8th of November (song)

"8th of November" is a song written and recorded by American country music duo Big & Rich. It was released in May 2006 as the third and final single from their album Comin' to Your City. The song became the duo's seventh Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, where it peaked at No. 18, in addition to reaching No. 94 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"8th of November"
Single by Big & Rich
from the album Comin' to Your City
ReleasedMay 26, 2006
Recorded2005
GenreCountry
Length6:14 (original album version, with spoken intro)
4:58 (album version, without spoken intro)
3:28 (radio edit)
LabelWarner Bros. Nashville
Songwriter(s)Big Kenny, John Rich
Producer(s)Paul Worley, Big Kenny, John Rich
Big & Rich singles chronology
"Never Mind Me"
(2006)		 "8th of November"
(2006)		 "Lost in This Moment"
(2007)
Alternative cover

Content

The song, which begins with a spoken introduction by Kris Kristofferson, tells the tale of Niles Harris, a soldier in the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the United States Army during Operation Hump in South Vietnam on November 8, 1965. The intro mentions that Harris was "the guy that gave Big Kenny his top hat", and that he was among the wounded who were saved by Army medic Lawrence Joel, the first living African American to receive the Medal of Honor since the Spanish–American War of 1898.

The song is in a 6/8 time signature, and is in A mixolydian with a primary chord pattern of A–G–D–A.[1]

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a positive rating. He said the song is the best war song since "Travelin' Soldier".[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in his review of the album for Allmusic, called it "awkwardly jingoistic".[3]

Music video

The music video was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions and premiered in the week of June 12, 2006. It first starts with Kristofferson saying the intro, and then cuts to the duo performing in front of a large screen, showing the visuals of Harris' life.

Awards

The song was nominated for the 2006 CMA Awards song of the year category; its music video was also nominated for video of the year categories for the CMAs, ACM Awards, and the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

Chart performance
Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 94
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 18

References
  1. "'8th of November' sheet music". musicnotes.com. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  2. Coyne, Kevin John (August 10, 2006). "Big & Rich – "8th of November"". Country Universe. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Comin' to Your City review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  4. "Big & Rich Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  5. "Big & Rich Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
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