Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)
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"Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" | ||||
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Single by The Judds | ||||
from the album Rockin' with the Rhythm | ||||
Released | January 1986 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 4:15 | |||
Label | RCA Nashville/Curb | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jamie O'Hara | |||
Producer(s) | Brent Maher | |||
The Judds singles chronology | ||||
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"Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" is a song written by Jamie O'Hara, and recorded by the American country music duo, The Judds. It was released in January 1986 as the second single from the album Rockin' with the Rhythm. The song was their sixth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.[1] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[2]
Content[]
"Grandpa" — (tell me 'bout the good old days- as the song is sometimes known) — is a calm country song about the decline and abandonment of traditional values, the hectic lifestyle of the day and how progress isn't always positive ("They call it progress/But I just don't know"). The main refrain of the song reflects on the narrator as they express mournful doubt and discontent that past occurrences of traditional values really happened (just make me feel alright), instead of what the singer has experienced during her lifetime; and the narrator wishes he/she could experience those past times now instead of experiencing the traditional values having been abandoned for their negative opposites, such as marriages staying intact for a lifetime, instead of broken marriage vows and broken marriage covenants and rampant infidelity--fathers maintaining their responsibilities to help raise children, instead of fatherless dysfunctional families with disobedient and disrespectful children that comes from it--families going to church and having humility, instead of worshiping the Lord of the world--promises being kept, instead of a lack of personal integrity--and how right and wrong were clearly defined and obeyed, instead of being ignored in order to make other people feel better about themselves.
Chart performance[]
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Year End (1986) | Position |
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Billboard | ? |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 11 |
Awards[]
The song won Grammy Awards for both The Judds in Country Duo/ Vocal Group category and for O'Hara in the Country Songwriting Category in 1987.
Cover versions[]
- Melinda Schneider and Beccy Cole covered the song on their album Great Women of Country (2014).
covered this song as a single in 2020.
References[]
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 184.
- ^ Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
- ^ "The Judds Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- 1986 singles
- 1985 songs
- The Judds songs
- Songs written by Jamie O'Hara (singer)
- RCA Records Nashville singles
- Curb Records singles
- Song recordings produced by Brent Maher