Young Justin Timberlake
Before he took the stage with Chris Stapleton and blew CMA Awards out of the water with their duet on “Tennessee Whiskey”, Justin Timberlake has shown his talent singing a country song. On the TV show Star Search, he performed doing a cover of Alan Jackson’s “Love’s Got a Hold on You”.
Justin Timberlake was just 11 years old and he was going by his first and middle name during his run on the singing competition. Young Justin Randall was listed as the challenger in this specific episode. He sang an ode of Alan Jackson while in a complete ‘90’s cowboy outfit. His performance was clearly the work of a future entertainer and concert headliner. With his voice that strong at his age, we are certain the judges knew he had a bright future ahead of him.
Watch the video and adore young Justin Randall.
Alan Jackson’s Ode
The song “Love’s Got a Hold on You” was written by Carson Chamberlain, Jackson’s Road manager. Together with Chamberlain was Keith Stegall Jackson’s producer. The hit was released in July 1992 as the final single of the country icon’s album, Don’t Rock the Jukebox.
In the song, the narrator is falling in love and doesn’t why he was acting differently. He asked the doctor, then his friends and all of them said he was falling in love.
From the Billboard Magazine, Deborah Evans Price reviewed the song favorably. She said that:
“Love has him in a lassoed condition.”
She also adds that Alan Jackson’s “rich vocal romping hooks this catchy twirl.”
From Country Universe, Ben Foster gave the song an A grade. He said that:
“The light jaunty arrangement creates just the right mood for the silly lyrics, while Jackson’s laid-back delivery fits the song like a glove. The result is that Jackson creates an infectious singalong-friendly earworm out of a song that could have been a grating annoyance in the wrong hands”.
The song was also the only song that Alan Jackson did not co-write on the album. It reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Country Music Chart and on Canadian RPM Country Music Chart.
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Alan Jackson, justin timberlake, Love's Got A Hold On You