Introduction:
It stands as one of Alan Jackson’s most iconic hits, a timeless anthem from his legendary catalog. Featured on his third studio album, A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ’Bout Love), “Chattahoochee” didn’t just soar to the top of the country charts — it marked a career milestone as Alan’s first single to break into the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #46.
Alongside classics like “Mercury Blues,” “Tonight I Climbed the Wall,” and “She’s Got the Rhythm (And I Got the Blues),” the song helped propel the album straight to the top of the country charts. The record has since earned 6x Platinum certification and claimed Album of the Year at the 1993 ACM Awards.
Today, “Chattahoochee” is a country music staple — a song nearly everyone can sing along to. But while its catchy chorus is unforgettable, few truly know the story behind its lyrics.
Even Waylon Jennings couldn’t help but ask the question that’s crossed so many minds over the years:
“I think Waylon said one time, Waylon Jennings, ‘What the hell is a Chattahoochee?’”
To be fair, unless you grew up along the Alabama–Georgia border, you probably wouldn’t know either. The Chattahoochee is actually a river that flows through northern Georgia, runs along the Georgia–Alabama state line, and continues down into Florida.
The idea for the song came naturally — Alan Jackson is a Georgia native, and co-writer Jim McBride is from Alabama. McBride knew Jackson would instantly connect to the concept:
“Alan’s hometown of Newnan is relatively close to the Chattahoochee River, so I knew he’d be familiar with it. I started fooling with the guitar, came up with the first two lines and a melody… and Alan spit out the next two lines almost immediately. They just came right out.”
But one lyric in particular had fans scratching their heads. McBride recalls:
“We got so many phone calls that Alan got tired of them and said, ‘Call Jim.’ So I’m getting calls from all over the country asking what a ‘hoochie coochie’ is.”
And no, Alan wasn’t singing about what many people might assume. McBride finally set the record straight:
“A county fair strip show.”
Mystery solved.
Interestingly, Jackson himself was hesitant to release “Chattahoochee” as a single, worrying that nobody would understand the reference:
“It was surprising to me when they decided to put ‘Chattahoochee’ out. I was reluctant because I said, ‘Nobody is gonna know what that is.’”
But as Alan later explained, Chattahoochee isn’t just a river — it’s a mindset:
“The regular working people, the professional people, just trying to do the same things… make a living, raise a family, enjoy life… I learned that there’s a Chattahoochee everywhere.”
In other words, Chattahoochee isn’t just a place or a song — it’s a lifestyle.
And if you want a piece of that laid-back, sun-soaked lifestyle yourself, Vinyl Me, Please has a special “Mercury Blue” edition of A Lot About Livin’ (And a Little ’Bout Love) — a shade of blue that just happens to look a lot like the water of the Chattahoochee River.
Hotter than a hoochie coochie.