Hillbilly Bone (song)
Encyclopedia
"Hillbilly Bone" is the title of a song written by Luke Laird
and Craig Wiseman
, and recorded by American country
artist Blake Shelton
for his extended play
Hillbilly Bone. The song features guest vocals from Trace Adkins
, and its chart run overlapped with his singles "All I Ask For Anymore
" and "Ala-Freakin-Bama."
The song won the 2010 Academy of Country Music
award for "Vocal Event of the Year," giving Shelton his first Academy of Country Music award. Adkins included the song on the deluxe edition of his album, Cowboy's Back in Town
, which was released on August 17, 2010.
. It has a theme of rural pride, in which the narrators state that one does not have to be from the South
or Appalachia
to enjoy the same pastimes as someone who is ("We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside").
Craig Wiseman
and Luke Laird wrote "Hillbilly Bone" during a songwriting session in which neither of them were able to come up with a song idea. Laird then began performing an improvised rap as a joke. After Laird wrote the opening couplet "Yeah, I got a friend in New York City / He's never heard of Conway Twitty
," the two finished the song within two hours.
disc in his car, and when he first heard the demo for "Hillbilly Bone," he did not think that it was suitable for him, so he skipped to the next song on the disc. Later on, when the disc restarted, Shelton said that the demo "hit [him] way better" the second time he heard it, and that he liked it more each subsequent time that he listened to it. Shelton also thought that it sounded "like something Trace Adkins would cut," and asked producer Scott Hendricks
to bring Adkins in to sing it as a duet.
reviewer Chris Neal gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, comparing it positively to other similarly themed songs about rural pride: "[A]t a moment when most of these 'I'm-so-country' songs take a sharply superior attitude toward urbanity, this song says we're all essentially alike[.]" He also thought that Shelton's and Adkins' voices contrasted well. Bobby Peacock, writing for Roughstock, also said that it is was "way more tolerable than almost any other in the recent deluge of like-themed songs" and described the "high-low harmony" of Adkins' and Shelton's voices favorably. 411 Mania reviewer Mark Ingoldsby was less positive, giving the song one star out of five, calling it "one more dopey collection of textbook southern culture icons and expressions that is completely predictable and painfully cliché."
, premiered on CMT
on October 31, 2009. In the video, Shelton and Adkins enter a fine dining restaurant, appearing out-of-place in their cowboy hats and jeans. The other diners at first appear skeptic, but after Shelton and Adkins begin singing they become interested. Eventually, everyone in the restaurant is up and dancing, while Shelton and Adkins perform. The video was filmed at the Stockyard Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee.
chart, while Adkins' own single "All I Ask For Anymore
" was still charting. The song also debuted at number 65 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week of January 9, 2010. It became Shelton's sixth Number One and Adkins' fourth Number One on the Hot Country Songs chart week of March 27, 2010.
Luke Laird
Luke Laird is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for co-writing singles recorded by Carrie Underwood....
and Craig Wiseman
Craig Wiseman
Craig Michael Wiseman is an American country music songwriter. Active since the late 1980s as a songwriter, he has had his songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, and several other acts....
, and recorded by American country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
for his extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Hillbilly Bone. The song features guest vocals from Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
, and its chart run overlapped with his singles "All I Ask For Anymore
All I Ask For Anymore
"All I Ask for Anymore" is the title of a song written by Casey Beathard and Tim James, and recorded by American country music singer Trace Adkins. It is the third single from his 2008 album X...
" and "Ala-Freakin-Bama."
The song won the 2010 Academy of Country Music
Academy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
award for "Vocal Event of the Year," giving Shelton his first Academy of Country Music award. Adkins included the song on the deluxe edition of his album, Cowboy's Back in Town
Cowboy's Back in Town
Upon its release, Cowboys Back in Town received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
, which was released on August 17, 2010.
Content
"Hillbilly Bone" is an up-tempo country song, backed primarily by electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. It has a theme of rural pride, in which the narrators state that one does not have to be from the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
or Appalachia
Appalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
to enjoy the same pastimes as someone who is ("We all got a hillbilly bone down deep inside").
Craig Wiseman
Craig Wiseman
Craig Michael Wiseman is an American country music songwriter. Active since the late 1980s as a songwriter, he has had his songs recorded by Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, and several other acts....
and Luke Laird wrote "Hillbilly Bone" during a songwriting session in which neither of them were able to come up with a song idea. Laird then began performing an improvised rap as a joke. After Laird wrote the opening couplet "Yeah, I got a friend in New York City / He's never heard of Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
," the two finished the song within two hours.
History
Shelton said that he was listening to a demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
disc in his car, and when he first heard the demo for "Hillbilly Bone," he did not think that it was suitable for him, so he skipped to the next song on the disc. Later on, when the disc restarted, Shelton said that the demo "hit [him] way better" the second time he heard it, and that he liked it more each subsequent time that he listened to it. Shelton also thought that it sounded "like something Trace Adkins would cut," and asked producer Scott Hendricks
Scott Hendricks
Scott Hendricks is an American record producer who has worked with several country music artists. He has had over 80 top 10s, and 45 number 1 hits. Between 1995 and 1997, he was also the president and chief executive officer of Capitol Records Nashville...
to bring Adkins in to sing it as a duet.
Reception
The song has been met with generally positive reception from music critics. Tara Seetharam of Country Universe gave the song a B rating, saying that it "is a novelty song through and through, but it's catchy and dynamic, and it laughs at itself." She also wrote that Shelton and Adkins were a "interesting combination of voices and attitude." Country WeeklyCountry Weekly
Country Weekly is an American tabloid style weekly magazine established in 1994. The magazine focuses on country music stars and events, and regularly features exclusive interviews with recording artists and country music news...
reviewer Chris Neal gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, comparing it positively to other similarly themed songs about rural pride: "[A]t a moment when most of these 'I'm-so-country' songs take a sharply superior attitude toward urbanity, this song says we're all essentially alike[.]" He also thought that Shelton's and Adkins' voices contrasted well. Bobby Peacock, writing for Roughstock, also said that it is was "way more tolerable than almost any other in the recent deluge of like-themed songs" and described the "high-low harmony" of Adkins' and Shelton's voices favorably. 411 Mania reviewer Mark Ingoldsby was less positive, giving the song one star out of five, calling it "one more dopey collection of textbook southern culture icons and expressions that is completely predictable and painfully cliché."
Music video
The video, which was directed by Roman WhiteRoman White
Roman White is a music video director who has directed most of Carrie Underwood's videos. He has also directed music videos for Kelly Clarkson, Josh Groban, Kellie Pickler, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and more...
, premiered on CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
on October 31, 2009. In the video, Shelton and Adkins enter a fine dining restaurant, appearing out-of-place in their cowboy hats and jeans. The other diners at first appear skeptic, but after Shelton and Adkins begin singing they become interested. Eventually, everyone in the restaurant is up and dancing, while Shelton and Adkins perform. The video was filmed at the Stockyard Restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee.
Chart performance
"Hillbilly Bone" debuted at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, while Adkins' own single "All I Ask For Anymore
All I Ask For Anymore
"All I Ask for Anymore" is the title of a song written by Casey Beathard and Tim James, and recorded by American country music singer Trace Adkins. It is the third single from his 2008 album X...
" was still charting. The song also debuted at number 65 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week of January 9, 2010. It became Shelton's sixth Number One and Adkins' fourth Number One on the Hot Country Songs chart week of March 27, 2010.
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|