It’s pretty rare for an artist to hit No. 1 with a debut single, but Clint black managed it in 1989 with “A Better Man”.
Who wrote Clint Black’s “A Better Man”?
Black wrote the song with his longtime collaborator Hayden Nicholas, inspired by a breakup he had recently gone through.
It had been a long relationship, and Black reflected that even though it hadn’t worked out, it had changed him for the better.
He suggested the line, “I leave here a better man” to Nicholas, who had the idea for a rhythm figure. They combined the two ideas to write the song.
“Usually the musical idea would race to the finish line and we’d have our structure done,” Black recalled 25 years after publication. “It would take hours and hours and days, or in some cases weeks to complete the lyrics. I always look at it as a kind of puzzle.”
How did Clint Black’s “A Better Man” do on the charts?
Released as the lead single from Black’s debut album, Killing time“A Better Man” catapulted the singer-songwriter to instant success at country radio, reaching No. 1 on Billboard‘s US Country Songs chart for June 10, 1989.
He followed up with three more chart-toppers from the career-making album, including the title track “Nobody’s Home” and “Walkin’ Away,” and scored another Top 5 with “Nothing’s News.”
“A Better Man” stands as a cornerstone career single for Black, still receiving significant airplay today, and he attributes it to its unique perspective.
“A country song about leaving someone would usually be hitting that person over the head with that song,” says Black.
“Don’t you usually get something good out of a relationship? Especially ones that last a while. Female listeners – and that’s a huge part of the audience – I think they should have enjoyed hearing a guy sing about a girl and a relationship that didn’t work out, where there was nothing terribly wrong with the girl.”
See the most played country song from the year you were born
Who had the most played country song the year you were born? This list is a fascinating time capsule of prevalent trends from every decade of American history. Scroll through to find your year of birth, then click to listen. Some of these songs have been lost over the years, many of them with good reason!
Gallery credit: Billy Dukes
Most popular country album from the year you were born
Find out which country singer dominated this list of the most popular albums from the year you were born or graduated from high school.
This list is based on Soundscan era sales date (1991 to 2022) and total weeks spent on top Billboard‘s Hot Country Albums chart (1964–1990).
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
