"The Tin Man" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

released from his 1994 debut album ''

In My Wildest Dreams ''In My Wildest Dreams'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on April 19, 1994, as the only album for the Capricorn Records label. The title track was previously recorded by Aaron Tippin on hi ...

''. Six years later, Chesney re-recorded the song for his first '' Greatest Hits'' compilation album and released this recording in July 2001 as the album's third single.

Content

"The Tin Man" is a ballad about a brokenhearted man who wishes that he were the Tin Woodman so that he "wouldn't have a heart" and thus not feel the emotions that he is feeling. The song is set in the key of

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

with a main chord pattern of E-Cm-A-B.

Critical reception

In a 1995 review, Phil Kloer of the ''

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' called the song "one of the better pieces of writing to come out of Nashville this year or last."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

of Allmusic said that the song was not "quite as shellacked with gloss" as Chesney's later ballads. ''

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 ...

s review praised Chesney's vocals while taking a negative view of the songwriting: " is hitting his stride as a singer, even if ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' references here are a little tired." The original version later appeared on Chesney's first BNA Records album, '' All I Need to Know.'' In his review of this album, Erlewine wrote that the song "deftly reworks a cliché" and "captur sthe blend of country instrumentation and anthemic pop that became his signature and made him a star." Chesney re-recorded the song for his 2000 '' Greatest Hits'' album. This newly recorded version was the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to the album's first single, "

I Lost It "I Lost It" is a song written by Jimmy Olander of Diamond Rio and Neil Thrasher and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on August 14, 2000 as the first single from Chesney's '' Greatest Hits'' compilation alb ...

", before serving as the third release from it in 2001.

Music video

The music video for "The Tin Man" was directed by Tom Bevins, and premiered on CMT on April 23, 1994, when CMT named it a "Hot Shot". A video for the 2001 re-recording was to have been directed by Trey Fanjoy; this video would have been shot on September 11, 2001 in front of the World Trade Center, but label executives canceled the shoot only a few days prior after determining that the song did not need a video.

Chart performance

The original recording of "The Tin Man" entered the ''

'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now

Hot Country Songs 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 dated for the week ending May 14, 1994, peaking at number 70 with a six-week run on the charts. The 2001 version first charted on the week ending July 28, 2001, spending twenty weeks on that chart and peaking at number 19. It also peaked at number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tin Man 1994 singles 2001 singles 1994 songs Kenny Chesney songs Songs written by Kenny Chesney Song recordings produced by Buddy Cannon Song recordings produced by Barry Beckett Song recordings produced by Norro Wilson BNA Records singles Songs about fictional male characters