"Something to Be Proud Of" is a song written by
Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey LeVasseur (born August 27, 1961), known as Jeffrey Steele, is an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with recording his own material, Steele has become a prolific Nashville songwriter, having co-written more than 60 hit ...
and Chris Wallin, 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, ...
duo
Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...
. It was released in May 2005 as the fourth and final single from their album ''
You Do Your Thing''. The song reached the top of the ''
Billboard''
Hot Country Songs chart on October 8, 2005.
Content
The father of the narrator compares the narrator's way of life as a father and a husband to his own achievements during the
Desert Storm
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
operation.
Critical reception
Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a negative rating. He summarized his review by saying the song is a "warmed-over, second-rate
John Mellencamp
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...
."
Music video
The music video was directed by
Wes Edwards
Wes Edwards is a music video and commercial director. He has directed over 150 official music videos in various genres from country to EDM. He has created multiple videos for Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley
Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born Nov ...
and released on July 5, 2005.
Chart positions
"Something to Be Proud Of" debuted at number 56 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs for the week of May 21, 2005. It spent two weeks at number 1, making it the first single from Columbia Records Nashville to spend more than one week at the top since "
Daddy's Money" by
Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
in 1996.
The song has sold 579,000 copies in the United States as of September 2017.
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
2005 singles
Montgomery Gentry songs
Songs written by Jeffrey Steele
Music videos directed by Wes Edwards
Columbia Nashville Records singles
Songs written by Chris Wallin
2004 songs