"Texas Tornado" is a song written by
Bobby Braddock
Robert Valentine Braddock (born August 5, 1940) is an American country songwriter and record producer. A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Braddock has contributed numerous hit songs during mor ...
, 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 ...
. It was released in April 1995 as the third single from Lawrence's album ''
I See It Now
''I See It Now'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. Released in 1994 on Atlantic Records, the album produced four singles: the title track, "If the World Had a Front Porch", "Texas Tornado", and "As Any Fo ...
''. It became his sixth Number One hit on the ''
Billboard'' country singles charts and also reached number-one on the Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart.
Content
Braddock was inspired to write "Texas Tornado" by a tempestuous relationship with a romantic partner who had considered becoming a professional
storm chaser.
The song is a mid-tempo country ballad in which the narrator recalls a lover, whom he describes as a "Texas tornado, blowing
imaway again". It was also the only track on ''I See It Now'' that Lawrence produced himself.
Music video
The music video was directed by Marc Ball and premiered in April 1995. The video pictures Lawrence as a ranch hand who is smitten with a "Texas tornado" of a woman, and her young son. Scenes also feature Lawrence performing the song in a barn at dusk.
As each clip in the series unfolds, Lawrence appears dressed in the garb from the previous video, as he makes a "
quantum leap
''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...
" into a new time zone and tune. The sequence includes such clips as "
Renegades, Rebels, and Rogues", "
If the Good Die Young
"If the Good Die Young" is a song written by Craig Wiseman and Paul Nelson, and recorded by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. It was released in January 1994 as the fourth and last single from his album '' Alibis''. In April of that y ...
", and "
As Any Fool Can See
"As Any Fool Can See" is a song written by Paul Nelson and Kenny Beard, and recorded by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. It was released on December 13, 1994 as the second single from his album, I See It Now. The song peaked at number ...
". "The idea of tying all the videos together seemed logical, and once we hit on the concept of time travel, it just seemed natural," says Ball of the serial format. "We figured maybe the fans would grow to love it, even though the songs are vastly different from one another."
['' Billboard'', May 13, 1995]
Chart positions
"Texas Tornado" debuted at number 64 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 15, 1995.
Year-end charts
References
{{Tracy Lawrence
1995 singles
1994 songs
Tracy Lawrence songs
Songs written by Bobby Braddock
Songs about Texas
Atlantic Records singles