"Watching Scotty Grow" is a song written by

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, ...

singer-songwriter

Mac Davis Morris Mac Davis (January 21, 1942 – September 29, 2020) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and actor. A native of Lubbock, Texas, he enjoyed success as a crossover artist, and during his early career he wrote for Elvis Presley, ...

and recorded by

Bobby Goldsboro Robert Charles Goldsboro (born January 18, 1941) is an American pop and country singer and songwriter. He had a string of pop and country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature No. 1 hit "Honey", which sold over 1 million copies in ...

in 1970 on his album, ''We Gotta Start Lovin''. Davis recorded his version on his 1971 album, ''I Believe in Music''. This song deals with a father witnessing the activities of his son growing up, while the father does his usual laid back adult activities. The phrase, "that's my boy" is used in all 3 verses. One of the verses, "Mickey Mouse says it's thirteen o'clock," refers to the Mickey Mouse watches which were popular at the time.

History

Goldsboro had many

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

hit singles in the mid to late 1960s, including his chart-topping song, "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

", in 1968. By the early 1970s, he had begun to achieve success on the country chart as well. According to Goldsboro, he met music producer

Jerry Fuller Jerry Fuller (born November 19, 1938) is an American songwriter, singer and record producer. Biography Jerry Fuller was born in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, to a musical family. He and his brother Bill performed as a duo in their home state ...

one day in Los Angeles, and Fuller encouraged him to meet one of his associates in the music business, Mac Davis. When the two met, one of Davis' songs that stood out to Goldsboro was "Watching Scotty Grow". Goldsboro decided to record the song, but an executive with

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1959, ...

questioned the potential of releasing it as a single, stating that "I just don't think anyone will buy a record about a father and a son."Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications), page 91.

Reception

After the release of Goldsboro's album ''We Gotta Start Lovin in late 1970, "Watching Scotty Grow" began to receive attention from radio stations in the United States. Goldsboro stated: "They put it out and within two weeks, it was being played like a single." The record label quickly issued a 45rpm, and the song began ascending American record charts during the Christmas shopping season. It reached the top of the ''Billboard''

Easy Listening chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

on January 9, 1971, where it remained for six weeks. It also peaked at #11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February of that year Whitburn, Joel (2004). ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits'', 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 259. and climbed to the top ten on the ''Billboard'' country music chart as well. The track was Goldsboro's tenth top 40 hit on the U.S. pop chart and his 12th in the Canadian RPM Magazine Top Singles charts.

Charts

References

External links

Mac Davis 1972 album ''I Believe in Music'' release info
Discogs {{Authority control 1970 singles United Artists Records singles Bobby Goldsboro songs Mac Davis songs Songs written by Mac Davis Song recordings produced by Bob Montgomery (songwriter) 1970 songs Songs about children Songs about parenthood

History

Reception

Charts

See also

References

External links