Smoky Mountain Rain

"Smoky Mountain Rain"
Single by Ronnie Milsap
from the album Greatest Hits
B-side "Crystal Fallin' Rain"
Released September 1980 (U.S.)
Format 7"
Recorded 1980
Genre Country
Length 3:45
Label RCA
Songwriter(s) Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan
Producer(s) Tom Collins, Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Milsap singles chronology
"Cowboys and Clowns" / "Misery Loves Company"
(1980)		 "Smoky Mountain Rain"
(1980)		 "Am I Losing You"
(1981)

"Cowboys and Clowns"/"Misery Loves Company"
(1980)		 "Smoky Mountain Rain"
(1980)		 "Am I Losing You"
(1981)

"Smoky Mountain Rain" is a song written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, and recorded by American country music singer Ronnie Milsap. It was released in September 1980 as the first single from his Greatest Hits album. The single became one of his best-known songs.

The song was Milsap's 16th number one hit on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart where it stayed at the top for one week in December 1980.[1] "Smoky Mountain Rain" also fared well as a crossover hit and was his first of two number one hits on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (the other being "Any Day Now"), as well as number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

In 2010, "Smoky Mountain Rain" became Tennessee's eighth state song as a result of action by the Tennessee General Assembly on June 3, 2010.[3][4] In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Smoky Mountain Rain" number 96 in their list of the 100 greatest country songs.[5]

Content

The song is a first-person narrative of a man who has left Los Angeles and returned to Knoxville, Tennessee, due to "a change of dreams." He attempts to call a woman from a phone booth, but learns that she is gone. Attempting to find her, he then gets a ride from a truck driver who is going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Although he "can't blame her for letting go," he vows to find her "no matter what it takes." Rain is mentioned in the opening verse, in the bridge, and three times in the chorus.

Chart performance

Chart (1980-1981) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 24
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8] 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 8

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 233.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 171.
  3. ↑ Tennessee Journal, Vol. 36, No. 23, June 4, 2010
  4. ↑ Tom Humphrey, 'Smoky Mountain Rain' Wins Race to Become 8th State Song Archived 2010-06-06 at the Wayback Machine., KnoxNews website, June 3, 2010.
  5. ↑ "96. Ronnie Milsap, 'Smoky Mountain Rain' (1980) | 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2014-06-01. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  6. ↑ "Ronnie Milsap Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ↑ "Ronnie Milsap Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. ↑ "Ronnie Milsap Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.


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