"(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" is a song written by

Tim Nichols Tim Nichols (born in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since the late 1980s, Nichols has written for several country music singers including Keith Whitley, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, ...

and Mark D. Sanders and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer

Trace Adkins Tracy Darrell Adkins (born January 13, 1962) known professionally as Trace Adkins, is an American country music singer and actor. Adkins made his debut in 1996 with the album ''Dreamin' Out Loud'', released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since t ...

. It was released in January 1997 as the third single from his debut album ''

Dreamin' Out Loud ''Dreamin' Out Loud'' is the debut studio album of American country music artist Trace Adkins. The album was released in 1996, and it features the singles "There's a Girl in Texas", "Every Light in the House", "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" and ...

''. It reached the top of the ''

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 advertis ...

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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, marking his first Number One single.

Content

"(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" is in the key of

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

, with a vocal range from C4 to E5. The verses use a pattern of G-F-C three times, followed by an F and E chord for one

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

each. The refrain uses a pattern of Am-F-G-Am twice, followed by C, G, F and E and another Am-F-G-Am progression. The solos between verses are eight bars long, each based on a pair of Am-F-G-Am progressions. Lyrically, the song reflects on the complexity of understanding love and romance.

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the song "B+", praising Adkins's

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

singing voice and the use of

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for this song features Adkins singing the song with his band at a concert, as well as him performing the song beneath a sunset orange backdrop, with an acoustic guitar. This video was directed by Michael Merriman.

Chart performance

This song debuted at number 44 on the

chart dated January 25, 1997. Having charted for 20 weeks on that chart, it also became his first Number One single on the country chart dated April 5, 1997. It would remain his only Number One hit until ten years later, when he topped the country charts again with " Ladies Love Country Boys."

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:This Ain't No Thinkin' Thing 1997 singles Trace Adkins songs Songs written by Tim Nichols Songs written by Mark D. Sanders Song recordings produced by Scott Hendricks Capitol Records Nashville singles 1996 songs