If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)
Encyclopedia
"If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" is a song written by Murray Kellum and Dan Mitchell, and recorded by American
country music
band Alabama
. The song was released in July 1984 as the third single from the band's fifth album, Roll On
, and that October, it became the group's 14th consecutive number-one single on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles
chart.
During the first weeks "If You're Gonna Play in Texas..." was on the Billboard chart, the song's flip side, "I'm Not That Way Anymore" was listed as a tag-along "B-side
" since the B-side had an accompanying music video.
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Alabama "obviously enjoys this high-energy instrumental romp through roots."
was more than a minute shorter than the original album version. Two features were deleted from the single version:
The version that appears on the band's Greatest Hits Vol. III
album excises the intro but retains the extra refrain.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
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...
band Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
. The song was released in July 1984 as the third single from the band's fifth album, Roll On
Roll On (Alabama album)
Roll On is the fifth studio album of country music band Alabama. Iit was released in 1984.All four singles released from this album reached Number One on the Hot Country Singles chart: "Roll On ", "When We Make Love", "If You're Gonna Play in Texas " and " Fire in the Night"...
, and that October, it became the group's 14th consecutive number-one single on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles
Hot 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.
During the first weeks "If You're Gonna Play in Texas..." was on the Billboard chart, the song's flip side, "I'm Not That Way Anymore" was listed as a tag-along "B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
" since the B-side had an accompanying music video.
Critical reception
Kip Kirby, of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Alabama "obviously enjoys this high-energy instrumental romp through roots."
Single and album edit differences
The single editRadio edit
In music, a radio edit is a modification to make a song more suitable for airplay, whether it be adjusted for length, profanity, subject matter, instrumentation, or form...
was more than a minute shorter than the original album version. Two features were deleted from the single version:
- The opening fanfare, featuring Alabama's vocalists — accompanied by just a piano — singing a few bars of "The Eyes of TexasThe Eyes of Texas"The Eyes of Texas" is the alma mater of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad." Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the University sing the song at Longhorn sports games and other events....
." This introduction leads into the single's opening, which suddenly picks up the tempo to 3/4-time. - A second repeat of the refrain, the first part only accompanied by drums, before the fiddle-led bridge leading to the last part of the song.
The version that appears on the band's Greatest Hits Vol. III
Greatest Hits Vol. III (Alabama album)
Greatest Hits Vol. III is the third greatest hits package released by the American country music band Alabama. The album was released on RCA Records in 1994, and has since been certified platinum for sales of 2 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America .Alabama had continued...
album excises the intro but retains the extra refrain.
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |