No News
"No News" is a song performed by American country music band Lonestar. It was released in January 1996 as the second single from their debut album, Lonestar. "No News" reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 1996 (see 1996 in country music), giving the group its first number-one single. It was written by Phil Barnhart, Sam Hogin, and Mark D. Sanders.[1]
| "No News" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Lonestar | ||||
| from the album Lonestar | ||||
| A-side | "Tequila Talkin'"[1] | |||
| Released | January 8, 1996 | |||
| Genre | Country, country rock | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | BNA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Barnhart Sam Hogin Mark D. Sanders | |||
| Producer(s) | Don Cook Wally Wilson | |||
| Lonestar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
The song's narrator tells of how his former lover has left him and disappeared without a trace. Having heard "no news" from her or her family, he starts contemplating the possibilities as to where she might be. These include getting lost at the mall, joining Pearl Jam, the Grateful Dead, or even being offered as a human sacrifice.[2] The video and single version replace the line "Joined a cult, joined the Klan" with "playin' guitar with the band".
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it "different, catchy, and utterly infectious." She goes on to say that the production is "first-rate" and that the performance is "right on the mark."[3]
Music video
This was their first music video, and it was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions. It begins following the narrative of the song as the woman leaves her man and boards a bus. While on the bus, the previously conservatively-dressed woman begins taking off her glasses, putting on lipstick, changing into a white shirt and tying it into a knot, and letting her hair down and dancing provocatively, causing such a stir that the bus overheats and breaks down. She then hitchhikes with a Boss Hogg-like character who pulls up in a Cadillac convertible; and the license plate reads NO NEWS on the back, he and the girlfriend ride off into the sunset. She takes the cowboy hat off his head and puts it on her own head and dances. Meanwhile, her ex-lover sits at home. Scenes also feature the band performing the song outside. A portion of their debut single "Tequila Talkin'" was played at the beginning of the video.
Chart positions
"No News" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of January 13, 1996. The song was commercially released as a double A-side with "Tequila Talkin'"; this double-sided single reached number 22 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.[1]
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] | 1 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[5] | 22 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1996) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7] | 54 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[8] | 10 |
References
- Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 244. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- Wahlert, Brian. "Lonestar review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
- Billboard, January 27, 1996
- "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2930." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. April 1, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- "Lonestar Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "Lonestar Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1996". RPM. December 16, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
- "Best of 1996: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
