“High Cotton”
Alabama
Written by Scott Anders and Roger Murrah
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
September 22, 1989
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
October 28, 1989
No act was more daunting going into this retrospective than Alabama, who scored 25 No. 1 hits during the eighties.
“High Cotton” brings them full circle thematically, which is a nice way to end a very long journey. It serves as both complement and contrast to early hits like “My Home’s in Alabama” and “Tennessee River.” It’s similarly awash in nostalgia for the old south, but couldn’t be more different musically. The southern country rock of those early hits placed them firmly in modernity, reflecting on an old south that was long gone. The warm acoustic arrangement of “High Cotton” has the opposite effect, transporting us back to those early memories and letting us walk around and see – and feel – those memories from the past.
In a way, it helps them complete the transition from young superstar band to veteran country act. They’re no longer the young men striking out on their own, armed with the values of their simple upbringings. Now they’re going back home, ready to settle down, and are reaching back to those memories as they begin to teach the lessons from their childhoods to their own children.
The best Alabama chart toppers from the eighties and nineties transcend their workmanlike contributions to country radio. “High Cotton” is one of the best, and it’s a fitting final entry from a band that was so prominent across the two decades we’ve covered.
“High Cotton” gets an A.
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I think I would dig this song more if it didn’t come in the immediate aftermath of the force of nature that was “Song of the South”. This song treads very similar territory with a fraction as much charisma. A case could be made that a quieter version of the same theme packs more of a narrative punch, and in some cases that’s true, but not in this instance, at least for me. Since it’s from the same album as “Song of the South”, I’ll actually give it some slack and presume that mature reflection on southern roots was a dominant theme of the album. There’s no shortage of instances where Nashville tries to mimic an artist’s career record with the lead single of their next album. That usually seems pretty craven but wasn’t the case here. It’s enough for some qualified kudos.
Grade: B-
At best I would give this song a “B-“. It just feels forced and the production just doesn’t fit. Alabama was a great group but they never felt authentic when they tried traditional country.
This hit had me paying attention to what Alabama was still doing. They sound reborn to my ears.
I whole heartedly agree it is one of their best singles.