"These Are My People" is a song written by Dave Berg and Rivers Rutherford, and recorded by American country music artist Rodney Atkins. It was released in March 2007 as the third single from his platinum album If You're Going Through Hell,[1] as well as the third straight Number One single from that album.[2]
| "These Are My People" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rodney Atkins | ||||
| from the album If You're Going Through Hell | ||||
| Released | March 19, 2007 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:34 | |||
| Label | Curb | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dave Berg Rivers Rutherford | |||
| Producer(s) | Rodney Atkins Ted Hewitt | |||
| Rodney Atkins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is an up-tempo which is introduced by a fiddle solo, with guitar also accompanying. The lyrics are the narrator's description of his rural lifestyle: specifically, the friends with whom he plays church league softball and drinks beer at a bar. The first verse references three Lynyrd Skynyrd songs: "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew". "Lovin' and laughin' and bustin' our asses", a line from the first verse, was changed to "…bustin' our backs" in the radio edit.
Critical reception
editJ. Poet of Allmusic described the song favorably, saying that "It's a string of clichés, the kind of song that can sink under its own sentimental weight, but Atkins delivers it with a sly humor that makes it believable."[3]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Eric Welch and premiered in May 17, 2007.
The music video reached number 1 on CMT's Top Twenty Countdown for the week of August 30, 2007.
Chart performance
edit"These Are My People" debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of March 24, 2007.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Billboard)[4] | 11 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 42 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2007) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 4 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "Rodney Atkins Closes in on Another No. 1". GAC.com. 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
- ^ Watts, Cindy (2007-10-26). "Rodney Atkins celebrates "My People" success". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
- ^ Poet, J. "If You're Going Through Hell review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
- ^ "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ "Best of 2007: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "American single certifications – Rodney Atkins – These Are My People". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 October 2021.