(I Called Her) Tennessee by Tim Dugger

Album: single release only (2012)

License This Song

Songfacts®:

Dean Madonia has been writing country music in Nashville since 2002. He met up-and-coming country artist, Tim Dugger, through a mutual friend who was producing Dugger. Madonia and Dugger wrote "(I Called Her) Tennessee" in their first writing session together.
In our interview with Dean Madonia, he revealed Dugger's intention for the tune: "He just wanted to write a song about partying and spring break and I was like, 'Well, I lived in Fort Lauderdale for 20 years so I know a little bit about that.'"

Madonia explained that they came up with the title first, which can sometimes make it difficult to write a song. When they got near the end of it, they needed a hook. "I thought of some people that I've known that we just called them by their state name: 'Okay, there Michigan. Hey, Alabama,'" said Madonia. "And it was like, 'Hey, I never knew her name so I called her Tennessee,' and we both looked at each other and were like, 'Yes!' So that was like a gift. It just came."
Tim Dugger is an Alabama native who relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Dugger is a huge NASCAR fan and plays a great deal of concerts in that circuit. He became a favorite among the drivers and their crews, which ultimately led him to Nashville, where he signed a record contract with Curb Records.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Uncle John's BandGrateful Dead

There's a lot of Americana in "Uncle John's Band" by the Grateful Dead, including references to "Buckdancer's Choice" (an Appalachian folk song) and "Fire And Ice," a Robert Frost poem.

Yellow LedbetterPearl Jam

Eddie Vedder often changes the words when he sings "Yellow Ledbetter." The basic story is about a guy whose brother dies in the first Gulf War. Apparently, bad news in the army is delivered in yellow envelopes.

WomanKesha

Kesha's 2017 track "Woman" was the first song titled "Woman" sung by a woman to reach the Hot 100. The prior "Woman" singles to reach the chart were all recorded by male acts.

Detroit Rock CityKiss

Kiss sing about "movin' fast on 95" in "Detroit Rock City," but I-95 doesn't go through Detroit (I-75 does) so they published the lyric as "Movin' fast, doin' 95."

Rock of AgesDef Leppard

The "Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen" intro in Def Leppard's "Rock Of Ages" is something their producer Mutt Lange came up with when he got tired of counting them "1, 2, 3, 4..."

CruiseFlorida Georgia Line

Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" spent 24 weeks on top of the Country chart - the most ever until Sam Hunt's "Body Like a Back Road" was #1 for 34 weeks. The record was previously held by Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (1947-48), Hank Snow's "I'm Moving On" (1950-51) and Webb Pierce's "In the Jailhouse Now" (1955), which each led for 21 weeks.

Editor's Picks

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Steven Tyler of AerosmithSongwriter Interviews

Tyler talks about his true love: songwriting. How he identifies the beauty in a melody and turns sorrow into art.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.