singers at the time. It peaked at #14 on the Country Airplay chart, and just missed the Hot 100 bubbling under at #101, but the impact of that single really set Blake up for his next album. Shelton will be back to the series.

(7/10)

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Here's a clip of Shelton performing "Austin" around the time of the release of the album...

 

 Next up, in concert in 2009....

and lastly, at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2021...

Up tomorrow: The diva's folly with a cute guy in the mix.