Ol' Red

"Ol' Red"
Single by Blake Shelton
from the album Blake Shelton
Released	March 18, 2002
Recorded	2001
Genre	Country
Length	3:42
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Writer(s)	James "Bo" Bohan Don Goodman Mark Sherrill
Producer(s)	Bobby Braddock
Blake Shelton singles chronology
"All Over Me" (2001) "Ol' Red" (2002) "The Baby" (2002)

"Ol' Red" is a song written by James "Bo" Bohan, Don Goodman and Mark Sherrill. The song was originally recorded by George Jones on his 1990 album You Oughta Be Here with Me and covered by Kenny Rogers on his 1993 album If Only My Heart Had a Voice, although neither artist released it as a single. It was later recorded by artist Blake Shelton, and released in 2002 as the third and final single released from his self-titled debut album, becoming a top 20 hit.

Content

The song's narrator is a prisoner serving a 99-year sentence for committing a crime of passion when he murdered a man with whom his wife was having an affair and presumably the wife herself. He accepts a job tending Ol' Red, a Bloodhound used by the prison guards to track escaping inmates. The dog has foiled every escape attempt on his watch, and the warden even dares the inmates to try because "Ol' Red's itchin' to have a little fun."

The narrator writes a letter to his cousin, who delivers an unnamed female Bluetick Coonhound and puts her in a pen a short distance from the prison. During Ol' Red's evening exercise runs, the narrator drops him off with the Bluetick, presumably so they can engage in sexual intercourse. After Ol' Red has become accustomed to these visits, the narrator deliberately keeps him away from her for several days in order to make him anxious to see her. The narrator escapes from the prison, knowing that Ol' Red will lead the pursuing guards to the Bluetick instead of following his trail. The final lines reveal that the escape was successful as the narrator heads north to Tennessee, and that Ol' Red and the Bluetick had a litter of puppies together.

Although it did not reach the Top Ten, "Ol' Red" is one of Shelton's most commonly requested songs in concert (as well as one of his best-known hits), and he considers it his signature song.^[1]

Shelton's version of the song includes a backing vocal from Rachel Proctor.^[2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil. It also features a cameo by NASCAR driver Elliot Sadler.

Chart performance

"Ol' Red" debuted at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 30, 2002.^[3]

Chart (2002)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[4]	1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5]	14

Year-end charts

Chart (2002)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	49

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[7]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Blake Shelton: Celebrating Country Life". Ada Evening News. 2009-04-25. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
2. Blake Shelton (CD insert). Blake Shelton. Warner Bros. Records. 2001. 24731.
3. "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Blake Shelton / Title=Ol' Red / Chart=Hot Country Songs". Retrieved April 25, 2014.
4. "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 for Blake Shelton. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
5. "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Blake Shelton. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
6. "Best of 2002: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2002. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
7. "American single certifications – Blake Shelton – Ol%27 Red". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 17, 2013. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics