"I Go Back" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released in May 2004 as the third single from his 2004 album When the Sun Goes Down. The song spent seven weeks at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in mid-2004, behind "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw.[1]
| "I Go Back" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Kenny Chesney | ||||
| from the album When the Sun Goes Down | ||||
| Released | May 3, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | Nashville Recordings LLC, | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:03 (album version) 3:35 (single version) | |||
| Label | BNA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Kenny Chesney | |||
| Producer(s) | Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney | |||
| Kenny Chesney singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is a mid-tempo in which the narrator recalls various moments in his life, and how he is reminded of each of them every time he hears a certain song. He references many of these songs, including "Jack & Diane", "Only the Good Die Young", and "Rock'n Me". In the chorus, the narrator reflects in his past explaining his time, such as spending time on a football line, "driving [his] first love out to the levee," and losing a good friend, Lance Wilson. One version of the official music video ends with the note: "In memory of Lance Wilson and all the summers I shared with him".[2] Lance Wilson died in a car wreck when he was 17, inspiring the line "the loss of a real good friend, and the 16 summers I shared with him."[3]
Music video
editThe music video for the song was directed by Shaun Silva, and produced by Steve Gainer. It premiered on CMT on June 12, 2004. Featuring members of Chesney's family, church family, and former track team. It was filmed at Gibbs High School in Corryton, Tennessee, where Chesney grew up. The video had Chesney performing the song at an empty high school gym, as a camera rotates around him, as well as old home footage of Chesney's life, such as his grandmother calling him for dinner, his first crush on the back of his Chevy, his church, and his friend Lance Wilson, who inspired part of the song. Scenes of a merry-go-round are also featured, a metaphor for "going back" to a certain time in life.
Chart performance
edit"I Go Back" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of May 1, 2004, at the time his single, "When the Sun Goes Down", was still at Number One.
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Radio & Records)[4] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 32 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 100 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Music video for "I Go Back" by Kenny Chesney
- ^ "USATODAY.com - Chesney finds his way". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
- ^ Radio & Records: August 6, 2004, page 43 worldradiohistory.com
- ^ "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2004: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2004. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – I Go Back". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 12, 2022.