Where the Green Grass Grows

1998 single by Tim McGraw

"Where the Green Grass Grows"

Single by Tim McGraw

from the album Everywhere

Released

July 13, 1998

Genre

Country

Length

3:21

Label

Curb

Songwriter(s)

Jess Leary
Craig Wiseman

Producer(s)

Byron Gallimore
Tim McGraw
James Stroud

Tim McGraw singles chronology

"Just to Hear You Say That You Love Me"
(1998)

"Where the Green Grass Grows"
(1998)

"For a Little While"
(1998)

"Where the Green Grass Grows" is a song written by Jess Leary and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released on July 13, 1998, as the fifth single from McGraw's Everywhere album. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart and peaked at number seventy-nine on the Hot 100.^[1] It also reached number one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

Content

The song tells the story of a man leaving the big city by going back out into the country.

The song is referenced and sampled in McGraw's 2021 single, "7500 OBO".

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A grade, saying it is "tightly produced, with an instantly recognizable opening fiddle." He went on to say that the lyrics are "cleverly constructed" and "brilliantly contrasted."^[2]

Chart performance

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[3]	1
US Billboard Hot 100^[4]	79
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[5]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[6]	26
US Country Songs (Billboard)^[7]	17

Certifications

Certifications for *Where the Green Grass Grows*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[8]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Parodies

American country music parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "Where the Green Grass Grows" titled "Where the Grass Don't Grow" on his 1999 album Juddmental.

References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
^ CountryUniverse.net Song review
^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7045." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. October 5, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
^ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1998". RPM. December 14, 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^ "Best of 1998: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – Where the Green Grass Grows". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2022.