"Better Man, Better Off" is a song written by Stan Paul Davis and Brett Jones, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1 ...

. It was released in February 1997 as the first single from his album '' The Coast Is Clear''. The song was Lawrence's eighteenth chart single and it peaked at number 2 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

charts in 1997 and reached number 3 on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart. It also peaked at number 8 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, making it a minor crossover hit.

Content

"Better Man, Better Off" is a mid-tempo in the key of

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

. In it, the narrator admits his mistakes in a failed relationship, but says that he will be a "better man, better off" for having learned from his mistakes.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it lyrically similar to

Clint Black Clint Patrick Black (born February 4, 1962) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Signed to RCA Nashville in 1989, Black's debut album '' Killin' Time'' produced four straight number one singles on the ...

's " A Better Man". She goes on to say that the production "gives the tune a radio-ready feel, and Lawrence sings with a that adds to the strength of the song."''

'', February 22, 1997

Music video

The music video was directed by Michael Merriman and premiered in early 1997.

shaved his mustache off and cuts his mullet off with this video.

Chart positions

"Better Man, Better Off" debuted at number 55 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of February 22, 1997.

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1997 singles Tracy Lawrence songs Song recordings produced by Don Cook Atlantic Records singles 1997 songs Songs written by Brett Jones (songwriter)