“Anymore”
Travis Tritt
Written by Jill Colucci and Travis Tritt
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
October 26 – November 2, 1991
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 18, 1991
Travis Tritt tops the chart with his best single.
The Road to No. 1
Tritt’s It’s All About to Change was his most successful project at country radio and at retail. This is the second of four straight No. 1 hits from the album.
The No. 1
And it’s his best single ever.
That’s a pretty high bar to clear, and even as I write that line, I hear the pushback in my mind. “What about ‘Foolish Pride?’ ‘Sometimes She Forgets?’ ‘It’s a Great Day to Be Alive?'”
All of them are certified classics, and we’ll see one of them during this feature when we get to 1994.
But “Anymore” is the pinnacle, the best of the best. It’s as perfect a country ballad as I’ve ever heard, and despite his skill as a Southern rocker, it’s on the ballads that Tritt has always shined the brightest.
“Anymore” is exquisitely written, capturing the very moment when heartache declares victory over pride. Tritt allows the emotion to build throughout the record, confessing first in a whisper but eventually in a full-throated wail.
One of the best records of the decade.
The Road From No. 1
The “No Hats” duo teams up on Tritt’s next single, giving a Country Music Hall of Famer his only No. 1 hit.
“Anymore” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
Previous: Joe Diffie, “New Way (to Light Up an Old Flame)” | Next: Alan Jackson, “Someday”
You’ll get no push back from me. “Anymore” is unquestionably Tritt’s absolute best. Love the song and Tritt’s performance.
Another great song.
I agree 10,000% that this is Tritt’s shining moment as far as his single ballad releases go. The honesty and vulnerability of his singing stunned me when I first heard it and his vocals still have that affect on me now. I never tire of hearing this performance. In fact, I still actively look forward to hearing it as though it is somehow new to me every listen and I wore out my cassette copy of this album listening to this song. The song is pure magic.
The video drew a lot of people to the song as well. It ran all the time on CMT.
The closest competition for “Anymore” as the best Tritt ballad ever comes from his 2004 “Honky Tonk History” album; “Circus Leaving Town” devastates me every time. But then so does “Foolish Pride.”
Was Tritt the best pure vocalist of the new generation of 90’s male singers?
Have I mentioned TT is the most underrated country act of all time? :)
Oh yeah, do yourself a favor if you haven’t heard Circus Leaving Town, as Peter suggested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI_Ys2S9yFQ
Man, TT could nail the ballads. Have I mentioned he’s the most underrated country act of all time?
Thank you for the referral to “Circus Leaving Town,” a song I was not familiar with. I agree it is fantastic, and I’m baffled as to why it apparently was never a single release or big hit for Tritt.
I like this song, but for some reason, it’s never been one of my favorite Tritt ballads. I think the melody doesn’t quite catch me enough. A couple of ballads of his that I love that had no radio success are “I See Me” and “What If Love Hangs On.”
Leeann, Travis could sing the ballads with just enough gruffness in his voice that they don’t topple over into cheap sentimentality. Whatever it is George Jones has in putting emotion into songs without being cloying, Travis does also. I’d guess that’s what draws me to him so much. And just when he’s got you all depressed and sentimental, he comes back rockin’ hard as any country act ever does. Have I ever mentioned…….
No argument from me either, Kevin, though “Help Me Hold On,” “Drift Off To Dream,” “If I Lost You,” and “Best of Intentions” are also right up there for me. Like Leeann, I’ve been sort of hesitant to put it as my personal top TT tune of all time, but only because I slightly prefer the production and more simple approach to the other songs I mentioned, while this one has more of a power ballad feel, though I have nothing against that. With that being said, I really like this song, and I do love the melody and the lyrics about swallowing one’s pride. Also love his performance, especially when he just lets all the emotion out near the end with his signature wail and growl.
Peter – The video has always been one of my dad’s favorites, and every time the song came on the radio, he would always talk about the video. It certainly gave the song even more of an emotional impact than it already did. Part 3 of the trilogy with “If I Lost You” still never fails to make me teary eyed, especially
Also, I absolutely love “Circus Leaving Town”! That has always been another one of my favorite Tritt ballads ever since I heard it from that album. It’s a shame that it was never a single, but unfortunately by 2004/2005, radio was pretty much already turning their backs on mature traditional country ballads like that and many 90’s country veterans who were considered “too country” by that time. By the way, it was also recorded by mid 90’s artist Philip Claypool on his 1995 debut album, and I like that version, as well. I slightly prefer Travis’ performance on it, though.
“Circus Leaving Town” is a great song. I really like the My Honky Tonk History album.
…got up to turn the radio off just to listen to this outstanding ballad undistracted. still the beauty it always has been and one of travis tritt’s finest moments of quite many fine ones.