Take Me Down

"Take Me Down" is a song recorded by American country music band Alabama. It was released in May 1982 as the second single from Alabama's album Mountain Music.[1]

For the Pretty Reckless song, see Take Me Down (The Pretty Reckless song).
For the "Weird Al" Yankovic song, see Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic § Medium Rarities.
"Take Me Down"
Single by Alabama
from the album Mountain Music
B-side"Lovin' You Is Killin' Me"
ReleasedMay 6, 1982 (U.S.)
Recorded1981
GenreCountry
Length3:43 (single edit)
4:53 (album version)
LabelRCA Nashville 13210
Songwriter(s)Mark Gray, J.P. Pennington
Producer(s)Harold Shedd and Alabama
Alabama singles chronology
"Mountain Music"
(1982)		 "Take Me Down"
(1982)		 "Close Enough to Perfect"
(1982)

Written by Exile band members Mark Gray and J.P. Pennington, the song was originally recorded by Exile in 1980. The Exile version was released as a single, but failed to become a major hit, although it reached number 102 on the US Bubbling Under chart[2] and number 11 in South Africa.[3]

However, it was not until Alabama released the song that it was the group's seventh number one on the country chart.[4] In addition to its success on the country charts, the song fared modestly well on pop radio, reaching No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5]

Single and album edits

The single edit to "Take Me Down," released for retail sale and radio airplay, is about 1:10 shorter than the full-length album version. Excised from the single version:

  • The second refrain; the song immediately proceeds from the second verse into the bridge.
  • An earlier fade during the ending harmony part (about 30 seconds earlier than the album version).

"B" side

The B-side to "Take Me Down" is a song titled "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me," a re-recording of one of Alabama's earliest songs. "Lovin' You Is Killin' Me" originally appeared as the B-side to the band's first charted single, 1977's "I Wanna Be With You Tonight."

Charts

Exile
Chart (1980) Peak
position
South Africa (Springbok)[6] 11
US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100[7] 102

Alabama
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Canada RPM Country Tracks 1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 18
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[9] 5
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1982) Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] 18
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] 32

Cover version

The song was covered in by soul singer Johnny Bristol the same year and released as the first single off his Free to Be Me album.

References
  1. Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)
  2. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  3. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 18.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 22.
  6. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". 21 June 1980. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  7. Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
  8. "Alabama Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. "Alabama Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  10. "Alabama Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  11. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  12. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1982". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2021.

Works cited

  • Morris, Edward, "Alabama," Contemporary Books Inc., Chicago, 1985 (ISBN 0809253062)


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