Time Marches On (song)
Encyclopedia
"Time Marches On" is the title of a country music
song recorded by Tracy Lawrence
. It was written by Bobby Braddock
, who also wrote Lawrence's 1995 Number One hit "Texas Tornado
". The title track and second single from his fourth studio album, it was the fifteenth chart single of his career. It spent three weeks at Number One on the Billboard
country charts in mid-1996, becoming the longest-lasting Number One hit of his career. It also received a Single of the Year nomination from the Country Music Association
in 1996, as well as a Song of the Year nomination for both 1996 and 1997.
-control diet
, the mother is senile and the father is dead. Each verse also references various items of pop culture from the years depicted.
magazine in her review of the album called the song a "quirky kind of 'Pilgrim's Progress' set in the saga of a white-trash
family." Price also reviewed the song as an official single. She called it an "intriguing song that chronicles the life of a family in different stages; it uses vivid images that connect the listener to the lyric through the characters and cultural references." She goes on to say that "Lawrence's delivery and Cook's production are right on target..."
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...
song recorded by Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence
Tracy Lawrence is an American country music artist. He started at a country music restaurant called "Live At Libby's" where owner Libby Knight would help local talent find their way into country music...
. It was written by Bobby Braddock
Bobby Braddock
Robert Valentine Braddock is an American country music songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during more than 40 years in the industry, including 13 number-one hit...
, who also wrote Lawrence's 1995 Number One hit "Texas Tornado
Texas Tornado (song)
"Texas Tornado" is the title of a song written by Bobby Braddock and recorded by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. It was released in April 1995 as the third single from Lawrence's 1994 album I See It Now...
". The title track and second single from his fourth studio album, it was the fifteenth chart single of his career. It spent three weeks at Number One on the 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...
country charts in mid-1996, becoming the longest-lasting Number One hit of his career. It also received a Single of the Year nomination from the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
in 1996, as well as a Song of the Year nomination for both 1996 and 1997.
Content
The song is a mid-tempo which details various events in the lives of a married couple and their two children, starting with the children's childhoods, then moving through their teenage and adult years. In the bridge, the narrator observes that "the only thing that stays the same is/that everything changes". By the final verse, the children have grown up and moved away, the daughter is now a grandparent, the son is on a cholesterolCholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
-control diet
Dieting
Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight in those who are overweight or obese. Some athletes, however, follow a diet to gain weight...
, the mother is senile and the father is dead. Each verse also references various items of pop culture from the years depicted.
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of BillboardBillboard (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 in her review of the album called the song a "quirky kind of 'Pilgrim's Progress' set in the saga of a white-trash
White trash
White trash is an American English pejorative term referring to poor white people in the United States, suggesting lower social class and degraded living standards...
family." Price also reviewed the song as an official single. She called it an "intriguing song that chronicles the life of a family in different stages; it uses vivid images that connect the listener to the lyric through the characters and cultural references." She goes on to say that "Lawrence's delivery and Cook's production are right on target..."
Music video
The music video was directed by Marc Ball and premiered in March 1996. It shows Lawrence performing in front of an audience. It was filmed at Coyote Joe's in Charlotte, North Carolina.Chart positions
"Time Marches On" debuted at number 64 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 23, 1996.| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |