“Where I Come From”
Alan Jackson
Written by Alan Jackson
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
October 5 – October 12, 2001
Billboard
#1 (3 weeks)
October 13 – October 20, 2001
November 3, 2001
Alan Jackson once told a story about how his dad spoke of relatives who’d moved a few counties north in Georgia had basically left the country. His dad didn’t like to wander too far from home, and that was simply too far from home for him to visit.
It felt like Jackson was channeling his dad on “Where I Come From,” a raucous fish out of water tale that has Jackson suffering indignities from coast to coast. Each time fate strikes against him, whether it’s in New Jersey, Detroit, Ventura, or Tulsa, he does a redneck spin on “There’s no place like home,” as if evoking the following can transport him back to Georgia:
‘Cause where I come from, it’s cornbread and chickenWhere I come from, a lotta front porch pickin’Where I come from, tryin’ to make a livin’And workin’ hard to get to heavenWhere I come from
Are the folks he met in other parts of the country any different? Of course not. But the dude’s homesick, and he makes a hell of a case for taking a staycation next time.
Jackson’s dad would certainly agree.
“Where I Come From” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s
Previous: Cyndi Thomson, “What I Really Meant to Say” |
Next: Brooks & Dunn, “Only in America”
I always thought that the second verse was oddly rude. Dude, she just asked how your food was; no need to insult her.
The third verse is even worse. Why does he reject the woman because she doesn’t “sing soprano”? Is that a tacit admission that women who aren’t conventionally feminine? A tasteless “California is full of queers” joke?
The slant rhymes are horrendous here too. Rhyming “Ventura” with “had to use my finger”, whatever that means, is awful writing imo.
I also feel this song is too long. I’d have no problem if it were just verses one and four, as the groove is pretty solid even if it over stays its welcome.
Accidentally ended the sentence too soon. I meant to write “that women who aren’t conventionally feminine aren’t worth his time”.
I seriously doubt that he intended to be misogynistic or LGBT-phobic in that line, but it’s just a singularly puzzling line to me that I can’t come up with a more charitable read.
I’m not sure if it was meant to be LGBT-phobic but when I heard the song for the first time, I did think it sounded like the woman was trans or even a drag queen.
That said, I do like the song overall. But that line did give me pause.
After an oddly extended stretch of covers in the previous two or three years, Alan Jackson finally returns to form with an excellent song that was right in his creative wheelhouse yet still managing to sound fresh and vibrant. Just as Brooks and Dunn and Travis Tritt were having a renaissance, so was Alan Jackson….and I loved it. This song would be an easy A based on its groove and mostly clever lyrics, but I agree with Bobby here. When I teased last week about upcoming #1s from 2001 that were stymied by a single problematic lyric or verse, this was one I was talking about….
Was the third verse intended to be transphobic or simply brutishly insulting to a tall or unattractive woman? And one who stopped to help him with his broken-down car for that matter?!?! Either way, it left a really bad taste in my mouth and still does. Unlike Bobby, I don’t have a problem with the second verse. Conveying to a waitress that the diner’s biscuits aren’t as good as his mama’s comes with the territory of running an eating establishment. As a listener, hearing that the biscuits are better than the “finger-licking” commercial establishment makes me want to experience life “where he comes from”. But listening to him insult the appearance of a complete stranger trying to be friendly to him makes me want no part of where he came from! It’s still a great song, but I tend to do a “la-la-la-la” in my head for that third verse.
Grade: B+
Trying again because my last comment didnt go through.
Solid single, its got a good groove and instrumentation, with all the fiddle and dashes of harmonica (or jaw harp im not sure), and those guitar solos are smokin. Questionabkle thiord verse I got no complaints
But the third verse really does make me think…
…guess with mama’s bisquit filling his cheeks already, there just wasn’t any room left for a little bit of tongue. one of the few examples where aj’s obnoxious side shines through.
This is a song I have always loved at the same time I know I shouldn’t. Yes, it’s infectious, but it’s insulting in more ways than one.
I hate political correctness but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize offensive statements. The 3rd verse is a least a tad homophobic (although we can never know the true intent). I also hate the sentiment of the South that they are better than everyone else. I grew up in the mid-west but lived for over 20 years in Nashville. It’s no friendlier than anywhere else but yet the constantly brag on how great they are. To me that’s the opposite of hospitality. I have never liked bragging. This song does a bit too much of where I come from is simply the best.
In having to weigh the song’s infectious production and fun play on words with the insulting lyrics is hard. I will give it a “C+”
Between business travels, frequent moves as a military brat and some vacations I’ve taken, I’ve been in 48 of the states missing only Maine and Alaska. As a generalization I’ve found folks friendlier in the “flyover states” than in the coastal states; however, that is only a broad generalization. I have met plenty of nice people and some jerks everywhere.
Back when this song was new, I did not pay much attention to the third verse, but I can see where more would find it troubling today. It is not my favorite Alan Jackson song – I would give it a “B”
Not to risk a full-on pile-on here, but I’m aligned with most of the commenters on this. The overall tone of this song struck me as one of claiming moral superiority from the first time I heard it. And I’ve shared a few stories about my drag-performing uncle here over the years, and that third verse was and is homophobic. This is the Alan Jackson who walked his ass out of the CMAs when Beyonce and The Chicks were on stage.
He’s a legend and rightfully so– even this smug bit of cultural warfare showcases his gifts for a melody and a hook– but, like many other genre heroes, there are elements of his persona and his work that are very troublesome. This was the single where that started to become clear.
I think verses one and four don’t bother me as much because the other characters are making comments at him and not vice-versa.
I’ve had some… bizarre interpretations of song lyrics before, so I worried my interpretation of the third verse might be way off base. So it’s heartening to see that others agree with the nature of that verse. It’s probably the first single in his career where an individual lyric gave me pause, and sadly it’s not the last.
Also, your uncle sounds badass.