| "19 Somethin'" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byMark Wills | ||||
| from the albumGreatest Hits | ||||
| B-side | "When You Think of Me"[1] | |||
| Released | September 23, 2002 (2002-09-23) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Mercury Nashville | |||
| Songwriters | David Lee Chris DuBois | |||
| Producers | Chris Lindsey Mark Wills | |||
| Mark Wills singles chronology | ||||
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"19 Somethin'" is a song written by David Lee andChris DuBois and recorded by Americancountry music singerMark Wills. It was released in September 2002 as the first single from hisGreatest Hits compilation album and spent six weeks at number one on theHot Country Songs chart in early 2003. It reached number 23 on theBillboard Hot 100 and was the longer-lasting of Wills' two number one singles. It would become the number 2 country song of the decade on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart.
The song begins with singer's reminiscence of his formative years, the 1970s and 1980s. In the first verse and chorus, various 1970s-related bits of pop culture are referenced, such asFarrah Fawcett,eight tracks, andStretch Armstrong; the first verse also mentions the videogamePac-Man ("I had the Pac-Man pattern memorized.") The first chorus begins with the line "It was 1970-somethin' / In the world that I grew up in." Verse two, similarly, references 1980s pop culture, such as theRubik's Cube, blackPontiac Trans Ams, andMTV. The second chorus likewise begins with "It was 1980-somethin'." In the song's bridge, the singer then expresses his desire to escape to his childhood years: "Now I've got amortgage and anSUV / All this responsibility makes me wish sometimes / That it was 1980-somethin’."
As the song was still at number one the week of theSpace Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred, some radio stations momentarily stopped playing the single as the song contained the line "A space shuttle fell out of the sky," a reference to the similarChallenger disaster that occurred in 1986.[2] Despite this however, the song would remain at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks, despite a decline of 323 play detections from radio stations monitored by Billboard for the week of February 15, 2003.
An uncredited article inThe Charlotte Observer said that the success of "19 Somethin'" was "doubly great" because it was a number one single and because it was up-tempo, in comparison to Wills's earlier ballads, such as "Don't Laugh at Me" and "Wish You Were Here".[3]
"19 Somethin'" was nominated for Single of the Year at the 38th annualAcademy of Country Music awards in May 2003.[4]
"19 Somethin'" debuted at number 56 on the U.S.Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 5, 2002. It was Wills' second number one single, his first being "Wish You Were Here" in May 1999.[5]
| Chart (2002–2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[6] | 23 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 1 |
| Chart (2003) | Position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[8] | 84 |
| USCountry Songs (Billboard)[9] | 3 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
According to liner notes.