“I’d Love You All Over Again”
Alan Jackson
Written by Alan Jackson
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
March 9 – March 16, 1991
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
March 1, 1991
Alan Jackson finally tops both singles charts with his first wedding anniversary classic.
The Road to No. 1
Alan Jackson’s three previous singles from Here in the Real World all topped the Radio & Records chart, but a Billboard No. 1 had remained elusive. With the fifth and final single from his Arista debut album, he finally got one.
The No. 1
That’s right. As I said in the introductory line, this is Alan’s first wedding anniversary classic.
“I’d Love You All Over Again” was written as an anniversary gift to his wife, Denise, to commemorate ten years together. It’s one of his strongest early singles, and I write that fully aware of the fact that three of his four No. 1’s have gotten top marks from me in this feature. There’s a reason he went into the Hall of Fame so fast.
“Has it been ten years since we said ‘I do’? I’ve always heard marriage made one seem like two.”
That incredibly strong opening continues to pay off thematically, as he revisits the same concept in the second verse: “Now the days seem much shorter, the longer we love. And the memories just keep adding up.”
Heartfelt. Sincere. And not a drop of sap.
And it isn’t even his best anniversary song.
The Road From No. 1
Jackson’s next five singles will be from his second album for Arista, and they’ll all top at least one singles chart.
“I’d Love You All Over Again” gets an A.
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I absolutely adore this song, and it’s probably one of my all time favorite love ballads in the genre. It’s simply beautiful in every way, from the lyrics, the instrumentation, and the melody. As usual for many of Jackson’s songs, there’s some great steel guitar playing, plus I’ve always loved that opening piano. I’ve always liked the last line in the chorus, as well: “If tomorrow I found one more chance to begin, I’d love you all over again.” It’s definitely more of the kind of song you’d expect from a veteran artist already well into his career, rather than someone only on his debut record.
This is also another one that really takes me back to my tape recording days in early 1991, and it’s on another one of my favorite tapes from that time. Once again, you were just as likely to hear latest hits like this one, along with many 70’s and 80’s recurrents. Luckily, this one also remained a steady recurrent for us up to the early 00’s, and it was always a such pleasure to hear it on the radio whenever it came on, and it always took me back. I particularly remember hearing it again in 2000 while my dad was taking me back home after visiting my Grandpa and seeing one of my cousins.
Another thing I love about listening to Alan’s early music is hearing how much his voice has changed through the years. I hear more of a George Jones influence in his vocals around this phase in his career, while many of his later ballads have more of a Don Williams influence.
Jackson has had so many hits over his career that I forgot this was his first Billboard #1.
As has been mentioned by several other people, Jackson’s songwriting is best when it is autobiographical. The sincerity and authenticity is undeniable and inescapable.
Just five singles into his career, Jackson was showing himself to be surprisingly comfortable with different themes and subjects.
I remember thinking Jackson already felt the most “classic” of the newcomers with this pretty, humble song.
The simplicity of this song is so charming.