| "As Good as I Once Was" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Toby Keith | ||||
| from the album Honkytonk University | ||||
| Released | May 9, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2004–2005 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:49 | |||
| Label | DreamWorks Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Toby Keith singles chronology | ||||
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"As Good as I Once Was" is a song recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. It was released in May 2005 as the second single from Keith's album Honkytonk University . Keith wrote the song with Scotty Emerick.
The narrator, a man approaching or in middle age and apparently sitting in a bar, is put into situations that test his masculinity. Having outlived his glory days, he insists he now is no longer "as good as [he] once was" in his younger days, but although he no longer has the stamina to do what he used to do all the time, he can still be "as good, once, as [he] ever was." Examples given include a set of twins who want to draw him into a threesome and a fight against two rednecks and a "big fat biker man" to bail his buddy, Dave, out of a botched pool hustle.
The music video was directed by Michael Salomon and premiered on CMT on May 16, 2005. It follows the narrative of the song and features Annie Sorrell and Alicia Loren as the frisky twins. At the beginning of the video, Keith is sat at the bar where he meets Bobbie Jo who invites him "for a rodeo" with her twin sister Betty Lou. Then, Keith's best friend Dave gets into a fight with a "couple of redneck boys", the beer starts sloshing, causing the music to fail, Keith yells in slow motion before the chorus resumes. As he goes to help Dave, Keith gets punched in the face by a tall bouncer. In the next shot, Keith was in an ambulance with a broken nose, as well as an intravenous drip. At the end of the video, the ambulance drives off into the night.
"As Good as I once Was" has since become one of Keith's signature songs, as well as one of his most successful. Matt Bjorke writing for About.com stated "the song is a good one, so good that it rivals anything off of Toby's "How Do You Like Me Now?!" album. It's a fun track about getting older, and how we don't have as much "energy" as we once had." [1] Sputnik Music called it "a testament to how much old age sucks" [2] while Allmusic declared the song was "wonderfully self-depreciating". [3]
"As Good as I Once Was" debuted at number 37 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of May 21, 2005. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of July 23, 2005, staying for six weeks. This song and his 2003 single "Beer for My Horses" are both his longest-running number one hits, each having spent six weeks at number one. Following Keith's death on February 5, 2024, the single would re-enter the Hot Country Songs chart at number 19 on the chart week dated February 17, 2024, being one of five Toby Keith songs to re-enter the chart that week.
The song was named BMI's Song of the Year for 2006.
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country ( Radio & Records ) [4] | 2 |
| US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 28 |
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] [7] | 19 |
| Chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 [8] | 84 |
| US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [9] | 2 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [10] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Toby Keith Covel was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman.
Honkytonk University is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on May 17, 2005 by DreamWorks Records. The album has been certified 1× Platinum for sales of in excess of 1 million units. "Honkytonk U" was the first single to be released from the album, breaking the country top 10. "As Good as I Once Was" was the album's biggest hit, topping the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts for six weeks. It was Keith's last studio album for DreamWorks before the label's bankruptcy in 2006.
"I Wanna Talk About Me" is a song written by Bobby Braddock and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. The single was released on August 20, 2001 as the second single from Keith's 2001 album Pull My Chain. The song was his seventh number one single on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Beer for My Horses" is a song recorded by American country music artists Toby Keith and Willie Nelson. It was written by Keith and Scotty Emerick for Keith's seventh studio album, Unleashed. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single on April 7, 2003.
"How Do You Like Me Now?!" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in November 1999 as the second single and title track from his album of the same name. Keith wrote it with Chuck Cannon.
"Should've Been a Cowboy" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on February 12, 1993, as his debut single and the first from his self-titled debut album. On June 5, 1993, the song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks charts. It also peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a minor crossover hit.
"I Love This Bar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in August 2003 as the first single from his 2003 album Shock'n Y'all. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, keeping the top spot for five weeks. Keith wrote this song with Scotty Emerick.
"Whiskey Girl" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. The "Whiskey Girl" was model Kerry Summerville out of Pittsburgh, PA who spent years off and on touring with Keith. It was released in March 2004 as the third and final single from his 2003 album Shock'n Y'all. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in July 2004. A live version is included on the deluxe edition of his 2012 album Hope on the Rocks. Keith wrote this song with Scotty Emerick.
"Love Me If You Can" is a song written by Chris Wallin and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in June 2007 as the second single from the album Big Dog Daddy. The song became his 34th Top Ten single and his 16th number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It is also Keith's first Billboard number one single since he started his own label in 2005.
American country music singer Toby Keith released 21 studio albums and seven compilation albums. He released 70 singles, with 65 of them charting on the Billboard country chart; 54 reached the Top 40, 40 made the top 10, and 20 went to number one from 1993 to 2021.
"Who's That Man" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. It was released in July 1994 as the first single from his 1994 album Boomtown. The song became Keith's second number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
"Who's Your Daddy?" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in August 2002 as the second single from his 2002 album Unleashed. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Big Blue Note" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in September 2005 as the third and final single from Keith's album Honkytonk University. It peaked at number 5 on the United States country charts. It is also Keith's final release through DreamWorks Records, as the label closed its doors before the song's release as a single. Keith wrote the song with Scotty Emerick.
"Upstairs Downtown" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. The song was released in November 1994 as the second single from his 1994 album Boomtown. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard charts in both the United States and Canada. Keith wrote the song with Carl Goff Jr.
"Honkytonk U" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on February 7, 2005, as the lead-off single and title track from his 2005 album Honkytonk University. The song peaked at number 8 in the United States, and it reached number 6 in Canada.
"American Ride" is a song written by Joe West and Dave Pahanish and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in July 2009 as the first single and title track from Keith's 2009 album of the same name, and was the only track from the album that he did not have a hand in writing. The song became Keith's 19th number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 10, 2009. A remix of this song was featured on his fourth greatest hits album, Greatest Hits: The Show Dog Years in 2019.
"Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in October 2009 as the second single from his 2009 album American Ride. The song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
"I Like Girls That Drink Beer" is a song recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith and co-written with Bobby Pinson. It was released in July 2012 and is the first single from his album Hope on the Rocks, released on October 30, 2012.
"Hope on the Rocks" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in November 2012 as the second single and title track from his album Hope on the Rocks.
"Drinks After Work" is a song written by Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Natalie Hemby and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in June 2013 as the first single from his album of the same name. It is the only track from the album that Keith did not have a hand in writing.
