These Are My People

"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
ReleasedMarch 19, 2007
GenreCountry
Length3:34
LabelCurb
Songwriter(s)Dave Berg
Rivers Rutherford
Producer(s)Rodney Atkins
Ted Hewitt
Rodney Atkins singles chronology
"Watching You"
(2006)		 "These Are My People"
(2007)		 "Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)"
(2007)

Content

The 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

J. 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

The music video was directed by Eric Welch and premiered in early 2007.

Chart performance

"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
Chart (2007) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 4

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[8] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Rodney Atkins Closes in on Another No. 1". GAC.com. 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
  2. Watts, Cindy (2007-10-26). "Rodney Atkins celebrates "My People" success". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2007-12-28.
  3. Poet, J. "If You're Going Through Hell review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  4. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  5. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  6. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  7. "Best of 2007: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  8. "American single certifications – Rodney Atkins – These Are My People". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
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