You Ain't Much Fun

"You Ain't Much Fun" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in March 1995 as the third single from his 1994 album Boomtown. The song peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart and at number 3 on the Canadian RPM country tracks. Keith wrote this song with Carl Goff Jr.

"You Ain't Much Fun"
Single by Toby Keith
from the album Boomtown
B-side"Life Was a Play"
ReleasedMarch 14, 1995
Recorded1994
GenreCountry
Length2:26
LabelPolyGram/Polydor Nashville 851728
Songwriter(s)Toby Keith
Carl Goff Jr.
Producer(s)Nelson Larkin
Harold Shedd
Toby Keith singles chronology
"Upstairs Downtown"
(1994)		 "You Ain't Much Fun"
(1995)		 "Big Ol' Truck"
(1995)

Background and writing

Keith told The Boot that his co-writer, Carl Goff Junior, "came on the bus, and I was writing one night, and he was telling me some story about his wife. He said, 'Me and my wife have been in a fight, and she said she was going to leave me if I didn't slow down, so I quit drinking. I'm not drinking right now. So now I've been having to mow and have been out working in the yard, and I've had to get that car running.' He was telling me all his agony. She came home one night, and he had hit himself with a wrench or something and hurt his hand, and she said, 'What's the matter?' He told her, 'You ain't much fun since I quit drinkin'.' I was writing songs, and I said, 'Let's write this right now.' And we just sat down and wrote it." [1]

Content

The song is an up-tempo novelty song in which the narrator has just "sobered up", and his wife makes him do some chores for her (e.g., cutting grass, taking the garage out, and repairing the kitchen sink). He tells her that she "ain't much fun since [he] quit drinkin'."

Despite its humorous nature, a music video wasn't made for the song.

Parodies

Award winning parodist and comedian Cody Marshall released a parody of the song called "I Don't Weigh Much", referencing his healthy diet. He closes the song with Cody screaming "Thank you very much" accompanied by an applauding sound.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that there is "just a touch of Roger Miller in this shuffle-beat lament of a man lonesome for the shelter of the bottle."[2]

Chart positions

"You Ain't Much Fun" debuted at number 63 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of March 25, 1995.

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[3] 3
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] 2

Year-end charts
Chart (1995) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 42
US Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 11
gollark: Essentially, magical civilization is FILLED with bees. Or at least British magical civilization. It might be fine elsewhere.
gollark: Oh, and their prison which tortures people into insanity, and this is seen as a feature?
gollark: There *were* those people tortured into insanity.
gollark: IIRC there's an offhand mention to flying carpets, *being banned* due to apioformic tradition by the ministry.
gollark: WHO thought "hmm, I can make arbitrary objects fly. Why don't I put said flight thing on a really thin object which is not merely irritating to sit on but also hard to control?"‽

References
  1. Conaway, Alanna (21 October 2009). "Toby Keith, 'You Ain't Much Fun' - Story Behind the Lyrics". The Boot. Retrieved 21 June 2010.
  2. Billboard, March 18, 1995
  3. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9199." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 19, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  4. "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  5. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1995". RPM. December 18, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  6. "Best of 1995: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.


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