Set This Circus Down
Encyclopedia
Set This Circus Down is the seventh album by country music
singer Tim McGraw
. Certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for U.S. sales of three million copies, the album produced four singles for McGraw on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts. All of these singles — "The Cowboy in Me", "Unbroken", "Angry All the Time" and "Grown Men Don't Cry" — reached number one on that chart. "Things Change" is a studio recording of a song which McGraw had previously recorded live; the live version reached #32 on the country charts in 2000 from unsolicited airplay. Another track from this album, "Telluride", reached #52, also without being officially released. This song was also recorded by Josh Gracin
on his 2008 album We Weren't Crazy
, from which it was released as a single. "Angel Boy" was made into a music video. "Angry All the Time" was originally recorded by its writer, Bruce Robison
, on his 1998 album Wrapped.
Strings
performed by the Nashville String Machine
, under the conduction of Carl Gorodetzky and Rob Mathes.
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...
singer Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
. Certified 3× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA for U.S. sales of three million copies, the album produced four singles for McGraw 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 Songs
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...
charts. All of these singles — "The Cowboy in Me", "Unbroken", "Angry All the Time" and "Grown Men Don't Cry" — reached number one on that chart. "Things Change" is a studio recording of a song which McGraw had previously recorded live; the live version reached #32 on the country charts in 2000 from unsolicited airplay. Another track from this album, "Telluride", reached #52, also without being officially released. This song was also recorded by Josh Gracin
Josh Gracin
Joshua Mario "Josh" Gracin is a country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of the Fox Networks talent competition American Idol.After his elimination from the show, Gracin completed his...
on his 2008 album We Weren't Crazy
We Weren't Crazy
We Weren't Crazy is the second studio album from American country music artist Josh Gracin. Originally titled All About Y'all, the album was slated for release in mid-2006 after the release of its debut single "Favorite State of Mind". However the album release was delayed when the debut single...
, from which it was released as a single. "Angel Boy" was made into a music video. "Angry All the Time" was originally recorded by its writer, Bruce Robison
Bruce Robison
Bruce Robison is an Austin-based Texas country music singer-songwriter. Bruce and his brother, fellow singer-songwriter Charlie Robison, grew up in Bandera, Texas near San Antonio, and he currently resides in Austin, Texas...
, on his 1998 album Wrapped.
Track listing
- "The Cowboy in MeThe Cowboy in Me"The Cowboy in Me" is a song performed by American country music artist Tim McGraw. Released in December 2001, it was the third single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down album. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts...
" (Al AndersonAl Anderson (NRBQ)Alan Gordon "Al" Anderson is an American guitarist, singer, and songwiter. Between 1971 and the early 1990s, he was the lead guitarist in the rock band NRBQ, also releasing several solo albums. He also played electric guitar on Jonathan Edwards' 1973 album Have a Good Time for Me...
, Craig WisemanCraig WisemanCraig 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....
, Jeffrey SteeleJeffrey SteeleJeffrey LeVasseur is an American country music singer and songwriter, more commonly known by the name Jeffrey Steele...
) - 4:04 - "Telluride" (Brett JamesBrett JamesBrett James Cornelius is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Signed to Career Records as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year...
, Troy VergesTroy VergesTroy Verges is an American country music songwriter. His credits include the singles "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews, "Blessed" by Martina McBride and "Wasted", all of which went to number one on the country music charts...
) - 3:49 - "You Get Used to Somebody" (Steve Bogard, Tom ShapiroTom ShapiroTom Shapiro is an American songwriter and occasional record producer, known primarily for his work in country music. To date, he holds four Country Songwriter of the Year awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated, as well as the Songwriter of the Decade award from the Nashville Songwriters...
) - 3:58 - "UnbrokenUnbroken (song)"Unbroken" is a song performed by American country music artist Tim McGraw. Released in June 2002, it was the fourth single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down album...
" (Annie Roboff, Holly LamarHolly LamarHolly Lamar is an American country music singer-songwriter. Lamar co-wrote "Breathe," a number one country and adult contemporary single by Faith Hill. Her songs have also been recorded by Sara Evans, Wynonna Judd, Lonestar, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina and Jessica Simpson, among others.In 2002,...
) - 4:00 - "Things Change" (Chris Lindsey, Bill Luther, Aimee MayoAimee MayoAimee Mayo is an American songwriter, primarily known for writing country hits for artists such as Lonestar, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Kellie Pickler. Mayo owns her own publishing company, Little Blue Typewriter Music.-Biography:Aimee Mayo grew up in Gadsden, Alabama...
, Marv Green) - 3:20 - "Angel Boy" (Danny Orton) - 5:11
- "Forget About Us" (Mark CollieMark CollieGeorge Mark Collie is an American country music artist and occasional actor. He has released eight albums, and has charted 16 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest peaking singles are "Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin'" at #5, and "Born to Love You" at #6, from 1992 and...
) - 4:09 - "Take Me Away from Here" (Jeff StevensJeff Stevens (singer)Jeffery David "Jeff" Stevens is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. He recorded two albums on Atlantic America Records with his brother Warren Stevens and cousin Terry Dotson as Jeff Stevens and the Bullets, and later as a solo artist on the same label...
, Steve Bogard) - 4:35 - "Smilin'" (Lindsey, Luther, Mayo, Green) - 3:00
- "Set This Circus Down" (Bill Luther, Josh KearJosh KearJoshua Peter "Josh" Kear is an American songwriter. His credits include Carrie Underwood's number-one "Before He Cheats," for which Kear won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2007 and Lady Antebellum's number-one "Need You Now," for which Kear won an Academy of Country Music Award for Best...
) - 3:31 - "Angry All the TimeAngry All the Time"Angry All the Time" is the title of a song written by Bruce Robison and first recorded on his 1998 album Wrapped. It was later covered by Tim McGraw with guest vocalist Faith Hill. Released in July 2001, McGraw's version was the second single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down album...
" (Bruce RobisonBruce RobisonBruce Robison is an Austin-based Texas country music singer-songwriter. Bruce and his brother, fellow singer-songwriter Charlie Robison, grew up in Bandera, Texas near San Antonio, and he currently resides in Austin, Texas...
) - 4:30 - "Let Me Love You" (Lindsey, Luther, Mayo, Green) - 4:31
- "Grown Men Don't CryGrown Men Don't Cry"Grown Men Don't Cry" is the title of a song written by Tom Douglas and Steve Seskin, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in April 2001 as the first single from McGraw's Set This Circus Down album. The song reached Number-One on the Billboard Hot Country...
" (Tom DouglasTom Douglas (songwriter)Thomas Stevenson "Tom" Douglas is an American country music songwriter. Active since the early 1990s, he has written Top Ten hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye and others....
, Steve SeskinSteve SeskinSteve Seskin is an American songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Brian McComas, Neal McCoy, Tim McGraw, John Michael Montgomery, Colin Raye, Tebey and Mark Wills...
) - 3:56 - "Why We Said Goodbye" (Douglas, Billy Kirsch) - 3:44
Album
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 2 |
| Canadian Top Country Albums | 2 |
| Canadian Top Albums | 14 |
| Australian Top Country Albums | 3 |
Singles
All singles reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and all reached top 40 on the Hot 100 chart.| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country 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... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||||||||
| 2001 | "Grown Men Don't Cry" | 1 | 25 | ||||||
| "Angry All the Time" | 1 | 38 | |||||||
| "The Cowboy in Me" | 1 | 33 | |||||||
| 2002 | "Unbroken" | 1 | 26 | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Personnel
- Jeff Babko – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Larry Byrom – acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Mike Elizonda – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Paul FranklinPaul Franklin (musician)Paul Franklin is an American multi-instrumentalist, known mainly for his work as a steel guitarist. He began his career in the 1970s as a member of Barbara Mandrell's road band; in addition he toured with Mel Tillis and Jerry Reed. He has since become a prolific session musician in Nashville,...
– steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use... - Byron GallimoreByron GallimoreByron Gallimore is an American record producer known for his work in the field of country music. He has worked with artists such as Sugarland, Lee Ann Womack, Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, whose 1999 album Breathe won him the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.-Biography:Byron...
– baritone guitarBaritone guitarThe baritone guitar is a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. It first appeared in the classical music realm... - Aubrey HaynieAubrey HaynieAubrey Haynie is an American bluegrass musician who plays the fiddle and mandolin. In his career, he has recorded three studio albums for the Sugar Hill Records label, all three of which contained mostly songs that he wrote himself...
– fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music... - Michael Henderson – baritone guitar
- Faith HillFaith HillFaith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
– background vocals - Michael LandauMichael LandauMichael Landau is a prolific session musician and guitarist who has played on a large number of albums since the early 1980s with artists as varied as Seal, James Taylor, Helen Watson, Richard Marx, Steve Perry, Pink Floyd and Miles Davis...
– electric guitarElectric guitarAn 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... - B. James Lowry – electric guitar
- Brent MasonBrent MasonBrent Mason is an American session guitarist and occasional songwriter. He is known primarily for his work in the field of country music. In addition to releasing two instrumental studio albums, he holds several credits as a songwriter...
– electric guitar - Gene Miller – background vocals
- Val McCallum – electric guitar
- Steve Nathan – keyboards
- Chris Rodriguez – background vocals
- Peter M. Thomas – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Biff Watson – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
- Glenn WorfGlenn WorfGlenn Worf is one of the premier Nashville session bassists. He was born in Dayton, Ohio but grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and has concentrated on the bass guitar since he was thirteen. He majored in music at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Inevitably his talents forced him to abandon the...
– bass guitar - Curtis WrightCurtis WrightCurtis Blaine Wright is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records...
– background vocals - Curtis Young – background vocals
Strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
performed by the Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine
Nashville String Machine is a musical collective comprising session musicians and has been credited on recordings as far back as 1974. The Nashville String Machine's composition varies from project to project. It has appeared as large as an orchestra, or as small as a duo.-Notable members:Being a...
, under the conduction of Carl Gorodetzky and Rob Mathes.