In 2005, Toby Keith released “As Good As I Once Was” as the second single off his album Honkytonk University.
It has since become one of his signature songs – as well as one of his most successful pieces. The song ranked atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for six straight weeks – making it one of his longest-running No. 1 hits. It also managed to reach No. 28 on Billboard Hot 100.
Truly, Toby Keith songs have dominated the country chart for the last few decades.
The Song Was So Meaningful To Toby Keith’s Career
Toby Keith co-wrote “As Good As I Once Was” with his great friend and songwriting partner, country music artist Scotty Emerick.
It tells the story of a middle-aged man whose masculinity was put to the test when he visited a bar with his friends – wherein he found himself getting hit on by twins and fighting red-neck boys to help his best friend. While he knows his glory days have long been over, and the endurance he has now is far from what he got when he was younger, rest assured he’s as good as he once was.
“As Good As I Once Was” was accompanied by a music video that got fans laughing out loud. Keith’s character took Viagra with the hopes of scoring with two hot twins – only to see that one of them is short on looks and is even missing a tooth.
But the most hilarious part came in slow-motion, where a huge man sends Keith flying with just a single punch. The short clip ends with the country singer admitting that he’s no longer as good as he once was, and that’s the cold, hard truth.
According to Emerick, the song’s title was a phrase that was coined by Burt Reynolds on a TV show. Keith’s dad would often use the phrase growing up.
You can listen to “As Good As I Once Was” by Toby Keith in the video below.
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