This song by Bucky Covington has the potential to be his biggest hit to date. It has everything that mainstream country music programmers clamor to spin—an inoffensive production and an inspirational story.
“I’ll Walk” is a typical three verse song that uses the title phrase in three different ways as an attempt to jerk some tears from its listeners. As Kevin mentions in his review of Covington’s album, the three act form is similar to Kathy Mattea’s “Where’ve You Been” and Joe Nichols’ “I’ll wait For You”, among countless other country songs. While it is far more superior to “I’ll Wait For You”, it lacks the sweetness of “Where’ve You Been.” Instead, it plays like an after-school special or a Chicken Soup For the Soul story.
Call me heartless and perhaps I’m simplifying, but the story goes like this: The boyfriend and girlfriend get in a fight on prom night. She makes him stop the car so that she can walk. Although he doesn’t want her to walk, he lets her out of the car anyway. Because it’s dark outside and she’s wearing a black dress, she is hit by a car. When the boyfriend arrives at the hospital, she assures him that she will, indeed, be able to walk again. After months of physical therapy and the boyfriend standing by her side through it all, he proposes. Then we come to the wedding scene. Instead of rolling down the aisle, she tells her dad that she’ll walk.
While I realize that many people will defend this song to the bitter end and Covington’s vocal performance is strong, the production is bland and the lyrics are too predictable for me to give this song a higher grade.
Written by Lonnie Fowler & Brent Wilson
Grade: C-
Listen: I’ll Walk
Buy: I’ll Walk
i’m know this is supposed to be touching but i found to be too over the top to be touching for me
Even for a Lifetime Movie that story would be over the top.
Yes, it’s over-the-top. However, Leeann is spot-on when she says it’s gonna do gangbuster’s at radio. It’s also gonna be ‘counter programming’ this summer for radio since most songs will be up-tempo ditties like “She’s A Hottie”
truth stranger than fiction?
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E1D91631F933A2575AC0A9649C8B63
“This song by Bucky Covington has the potential to be his biggest hit to date”.
Oh, Leeann, I certainly hope so.
” Covington’s vocal performance is strong.”
You are so right.
“C-”
What??????
“This song by Bucky Covington has the potential to be his biggest hit to date”.
I’m glad you were able to find the positives from my review. However, note that this comment does not mean that I think that it should be his biggest song to date. I simply predict that radio will embrace it due to its safe three verse story structure and attempt at deep content, which falls grossly short in my opinion. I didn’t address this in the review, but there are so many reasons that this song is pandering rather than making an appropriate inspirational statement. Reality is missing from this song, which is even more important when choosing to deal with this sensitive matter. Guilt and anger would be natural emotions in such a situation. Instead, this song completely glosses over those important matters of psychology and paints a rose colored picture of saintliness that’s all fine and good if it were realistic, but damaging since it’s not.
As far as the grade, I think I was actually being generous considering the reasons above and the incredibly dull production.
This is a Great Song and it should be Rated an A+. I think a movie should be made to go with it. Probably only HallMark Channel would do it though.
I don’t know what’s worse.
These over the top songs that have been coming out (I’ll Walk, You can let go Now)
Or how every female in country now seems to be a celebrity, ex-pop icon, former AI contestant, or Taylor Swift…
I usually hate songs like this. But I think Bucky’s voice saves this one, and makes it seem more plausible than, say, The Little Girl by JMM. I’m weird that way I guess.
Love Bucky..HATE this song..
I only recently started listening to country music and it’s songs like this that remind me of why I didn’t before. As soon as I heard the first chorus, I knew exactly where the song was going to go and only continued listening to see if I was right (which I was).
When I first heard this song, it brought tears to my eyes.(still does) In listening to the lyrics, I hear so mch determination in her, not sorrow or blame. I can really relate to the song. There are lives out there that so many people depend on, ypu can’t let anything get you down, you must be the post that those that depend on you can always come to for stability. I truly enjoy listening to so songs that show determination and the will to go on no matter what…
Bucky Covington is an jerk. His ego’s out of control. I heard him talking to some fans, then turn around and look at his brother and band member nodding his head like “what the #*$”. Granted, country fans are a little out there, but that’s wrong. It’s like biting the hand of those that feed you. He’s really nice to your face, but he’s all bs. He’s just there so you’ll come to places like this and write about him. Well, here’s the real truth. Also, the song I’ll Walk is very well written, but even country ballad fans will tell you that the story’s just too much. It went from heartfelt to cheesey. The other person on here was right, it’s something that would end up on the Hallmark channel. Not even Lifetime would buy this one.
This song reminds me of my past–it reflects the personality of a girl that I once loved. The lyrics of the song are things that I can picture her saying–things such as “right now I’m hurt, and you don’t understand”. But emotions that the song brings out overall(unwritten feelings) are what really hit me hard. It makes me wonder–if I had only listened, and made more effort to understand…the song then ends with the guy and the girl together but in my world, I’m left empty…she’s out there….and now I have my own life….