Thinkin' Problem (song)

"Thinkin' Problem"
Single by David Ball
from the album Thinkin' Problem
B-side	"Down at the Bottom of a Broken Heart"[1]
Released	March 28, 1994
Recorded	January 1994
Genre	Honky-tonk
Length	3:00
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Songwriter(s)	David Ball Allen Shamblin Stuart Ziff
Producer(s)	Blake Chancey
David Ball singles chronology
"Gift of Love" (1989) "Thinkin' Problem" (1994) "When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me" (1994)

"Thinkin' Problem" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer David Ball. Ball co-wrote the song with Allen Shamblin and Stuart Ziff. It was released in March 1994 as the lead-off single and title track from his album Thinkin' Problem. The song reached number 2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart, and number 1 on Canada's RPM country chart. It also earned Ball a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards in 1995, as well as a nomination for the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year.

Content

"Thinkin' Problem" is a moderate up-tempo with electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, and fiddle flourishes. In it, the male narrator states that he has a "thinkin' problem" (meant as a play on the term "drinking problem") because he is constantly thinking about his former significant other despite numerous attempts to quit. The song begins with the famous phrase "Yes I admit, I've got a thinkin' problem", with the final syllable of the word "admit" drawn out.

Music video

The music video was directed by O Pictures and premiered in early 1994.

Critical reception

Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a mixed review, saying that it "is the fuel that ignited Ball's launch into stardom" but that "he tends to over-nasalize to the point of annoyance."^[2] Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably calling it a "perfect combination of retro sensibility and '90s production, and a pure honky-tonk delight."^[3]

Parody

Cledus T. Judd, a country music parodist, parodied the song as "Stinkin' Problem" on his 1995 debut album Cledus T. Judd (No Relation).

Chart positions

"Thinkin' Problem" debuted at number 72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 16, 1994.

Chart (1994)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[5]	40
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1994)	Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[7]	18
US Country Songs (Billboard)[8]	71

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
2. Cohoon, Rick. "David Ball - "Thinkin' Problem"". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
3. Billboard, April 2, 1994
4. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 2541." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. July 25, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
5. "David Ball Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
6. "David Ball Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
7. "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1994". RPM. December 12, 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
8. "Best of 1994: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1994. Retrieved August 4, 2013.