Every #1 Country Single of the Eighties: Exile, “Give Me One More Chance”

“Give Me One More Chance”

Exile

Written by Sonny LeMaire and J.P. Pennington

Billboard

#1 (1 week)

November 17, 1984

Exile went into recording Kentucky Hearts as an established country band, and you can hear the difference immediately on that album’s lead single.

“Give Me One More Chance” has significantly more country instrumentation, with a twangy lead guitar and a saloon piano driving the arrangement.  The lean more heavily on harmony vocals that are more in line with the Oak Ridge Boys than Player.  

Best of all, the song doesn’t wear out its welcome.  He makes his appeal for “one more chance” from his former lover, and he wraps up quickly.  

We don’t find out if the lover keeps him around, but Exile makes a stronger case for sticking around on country radio than they did with anything from their first country album.

“Give Me One More Chance” gets a B+

Every No. 1 Single of the Eighties

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3 Comments

  1. The chorus is so fun to sing. I like Exile country material at least for a few albums. I enjoy the “Kentucky Hearts” album quite a bit. Good catch country pop.

  2. I feel similarly to Tyler. Exile is the poster-child of sing along ’80’s country fun on the radio. They never overreach or pretend to be something they are not, no silly posturing.

    Alabama had recently blazed a new trail for country bands and Exile capably and competently fell in line behind them, firmly planting their flag in the centre of mainstream country radio with their version of country music.

    This song is short, sweet, and fun.

    • A lot of great music is made because a superstar act opens the door for similar artists to walk through. A lot of the nineties country acts were obviously derivative of the superstars of the day, too, and they still made some outstanding records in their own right.

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