Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [9] | Gold | 500,000 |
| ||
| "A Better Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Clint Black | ||||
| from the album Killin' Time | ||||
| B-side | "Winding Down" | |||
| Released | February 18, 1989 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | November 1988 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville 8781 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clint Black Hayden Nicholas | |||
| Producer(s) | Mark Wright James Stroud | |||
| Clint Black singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"A Better Man" is a song by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in February 1989 as his debut single, and was served as the first single from his debut album, Killin' Time . It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas. When "A Better Man" went to No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart on June 10, Black was the first artist since Freddy Fender to ascend to the top of the country chart with his first charted single. [1] In addition, "A Better Man" was the No. 1 song of 1989 on the Hot Country Singles chart. [2] The success of "A Better Man," along with the follow-up "Killin' Time," were instrumental in Black winning the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1989. [3]
The song is a reflection on a relationship co-writer Black had recently ended with a girlfriend of seven years. He shared his dying romance story with friend Hayden Nicholas, who - after sharing an idea for the melody - came up with the hook line ("I'm leaving here a better man/For knowing you this way."). [4]
This was Clint Black's first music video; it was directed by Bill Young and premiered in early 1989. Much of the video is of Black driving down a little-used country road in a late-1950s Ford F-100 pickup truck, reflecting on his now-failed relationship. Interspersed are clips of Black performing the song before people dancing to the song.
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [5] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] | 1 |
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [7] | 4 |
| US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] | 1 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [9] | Gold | 500,000 |
| ||
Killin' Time is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Clint Black. It was released on May 2, 1989, by RCA Nashville. The album, buoyed by the chart-topping success of its first four singles, was a huge hit upon its release, and established Black as one of the biggest new stars in country music. The album is currently certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
"Killin' Time" is a song written by Hayden Nicholas and American country music artist Clint Black, and recorded by Black. It was released in July 1989 as the second single and title track from his debut album. The song was his second number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. When Billboard published its year-end Hot Country Singles chart for 1989, "Killin' Time" was the No. 2 song of the year — one spot behind Black's "A Better Man." The successes of "A Better Man" and "Killin' Time" were instrumental in Black winning the Country Music Association's Horizon Award in 1989.
"Summer's Comin'" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in March 1995 as the third single from his album One Emotion. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
Clint Black is an American country music singer. His discography consists of 14 studio albums, eight compilation albums, one extended play and 50 singles. Black debuted in 1989 with the single "A Better Man", the first of four consecutive Number One country hits from his album Killin' Time for RCA Nashville. Over the next decade, he released six more albums for RCA and two more on his own label, Equity Music Group. Black's RCA albums are all certified gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has sold 19 million albums worldwide.
"Where Are You Now" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in July 1991 as the fourth and final single from his album Put Yourself in My Shoes. The song reached number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts that year, and was his sixth chart-topper. It also reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"Like the Rain" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in September 1996 as the first single from his Greatest Hits compilation album. The song became his 23rd chart single, and in October of that year, it became his tenth Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. It held that position for three weeks. At the 1997 Grammy Awards, "Like the Rain" was nominated for the Best Male Country Vocal performance. The song was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"The Shoes You're Wearing" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in April 1998 as the fourth single from Black's Nothin' but the Taillights album. The song reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and reached number one in Canada. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"When My Ship Comes In" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in January 1993 as the third and final single from his album The Hard Way. It reached number one in both the United States and Canada. The song was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"A Good Run of Bad Luck" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in February 1994 as the fourth single from his album No Time to Kill. It reached number one on both the United States and Canadian country charts. The song was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas. It also appeared on the 1994 soundtrack to the film Maverick.
"Nobody's Home" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in October 1989 as the third single from his debut album Killin' Time. The song was his third consecutive number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was also Black's first single not to have an accompanying music video.
"Walkin' Away" is a song by American country music artist Clint Black. It was written Black, Hayden Nicholas, Black's electric guitarist and Dick Gay, his drummer. It was released in February 1990 as the fourth single from his album, Killin' Time. The song was his fourth consecutive number-one hit on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
"Nothing's News" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in June 1990 as the fifth and final single from his debut album Killin' Time. It was his first single not to chart at number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart but it did reach number 1 on The Canadian RPM country Tracks chart.
"We Tell Ourselves" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in June 1992 as the first single from Black's album The Hard Way. The song reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in August 1992, behind "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks and Dunn and also number-one on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"Life Gets Away" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in October 1995 as the fifth and final single from Black's album One Emotion. The song reached number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in December 1995 and number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. It was written by Black, Hayden Nicholas and Thom Schuyler.
"Put Yourself in My Shoes" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in October 1990 as the lead single and title track to his second album Put Yourself in My Shoes. The song made its chart debut in October 1990 and peaked at number 4 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks by year's end. In Canada, it peaked at number 3 on the RPM country music charts dated for December 15, 1990. It was written by Black with Hayden Nicholas and Shake Russell.
"Half the Man" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in May 1994 as the fifth and last single from his album No Time to Kill. Before its release, the song served as the b-side to "A Good Run of Bad Luck." The song peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and at number 5 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"Burn One Down" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in October 1992 as the second single from the album The Hard Way. The song made its chart debut in September 1992 and peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It reached number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The song was written by Black with Hayden Nicholas and Frankie Miller.
"No Time to Kill" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in August 1993 as the second single and the title track from his album No Time to Kill. The song peaked at number 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and at number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
"Half Way Up" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Clint Black. It was released in November 1996 as the second single from his Greatest Hits compilation album. It peaked at number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and reached number 2 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. It was written by Black with Hayden Nicholas.
"Loosen Up My Strings" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Clint Black. It was released in August 1998 as the fifth single from his album Nothin' but the Taillights. It peaked at #12 in the United States, and #6 in Canada. The song was written by Black and Hayden Nicholas.
