31 years ago, Alan Jackson released a song that would become a summertime anthem for country music fans around the world.
Whether you have the winter blues or just love summer, it’s always the right time to flash back to Alan Jackson’s hit song, “Chattahoochee.”
“Chattahoochee,” was written by Jackson and songwriter Jim McBride and was released as the third single from his 1993 A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘Bout Love) album. The music video that accompanied the single remains a fan favorite as it features Alan Jackson showing off his impressive waterskiing skills while wearing a pair of jeans and his signature cowboy hat. The video won the CMA Award for Music Video of the Year in 1993 while the song itself took home trophies for Single and Song of the Year.
If there was ever any doubt about the impact “Chattahoochee” had on Alan Jackson’s career, take a look at these stats.
At the time “Chattahoochee” was released, Jackson’s third studio album, A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ‘Bout Love), had topped out at No. 2 but had fallen into a comfortable spot at No. 15 on the charts with 500,000 copies sold. Shortly after the single hit radio in May 1993, the song alone sold 500,000 copies, and the album sold six million more copies, shooting it to the top of the country album charts.
“Chattahoochee” took over the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on July 17, 1993.
The success shocked Jackson who said that he was just in need of an uptempo song for the album.
“Jim McBride and I were trying to write an uptempo song and Jim came in with the line ‘Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee,’” Jackson recalls in the liner notes to 1995’s The Greatest Hits Collection. “It kind of went from there. It’s a song about having fun, growing up and coming of age in a small town — which really applies to anyone across the country, not just by the Chattahoochee. We never thought it would be as big as it’s become.”
Its music video is nearly as famous as the song itself! The song remains a year-round favorite for country music fans. Check out Alan Jackson’s official video for “Chattahoochee” below.