B-side "I Can Love You" Format CD single, 7" 45 RPM Length 3:57 | Released June 23, 2003 Genre Country Label MCA Nashville 000946 | |
"Tough Little Boys" is a song written by Harley Allen and Don Sampson, and recorded by American country music artist Gary Allan. It was released in June 2003 as the first single from the album See If I Care. The song reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in October 2003, becoming Allan's second straight No. 1 single.
Contents
Content
The song, backed primarily by acoustic guitar and keyboard, is about a father who has always imagined himself to be tough, even as a child. However, upon looking at his own child, the father starts to find himself worrying for the child's safety, admitting that "When tough little boys grow up to be dads, / They turn into big babies again". The chorus of the song references the young adult novel "Old Yeller", with the line "Now I didn't cry, when Old Yeller died, at least not in front of my friends."
Critical reception
Jennifer Webb of About.com reviewed the song favorably, calling it "touching and tender."
Music video
The music video was directed by Morgan Lawley, and premiered in mid-2003. It was filmed at the Tennessee National Air Force Base, and features actual soldiers returning from and during wartime, and their daughters, who come out and hug them in the end. Gary is seen performing the song in an air force treatment tent with an acoustic guitar, and in an airport hangar with an electric guitar, while videos of the soldiers on screens behind him are playing. His own daughter Dallas makes a cameo as well. He dedicated the video to all the soldiers who fought and continue to fight for their country, with a note at the end of the video saying "This video is dedicated to all the soldiers, who left their families, to fight for our country."
Chart positions
"Tough Little Boys" debuted at number 45 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of June 28, 2003.