"Arlington" is a song written by Jeremy Spillman and Dave Turnbull and recorded by American country music artist Trace Adkins. It was released in June 2005 as the second single from Adkin's album Songs About Me. The song reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]

"Arlington"
Single by Trace Adkins
from the album Songs About Me
ReleasedJune 11, 2005
GenreCountry
Length4:07
LabelCapitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)Jeremy Spillman, Dave Turnbull
Producer(s)Scott Hendricks
Trace Adkins singles chronology
"Songs About Me"
(2004)
"Arlington"
(2005)
"Honky Tonk Badonkadonk"
(2005)

Content

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It is sung from the viewpoint of a soldier, killed in battle and buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It was inspired by United States Marine Corps Corporal Patrick Nixon, who died in battle in 2003. After meeting Nixon's father, Turnbull was inspired to write the song.[2]

Adkins said that "This is not a war song, and it has nothing to do with politics. This is a true story."[3]

Critical reception

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Deborah Evans Price of Billboard gave the song a positive review, calling it a "hauntingly beautiful song about sacrifice, honor, and the cost of freedom, and it leaves a lasting impression no matter which way your political views lean."[4]

Chart performance

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"Arlington" reached a peak of number 16 on the Hot Country Songs chart in mid-2005. The song fell from this peak after Adkins withdrew it, due to complaints from families of service members.[5]

Chart (2005) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 16
US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[7] 2

References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 18.
  2. ^ "Trace Adkins Discovers Songs About Me". CMT News. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  3. ^ "Trace Adkins Celebrates Platinum Success". CMT News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved 2016-04-12.
  4. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2005-06-25). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Rudder, Randy (2006-10-01). Country Music Reader. Country Music Books. ISBN 9780976974512.
  6. ^ "Trace Adkins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.