"Back Where I Come From"
Content[edit]
The song is a mid-tempo in which the narrator expresses nostalgia towards his hometown in Mississippi.[2] Regarding its content, McAnally told American Songwriter, "When I wrote 'Back Where I Come From' I thought that it was a hit, but also that it said something that I personally wanted to be the first to say."[3] The song, the first cut on Simple Life, has a play length of 3 minutes and 32 seconds; a 1-minute and 20 second reprise, performed by McAnally on piano with backing from the Nashville String Machine, is the album's sixth track.[4]
Cover versions[edit]
"Back Where I Come From" was covered by Kenny Chesney on his 1996 album Me and You, produced by Barry Beckett. Chesney also included a live version of the song on his 2000 Greatest Hits album. Of Chesney's recordings, McAnally said that "As a publisher I knew I was devaluing the copyright by singing it myself instead of passing it onto better and bigger singers, but I did it anyway. One of many of my classically bad business choices, but thankfully Kenny Chesney was kind enough to bail me out and cut it again."[3] Although it was not released as a single, Chesney's rendition has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
From Simple Life liner notes.[4]