“I Don’t Even Know Your Name“
Alan Jackson
Written by Alan Jackson, Ron Jackson, and Andy Lofton
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
August 5, 1995
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
July 28, 1995
A novelty record kicks off a new string of number one singles for Alan Jackson.
The Road to No. 1
After four consecutive No. 1 singles, Alan Jackson went top ten with his beautiful cover of Rodney Crowell’s “Song For the Life.” He returned to the top with the final single from Who I Am, which is the first in a new string of five consecutive No. 1 singles for the Hall of Famer.
The No. 1
As novelty records go, this one is pretty amusing.
Alan Jackson’s “never been too good at all those sexual games.” So he drinks himself into a stupor while trying to muster up the confidence to talk to a waitress. Not his waitress, mind you. His waitress is missing her front tooth.
Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for us, he comes out of that drunken stupor when he hears wedding bells. That waitress missing her front tooth? She’s his new wife.
It’s a memorable enough storyline that Carrie Underwood lifted it wholesale for “Last Name,” which also went No. 1 and earned her a Grammy.
The Road From No. 1
Alan Jackson released an Immaculate Collection-level hits set next – 17 classics, three new singles, and it still left off some hits. Beginning in the fall of 1995, we’ll cover all three of the new releases from The Greatest Hits Collection, then move right into the lead single from his next studio album.
“I Don’t Even Know Your Name” gets a B.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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Next: Lee Roy Parnell, “A Little Bit of You”
I like it but i’m surprised it went to #1
The music video cemented this song for me! Always loved it when it came on CMT back in the day! Just a fun sing-along song!
A perfect example when country songs still had the ability to wink and smile without pandering. Just such a fun and silly listen with country production through-and-through.
I love how by song’s close he has still gotten no better at romance. My favourite line is “Where the hell am I and just who the hell are you?”
My dad and I always got a good laugh out of this one whenever it came on the radio in the car. Besides the waitress missing her front tooth, we always loved the “Where the hell am I, and just who the hell are you?” line near the end, especially, lol! I even remember one day in K-mart seeing another girl close to my age (I was ten) singing along to the little clip of the song that was playing on the TV monitor, which showed previews and samples of the current albums for sale. In the early 00’s, the Who I Am album was one of the cd’s that was on regular rotation at one of our favorite barbeque restaurants, and I remember seeing another customer sitting across from us just totally digging this song and singing along to every word, lol.
Besides being a novelty song that holds up well and is still funny today, I also love how it’s just a fun barnburner that allows the musicians to show off their skills. I can even picture it playing at that roadhouse AJ is hanging out at trying to get a certain waitress’ attention. I also love the song’s video which gives me a lot of nostalgia with Jeff Foxworthy being in it, since he was one of my step dad’s favorite comedians to watch at that time. Foxworthy was definitely the perfect choice to play the song’s main character, lol.
I also remember my dad and I getting some good laughs out of Jackson and Foxworthy’s other collaboration from around the same time period, “Games Rednecks Play,” lol.