41 Years Ago: John Anderson’s “Swingin'” Goes No. 1
on Jan 03, 2023 • Updated Mar 25, 2024
American country singer John Anderson electrified the world of music with the release of his hit single “Swingin'” back in 1983.
“Swingin'” was the second single of Anderson’s Wild & Blue album released in 1982.
The song was highly well-received and quickly soared to number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs as well as the all-genre Hot 100. It debuted at number 71 on the charts and climbed its way to the top spot for the week of March 26, 1983.
Eventually, “Swingin'” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and scored a CMA Award for Single of the Year.
“Swingin'” was the second of five number one singles Anderson would have in his career.
His other number one songs were “Wild and Blue” in 1982, “Black Sheep” in 1983, “Straight Tequila Night” in 1991, and “Money in the Bank” in 1993. Although it did not hit number one, another one of his well-known songs was 1992’s “Seminole Wind.”
RELATED: John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” Tells A Cautionary Tale
Decades later in 2010, female country singer LeAnn Rimes released a cover of “Swingin’,” receiving a Grammy nomination for her rendition the year following.
John Anderson performs “Swingin'” in a 1984 video.
The country singer hit the stage for a wild performance of “Swingin’,” strongly displaying his immense talent. Anderson flawlessly sang the flirty lyrics telling the story about a young couple stricken with love hanging out on front porch swing.
Anderson has endured a successful career in country music and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in October 2014.
In this video posted by Country Road TV in November 2018, Anderson explained how “Swingin'” was developed!
He was making an appearance on the series Larry’s Country Diner and eventually said that once they got the guitar riffs down, the lyrics came just pouring out! They wrote the hit in less than two hours!
Anderson introduced the song and said it was the 30th anniversary of “Swingin’,” so the video below was recorded in 2013!
In both performances, Anderson rocked his signature long, curly, blonde hair under his black cowboy hat.
Watch his 1984 performance of “Swingin'” below!
