The Chain of Love
| "The Chain of Love" | ||||
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| Single by Clay Walker | ||||
| from the album Live, Laugh, Love | ||||
| Released | January 10, 2000 | |||
| Format | CD single | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 5:04 (album version) | |||
| Label | Giant | |||
| Writer(s) | Rory Lee Feek Jonnie Barnett |
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| Producer | Doug Johnson Clay Walker |
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| Clay Walker singles chronology | ||||
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"The Chain of Love" is the title of a song written by Rory Lee Feek and Jonnie Barnett, and recorded by country singer Clay Walker. It was released in January 2000 as the third single from his 1999 album Live, Laugh, Love, "The Chain of Love" reached a peak of #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts, providing Walker with his thirteenth Top Ten hit on that chart. It was also his second Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
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[edit] Background
Walker told The Dallas Morning News, "I was in Denver the other day, got off an airplane, got on the bus and went to a restaurant. This guy, about 6-foot-6, walked up to us and told us at the table, "This song is the only song that ever made me cry.' He said, "I wouldn't just say that to anybody.' Then he turned around and walked off, never said another word, didn't ask for an autograph, nothing else. He just wanted to share his story." Walker also revealed the song was not intended to be a single and said, "Sometimes the cream rises to the top. This song was a sleeper. It's just one of those shockers where people come out of the woods to talk about it. It's pretty special when you touch people like that."[1] In another interview Walker said, "It's just great story song, where the ending takes you by surprise. It still gives me chills."[2]
Jonnie Barnett and Rory Lee Feek originally wrote a short-story version of "The Chain of Love" that appeared in Chicken Soup For The Country Soul which was released in 1998.[3]
[edit] Content
A mid-tempo song in the key of D Major, "The Chain of Love" centralizes on a series of characters who, by helping each other in some way, form a "chain of love" amongst them.
In the first verse, a male character named Joe is driving, when he notices a lady whose Mercedes-Benz is stopped with a flat tire. He then stops and changes the tire for her, and after she asks how much she should pay him, he replies that she can repay by continuing "the chain of love".
In the second verse, the lady has headed down the road to a small café. While eating there, she notices that the waitress is pregnant and exhausted. After paying the waitress with a $100 bill, she (the lady in the Mercedes) leaves behind a note on the napkin without accepting her change. Written on the napkin is the same request stated by Joe in the first chorus — an invitation to continue the chain of love.
The waitress, by the third verse, has returned to her home. Joining her husband in bed, she begins to think of the money and the note left by the lady, before turning to her husband and whispering to him, "Everything's gonna be alright / I love you, Joe."
[edit] Reception
Critic Pat McDonald of The Seattle Times, in his review of Walker's album, described the song as being "a story song so sickly sweet and unlikely, it comes off like an episode of Touched by an Angel."[4] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time said that the song was a "heartwarming story" and one of the stronger tracks on the album.[5] Phyllis Stark of Billboard listed "The Chain of Love" as the tenth best country single of 2000.[6]
[edit] Music video
The music video for this song features Walker singing at an abandoned drive-in theater. The music video was directed by Michael Cargile and was filmed in Houston, Texas.[7] The music video was nominated for Video of the Year at the 2000 Christian Country Music Awards.[8]
[edit] Chart performance
This song entered the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart at number 74 in late 1999 as an album cut. It was officially released as a single in early 2000, and re-entered the country chart at #68 on the chart dated January 15, 2000. It charted for 34 weeks on that chart, and quickly climbed to #3 on the chart dated May 27, 2000, where it held for two weeks, before falling to #4 afterwards. The next week, the song climbed back to #3 for two more weeks and then fell. It also peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[edit] Charts
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[edit] Year-end charts
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[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Tarradell, Mario The Dallas Morning News Moment by moment; Clay Walker treasures each day of MS remission. (May 19, 2000)
- ^ Clay's New Single...An Instant Hit!
- ^ Morris, Edward. CMT Jonnie Barnett, "The Chain of Love" Writer, Dead At 56 (August 19, 2002)
- ^ Macdonald, Patrick (1999-08-26). "Romance, Regret: New Cds Explore The Ways Of Love". The Seattle Times. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19990826&slug=2979345. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
- ^ Wahlert, Brian. "Live, Laugh, Love review". Country Standard Time. http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=568. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ Paoletta, Michael Billboard THE YEAR IN MUSIC 2000: THE CRITICS' CHOICE (December 30, 2000)
- ^ Billboard Production Notes (March 25, 2000)
- ^ Morris, Edward. John Berry, Linda Davis to Host Christian Country Music Awards CMT (October 20, 2000)
- ^ The Clay Walker Zone Billboard Charts
- ^ Top 75 Country Singles - Airplay (2000) (Dec 22 2000)
