“Smoky Mountain Rain” – Ronnie Milsap’s Soulful Tale About a Lonely Southerner

The song “Smoky Mountain Rain” by Ronnie Milsap came out in September 1980 as the first and only track on his album Greatest Hits. The song became another massive hit for Milsap, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, where it remained on top for the entire week. 

It also had great crossover success. It became one of Milsap’s two songs to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Meanwhile, the song peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2019, nearly four decades after its original release, Milsap released a new version of “Smoky Mountain Rain” as a duet with country icon Dolly Parton. The new version even has additional lyrics that are written by Parton. It was released as the first single from Milsap’s album, The Duets.

Behind The Song 

Written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, “Smoky Mountain Rain” tells the story of a man’s journey from Los Angeles back to his home in Knoxville, Tennessee, after realizing those bright lights aren’t where he belongs.

He tries to reach the woman he loves from a phone booth to tell her he has a change of dreams – only to find out she’s gone. Determined to locate her, he hitches a ride with a trucker heading to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Even though he understands why she moved on, he promises to search for her no matter what it takes.

Dive into a circus of emotion through Ronnie Milsap‘s “Smoky Mountain Rain” by hitting play on the video below!