19 Somethin'
Encyclopedia
"19 Somethin'" is a song written by David Lee and Chris DuBois, and recorded by American country music
singer Mark Wills
. The song was released in September 2002, and spent six weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs
chart in early 2003. It also reached number 23 on the Hot 100 chart and was the longer-lasting of Wills's Number One hits. The song would go on to become the number two country song of the Decade on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart.
, eight track, and Stretch Armstrong
; the first verse also mentions the 1980 videogame Pac-Man
("I had the Pac-Man pattern memorized"), which was actually released in 1980. The first chorus begins with the line "It was 1970-somethin' / In the world that I grew up in". Verse two, similarly, references 1980s pop culture, such as the Rubik's Cube
, black Pontiac Trans Ams and MTV
. The second chorus also begins with "It was 1980-somethin'".
In the song's bridge, the singer then expresses his desire to escape to his childhood years ("Now I've got a mortgage
and an SUV
/ All this responsibility makes me wish sometimes / That it was 1980-somethin’").
" and "Wish You Were Here
".
awards in May 2003.
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 Mark Wills
Mark Wills
Daryl Mark Williams is an American country music artist, best known professionally as Mark Wills. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label — Mark Wills, Wish You Were Here, Permanently, Loving Every Minute and And the Crowd Goes Wild — as well...
. The song was released in September 2002, and spent six weeks at number one on 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...
chart in early 2003. It also reached number 23 on the Hot 100 chart and was the longer-lasting of Wills's Number One hits. The song would go on to become the number two country song of the Decade on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart.
Content
The song begins with singer's reminiscence of his formative years, the 1970s and 1980s. In the first verse and chorus, various 1970s-related bits of pop culture are referenced, such as Farrah FawcettFarrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett was an American actress and artist. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie's Angels, in 1976...
, eight track, and Stretch Armstrong
Stretch Armstrong
Stretch Armstrong was a large, gel-filled action figure first introduced in 1976 by Kenner.-History:Stretch Armstrong was in the shape of a well-muscled blonde man wearing a pair of swimming trunks. Its most notable feature was that the doll could be stretched from its original size to four or...
; the first verse also mentions the 1980 videogame Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
("I had the Pac-Man pattern memorized"), which was actually released in 1980. The first chorus begins with the line "It was 1970-somethin' / In the world that I grew up in". Verse two, similarly, references 1980s pop culture, such as the Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube
Rubik's Cube is a 3-D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik.Originally called the "Magic Cube", the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Ideal Toy Corp. in 1980 and won the German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle that...
, black Pontiac Trans Ams and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The second chorus also begins with "It was 1980-somethin'".
In the song's bridge, the singer then expresses his desire to escape to his childhood years ("Now I've got a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
and an SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. It is usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle. Not all four-wheel...
/ All this responsibility makes me wish sometimes / That it was 1980-somethin’").
Critical
An uncredited article in the Charlotte Observer said that the success of "19 Somethin'" was "doubly great" because it was a number-one single, and because it was an up-tempo, in comparison to the ballads he had hits with earlier in his career, such as "Don't Laugh at MeDon't Laugh at Me
"Don't Laugh at Me" is the title of a song written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin. It was recorded by American country music artist Mark Wills and released in July 1998 as the second single from his 1998 album Wish You Were Here. Like "I Do " before it, "Don't Laugh at Me" was a number 2 hit on...
" and "Wish You Were Here
Wish You Were Here (Mark Wills song)
"Wish You Were Here" is the title of a song recorded by American country musician Mark Wills. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
".
Awards
"19 Somethin'" was nominated for Single of the Year at the 38th annual Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
awards in May 2003.
Chart positions
"19 Somethin'" debuted at number 56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 5, 2002. It was his second number one, the first being "Wish You Were Here" in late 1999.| Chart (2002-2003) | Peak position |
|---|
Personnel
According to liner notes.- Tim Akers – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- J.T. Corenflos – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Eric Darken – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Aubrey HaynieAubrey HaynieAubrey Haynie is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wrote himself...
– fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music... - Wes Hightower – background vocals
- Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Biff Watson – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Lonnie Wilson – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Parody
- Country music parodist Cledus T. JuddCledus T. JuddBarry Poole is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies...
parodied the song as "270 Somethin'" on his 2003 EP A Six Pack of JuddA Six Pack of JuddA Six Pack of Judd is a six-song EP compact disc recorded by country music parodist Cledus T. Judd. It was released in 2003 on Monument Records Nashville....
. Judd's parody tells of an obese person who loses weight.