Between the Devil and Me

Last updated

"Between the Devil and Me"
Between the Devil and Me.jpg
Single by Alan Jackson
from the album Everything I Love
B-side "Walk on the Rocks"
ReleasedOctober 6, 1997
Genre Country
Length4:21
Label Arista Nashville 13106
Songwriter(s) Harley Allen
Carson Chamberlain
Producer(s) Keith Stegall
Alan Jackson singles chronology
"There Goes"
(1997)
"Between the Devil and Me"
(1997)
"A House with No Curtains"
(1998)

"Between the Devil and Me" is a song written by Harley Allen and Carson Chamberlain, and recorded by American country music singer Alan Jackson. It was released in October 1997 as the fifth single from his album Everything I Love . It peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard country singles charts, behind Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing".

Contents

Content

"Between the Devil and Me" was written by Harley Allen and Carson Chamberlain, the same two songwriters who wrote the title track to Everything I Love. The song is a mid-tempo ballad in which the male narrator describes the sexual temptation of an extramarital affair, [1] by saying that "she's all I see / Between the devil and me."

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that although the song had "a bit of post-Garth bombast" and "touches on the anthemic sounds of modern country", it still had Jackson's "true country spin and heart." [2] Entertainment Weekly critic Alanna Nash also cited the song as a standout, saying that Jackson made the song "throb with anxiety." [1]

Chart performance

Chart (1997–1998)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [3] 3
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [4] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)Position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [5] 40
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] 66

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Lawrence</span> American musician

Tracy Lee Lawrence is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1990 to begin his country music career. He signed to Atlantic Records Nashville in 1991 and made his debut late that year with the album Sticks and Stones. Five more studio albums, as well as a live album and a compilation album, followed throughout the 1990s and into 2000 on Atlantic before the label's country division was closed in 2001. Afterward, he recorded for Warner Bros. Records, DreamWorks Records, Mercury Records Nashville, and his own labels, Rocky Comfort Records and Lawrence Music Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooks & Dunn</span> American country music duo

Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists, having charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s. Brooks also released an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and wrote hit singles for other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travis Tritt</span> American country musician (born 1963)

James Travis Tritt is an American country singer. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released three studio albums on Columbia Records and one for the now-defunct Category 5 Records. Seven of his albums are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); the highest-certified is 1991's It's All About to Change, which is certified triple-platinum. Tritt has also charted more than 40 times on the Hot Country Songs charts, including five number ones—"Help Me Hold On", "Anymore", "Can I Trust You with My Heart", "Foolish Pride", and "Best of Intentions"—and 15 additional top ten singles. Tritt's musical style is defined by mainstream country and Southern rock influences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Diffie</span> American country singer (1958–2020)

Joe Logan Diffie was an American country music singer and songwriter. After working as a demo singer in the mid 1980s, he signed with Epic Records' Nashville division in 1990. Between then and 2004, Diffie charted 35 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, five of which peaked at number one: his debut release "Home", "If the Devil Danced ", "Third Rock from the Sun", "Pickup Man" and "Bigger Than the Beatles". In addition to these singles, he had 12 others reach the top 10 and ten more reach the top 40 on the same chart. He also co-wrote singles for Holly Dunn, Tim McGraw, and Jo Dee Messina, and recorded with Mary Chapin Carpenter, George Jones, and Marty Stuart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Stone</span> American country music singer

Doug Stone is an American country music singer and songwriter. He debuted in 1990 with the single "I'd Be Better Off ", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epic Records. Both this album and its successor, 1991's I Thought It Was You, earned a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Two more albums for Epic, 1992's From the Heart and 1994's More Love, are each certified gold. Stone moved to Columbia Records to record Faith in Me, Faith in You, which did not produce a Top Ten among its three singles. After suffering a heart attack and stroke in the late 1990s, he exited the label and did not release another album until Make Up in Love in 1999 on Atlantic Records. The Long Way was released in 2002 on the Audium label, followed by two albums on the independent Lofton Creek Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shenandoah (band)</span> American country music group

Shenandoah is an American country music band founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1984 by Marty Raybon, Ralph Ezell, Stan Thorn, Jim Seales, and Mike McGuire. Thorn and Ezell left the band in the mid-1990s, with Rocky Thacker taking over on bass guitar; Keyboardist Stan Munsey joined the line up in 1995, until his departure in 2018. The band split up in 1997 after Raybon left. Seales and McGuire reformed the band in 2000 with lead singer Brent Lamb, who was in turn replaced by Curtis Wright and then by Jimmy Yeary. Ezell rejoined in the early 2000s, and after his 2007 death, he was replaced by Mike Folsom. Raybon returned to the band in 2014. That same year, Jamie Michael replaced the retiring Jim Seales on lead guitar.

<i>Kerosene</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Miranda Lambert

Kerosene is the debut studio album by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. The album was released on March 15, 2005 by Epic Nashville Records and was produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke. After placing third in the television competition, Nashville Star in 2003, Lambert signed with Epic Nashville in 2004. The album spawned four top 40 Billboard Country Chart singles; however, only the title track was a major hit, peaking at number 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Chesnutt</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1963)

Mark Nelson Chesnutt is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of eight albums between those two labels. During this timespan, Chesnutt also charted twenty top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, of which eight reached number one: "Brother Jukebox", "I'll Think of Something", "It Sure Is Monday", "Almost Goodbye", "I Just Wanted You to Know", "Gonna Get a Life", "It's a Little Too Late", and a cover of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". His first three albums for MCA along with a 1996 Greatest Hits package issued on Decca are all certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); 1994's What a Way to Live, also issued on Decca, is certified gold. After a self-titled album in 2002 on Columbia Records, Chesnutt has continued to record predominantly on independent labels.

Robert Andrykowski is an American country music artist who records under the name Davis Daniel. Between 1991 and 1996, he recorded three studio albums on various divisions of Mercury Records: 1991's Fighting Fire with Fire, 1994's Davis Daniel, and 1995's I Know a Place. In that same time span, seven of his singles entered the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, including the Top 40 hits "Picture Me", "For Crying Out Loud" and "Fighting Fire with Fire."

<i>Let Me In</i> (Chely Wright album) 1997 studio album by Chely Wright

Let Me In is the third studio album by American country music artist Chely Wright. The album was released on September 9, 1997 on MCA Nashville Records and was produced by Tony Brown. Let Me In was Wright's first album to chart on the Billboard Magazine album charts and also spawned her first Top 40 singles. It was also the first of three albums Wright recorded for the MCA Nashville label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bigger Than the Beatles</span> 1995 single by Joe Diffie

"Bigger Than The Beatles" is a song written by Jeb Stuart Anderson and Steve Dukes, and recorded by American country music artist Joe Diffie. It was released in November 1995 as the lead single from the album, Life's So Funny. The song reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, becoming the fifth and final Number One single of Diffie's career. It also reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

<i>Mark Wills</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Mark Wills

Mark Wills is the debut studio album by American country music singer Mark Wills. Released in 1996 on Mercury Nashville Records, the album produced three hit singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts: "Jacob's Ladder", "High Low and In Between", and "Places I've Never Been", which peaked at #6, #33, and #5, respectively. The album itself reached a peak of #38 on the Billboard Top Country Albums charts. "Look Where She Is Today" was previously cut by Doug Stone on his 1995 album Faith in Me, Faith in You. And "Ace of Hearts" was previously cut by Alan Jackson on his 1990 debut album Here in the Real World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beaches of Cheyenne</span> 1995 single by Garth Brooks

"The Beaches of Cheyenne" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in December 1995 as the third single from his sixth studio album Fresh Horses. The song became Brooks's 15th Billboard Number One hit in March 1996. The song was written by Brooks, Dan Roberts and Bryan Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Go On Loving You</span> 1998 single by Alan Jackson

"I'll Go On Loving You" is a song written by Kieran Kane, and recorded by American country music artist Alan Jackson. It was released in July 1998 as the lead-off single from his album High Mileage. It peaked at number 3 in the United States, and number 2 in Canada. Jackson also recorded a dual-language English/Portuguese version with música sertaneja artist Leonardo of Leandro e Leonardo in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everything I Love (Alan Jackson song)</span> 1997 single by Alan Jackson

"Everything I Love" is a song written by Harley Allen and Carson Chamberlain, and recorded by American country music singer Alan Jackson. It was released in January 1997 as the second single and title track from his album of the same name. The song reached number 9 on the U.S. country singles charts with it.

"Walk on Faith" is the debut single by American country music artist Mike Reid, released in November 1990. It is from his 1991 debut studio album Turning for Home. The song became his only number one country hit in February 1991. Reid wrote the song with Allen Shamblin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Midnight Cinderella</span> 1996 single by Garth Brooks

"It's Midnight Cinderella" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in June 1996 as the fifth single from his album Fresh Horses. The song reached a peak of number 5 on the U.S. country charts in mid-1996. It was written by Brooks, Kent Blazy and Kim Williams.

<i>Kentucky Bluebird</i> 1991 compilation album by Keith Whitley

Kentucky Bluebird is the second compilation album by American country music singer Keith Whitley. His first posthumous album, it was released by RCA Records in September 1991. The album consists of four previously released songs, re-orchestrated demos, and other previously unreleased songs, as well as snippets from live performances that predate his professional music career.

"A House with No Curtains" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Alan Jackson. It was released in January 1998 as the sixth and final single from his album Everything I Love. The song had previously been the B-side to the album's fourth single "There Goes". Jackson wrote the song with Jim McBride. It peaked at #18 on Billboard's Hot Country Tracks chart, breaking a streak of 27 consecutive singles by Jackson that had peaked in the top 10 of that chart.

<i>Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album</i> 1994 studio album by Various artists

Keith Whitley: A Tribute Album is a tribute album to American country music singer Keith Whitley. It was released in 1994 via BNA Records.

References

  1. 1 2 Nash, Alanna (November 1, 1996). "Everything I Love review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Everything I Love review". Allmusic . Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  3. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3430." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. January 19, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  4. "Alan Jackson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM . December 14, 1998. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  6. "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.