A tale of lost love is what makes Austin, by Blake Shelton, appealing to listeners, especially with the female demographic. In all, this song is the first among Blake Shelton songs and also established his music style.
Austin’s Backstory
Originally released on the Giant Records label, Kristi Manna and David Kent wrote the song while Blake Shelton recorded it in 2001. Austin is included in Shelton’s self-titled debut album and is known to also be the country singer’s debut single. The song was doing great on the air, so Shelton was surprised that the label suddenly closed its doors as the single is making waves on the charts. This event prompted the country star to transfer to another big recording company Warner Bros. Records label. It’s a good thing his team was quick on the process, and so Austin’s rising chart performance wasn’t affected.
Moreover, the song tells a touching story of a woman who’s trying to reconnect with her long-lost love. She left because she wants to clear her mind but didn’t leave a number for her lover. He figured she’d gone back to Austin as she talked about it all the time when they’re together.
One year had passed when she suddenly called him up, and every time she did, she only got a hold of the answering machine, however, in different versions. It seems like the man was waiting for her call for the longest time. His answering machine is all about the answers to her potential questions or his whereabouts. And surprisingly enough, the romantic excitement can be heard at the ending, where the man tells the woman that he still loves her.
Austin’s Charts and Commercial Success
Blake Shelton did well with his track Austin and was evident on its chart performance. It spent five weeks on the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot Country Song Charts.
Meanwhile, it has achieved a crossover to US Billboard Hot 100, which makes it a pop hit. It was recognized as his highest-peaking single until 2011 when the country star released his single “Honey Bee” which debuted at number 13. The song became certified platinum 13 years after its release. It sold about 929,000 copies in the US in 2016.
You can watch the official music video of Austin by Blake Shelton below.
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Blake Shelton