Made in America (Toby Keith song)
| "Made in America" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Toby Keith | ||||
| from the album Clancy's Tavern | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2011 | |||
| Format | Music download | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Show Dog-Universal Music | |||
| Writer(s) |
Toby Keith Bobby Pinson Scott Reeves | |||
| Producer(s) | Toby Keith | |||
| Toby Keith singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Made in America" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Toby Keith. It was released in June 2011 as the first single from his album Clancy's Tavern.[1] The song was written by Keith with Bobby Pinson and Scott Reeves. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 15, 2011.
Background and writing
Keith wrote the song with frequent collaborator Bobby Pinson and actor/singer Scott Reeves. Keith told Billboard magazine that they wrote the song in early 2010 and he almost left it off the album because of the number of other patriotic songs he has recorded.[2] Pinson told Taste of Country that he and Reeves started talking about buying American-made merchandise to support the country. After writing part of the song, they thought it sounded like something Keith would record, so Pinson took what he had finished to Keith, who helped him complete the song.[3]
Content
The song is an uptempo, in which an older farmer (Toby's own father, according to the song), a retired United States Marine, and his schoolteacher wife, who will only buy American products, are disgusted by the influx of foreign goods, from cars to cotton. The song features still photos of Toby Keith's father showing his tattoo that says Semper Fidelis and talking about how he "won't buy nothing that he can't fix, with WD-40 and a Craftsman wrench". [4]
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song three stars out of five. He thought that Keith "sings with plenty of passion", but criticized the lyrics by saying, "While the song doesn’t feel like a remake of his previous anthems, it doesn’t live up to their high watermark, either."[5] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock rated it four stars out of five, saying that while it is a 'list song', it had "strongly constructed lyrics".[6]
Music video
Keith filmed the video in Cedarburg, Wisconsin during an Independence Day parade and in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during his performance at Summerfest.[7] It was directed by Michael Salomon.
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 40 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2011) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 15 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
| Preceded by "Take a Back Road" by Rodney Atkins |
Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single October 15, 2011 |
Succeeded by "Long Hot Summer" by Keith Urban |
References
- ↑ "Toby Keith's New Album, Clancy's Tavern, Arrives in October". Country Music Television. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ↑ Graff, Gary (September 21, 2011). "Toby Keith Almost Left Latest No. 1, 'Made in America,' Off New Album". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
- ↑ Conaway, Alanna (June 30, 2011). ""Made in America" — Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ McKinley Jr., James C. (October 25, 2011). "Q. and A. With Toby Keith". New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
- ↑ Dukes, Billy (June 9, 2011). "Toby Keith, "Made in America" — Single Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ Bjorke, Matt (June 12, 2011). "Toby Keith — "Made in America"". Roughstock. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ Sciarretto, Amy (July 8, 2011). "Toby Keith films new "Made in America" video". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
- ↑ "Toby Keith – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Toby Keith.
- ↑ "Toby Keith – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Toby Keith.
- ↑ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Toby Keith – Made In America". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 February 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH