"Why Not Me" is a song written by Harlan Howard, Sonny Throckmorton and Brent Maher, and recorded by American country music duo The Judds. It was released in September 1984 as the first single and title track from the album of the same name. The song was their second number one on the country chart. The song spent a total of fifteen weeks at the top of the country singles chart, peaking at number one for two weeks.[2]
| "Why Not Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Judds | ||||
| from the album Why Not Me | ||||
| B-side | "Lazy Country Evening" | |||
| Released | September 21, 1984 | |||
| Studio | Creative Workshop (Berry Hill, Tennessee)[1] | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | RCA/Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Harlan Howard Sonny Throckmorton Brent Maher | |||
| Producer(s) | Brent Maher | |||
| The Judds singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
editIn 2024, Rolling Stone ranked the song at #84 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.[3]
Cover versions
edit- In 2007, Jill Johnson covered the song on the Music Row album.[4]
- In 2015, Emily Ann Roberts, covered "Why Not Me" on The Voice U.S. season 9, charting to Number 10 in the iTunes charts
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 3 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[6] | 21 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[7] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Hurt, Ed (2 July 2020). "Buzz Cason Looks Back at 50 Years of His Nashville Studio Creative Workshop". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 184.
- ^ "The 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. May 24, 2014.
- ^ "Music Row" (in Swedish). Svensk dediedatabas. 2007. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "The Judds Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Judds Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Judds – Why Not Me". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2023.