Austin (song)

"Austin"
Single by Blake Shelton
from the album Blake Shelton
B-side	"Problems at Home"
Released	April 16, 2001
Format	CD single
Genre	Country
Length	3:52
Label	Giant Warner Bros. Nashville
Writer(s)	David Kent Kirsti Manna
Producer(s)	Bobby Braddock
Blake Shelton singles chronology
"Austin" (2001) "All Over Me" (2001)

"Austin" is the debut single written by David Kent and Kirsti Manna, and performed by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released in April 2001 as the first single from the album Blake Shelton.

The song was originally released on the Giant Records label; however, that label closed its doors as the single was climbing the charts, with Shelton and his single being transferred to the Warner Bros. Records label.^[1] "Austin" was not only Blake's debut single, but also his first No. 1 single, spending five weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs. It was also a pop hit, peaking at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, his highest peaking single on the Hot 100 until "Honey Bee" debuted at number 13 in 2011. "Austin" tied a record set by Billy Ray Cyrus in 1992. Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" stayed atop the chart for five weeks, setting the mark for an artist's debut single in the Broadcast Data Systems era of the chart. BDS began monitoring radio play for the chart in January 1991.

Content

The song tells the story of a woman from Austin attempts to make contact with a former lover. She calls numerous times and is greeted by an answering machine that explains where the former lover could be. At the end of the answering machine message, the man says "and P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you."

Commercial performance

"Austin" debuted at #58 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of April 28, 2001. It reached the number-one spot on August 11, 2001 and stayed there for five weeks until September 15 when "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight" by Toby Keith overtook "Austin" for number-one spot. The song was certified Gold on February 25, 2015, and Platinum on June 9, 2015 by the RIAA.^[2] The song has sold 929,000 copies in the US as of January 2016.^[3]

Music video

This was his first music video and was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions and was released on July 17, 2001. It depicts Shelton standing in front of a red 1968 first generation Ford Mustang and projector screen with a woman on it. The woman attempts to call the narrator and it eventually shows her driving to where the narrator is and walking up to Shelton.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100[4] 18 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 1 Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position US Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 9

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments United States (RIAA)[2] Platinum 929,000[3] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. "From Austin, Blake Shelton Predicts Boom for Country Music". CMT.com. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
2. "American single certifications – Blake Shelton – Austin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 4, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
3. Bjorke, Matt (January 18, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: January 19, 2016". Roughstock.
4. "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Blake Shelton. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
5. "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Blake Shelton. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
6. "Best of 2001: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2001. Retrieved August 14, 2012.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics