"T-R-O-U-B-L-E" is the title of a song written by Jerry Chesnut

Jerry Chesnut

Jerry Donald Chesnut is an American country music songwriter. His hits include "A Good Year for the Roses" and "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" ....

 and Steve Tyrell

Steve Tyrell

Steve Tyrell is an American jazz musician.-Early career:Upon moving to New York City at the age of 18, he was made head of A&R and promotion at Scepter Records...

, and recorded by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

 in 1975. It is a different song than "Trouble

Trouble (Elvis Presley song)

Amanda Lear's debut single was a recording of "Trouble", released in the UK by Creole Records. A French language translation by Vline Buggy, titled "La Bagarre", was released in France by Polydor. Lear performed the song on an episode of Musikladen aired 29 May 1976 in West Germany. Clad in black...

", a song Presley first recorded in 1958.

Background and writing

Jerry Chesnut wrote the song in 1975, taking inspiration from a singer and pianist named Little David Wilkins

Little David Wilkins

Little David Wilkins is an American country music singer and pianist. Between 1969 and 1977, he recorded for MCA Records....

. He said that, when writing the title, he thought of a woman walking through the door and causing trouble; he added that he spelled out the word "trouble", then the words "alone" and "looking", and found that they rhymed when spelled out.

Content

The song states that pretty mamas have pretty babies, and pretty babies one day turn into pretty mamas.

Chart performance

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	11
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	35

Travis Tritt version

This song was later covered in 1992 by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 country music singer Travis Tritt

Travis Tritt

James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct...

. It is the third single released from his 1992 album of the same name. It peaked at #13 in the United States, and #17 in Canada.

Critical reception (Travis Tritt's version)

Geoffrey Himes, of Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Tritt transforms it with "boogie-woogie piano, slide guitar and super-fast tempo into a bar romp reminiscent of Little Feat

Little Feat

Little Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....

."

Music Video (Travis Tritt's version)

The music video was directed by Jack Cole. It features Tritt singing the song on a stage surrounded by a huge crowd. Later, he jumps into the crowd to look for a certain girl.

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	13
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100	8
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	17