"Tar Top" is a song written by Randy Owen, and recorded by American country music group Alabama. It was released in August 1987 as the first single from their album Just Us. The song reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in October 1987, making it their first commercial single not to reach number 1 since 1980's "My Home's in Alabama".[1]

"Tar Top"
Single by Alabama
from the album Just Us
B-side"If I Could Just See You Now"
ReleasedAugust 3, 1987
GenreCountry
Length4:55
LabelRCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Randy Owen
Producer(s)Alabama
Harold Shedd
Alabama singles chronology
""You've Got" the Touch"
(1987)
"Tar Top"
(1987)
"Face to Face"
(1987)

Content

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The song references musical groups that Owen and his bandmates played in prior to the foundation of Alabama, and its title is a reference to a nickname that Owen had in the pre-Alabama days. Owen said that he wrote it a few years prior to the album's release, at a point when he "was making some personal assessments on what [he] could do and what [he] couldn`t do physically and mentally".[2]

Chart performance

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Chart (1987) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] 7
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 4

References

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  1. ^ Billboard Hot Country Singles
  2. ^ Lewis, Jim (November 27, 1987). "Alabama Goes For The Emotion". Orlando Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  3. ^ "Alabama Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.