Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
{{Infobox song
| name = Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
| cover = JMM - Sold single.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = John Michael Montgomery
| album = John Michael Montgomery
| released = May 1, 1995
| recorded = Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
| genre = Country
| length = 2:32
| label = Atlantic
| writer = Robb Royer
Richard Fagan
| producer = Scott Hendricks
| prev_title = I Can Love You Like That
| prev_year = 1995
| next_title = No Man's Land
| next_year = 1995
}}
"Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" is a song written by Richard Fagan and Robb Royer, and recorded by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. It was released in May 1995 as the second single from his self-titled album. It hit number-one on the country charts in the United States and Canada in July 1995.{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}} It was named Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks' number-one single for 1995.
Content
"Sold" is delivered at a fast tempo, using the framework of an auction at a county fair. The narrator metaphorically auctions off his heart to a female at the fair whom he finds attractive.{{cite web | url=https://www.countryuniverse.net/2022/04/21/every-1-single-of-the-nineties-john-michael-montgomery-sold-the-grundy-county-auction-incident/ | title=Every #1 Single of the Nineties: John Michael Montgomery, “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)” | publisher=Country Universe | date=April 21, 2022 | accessdate=February 22, 2025 | author=Kevin John Coyne}}
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that it demonstrates Montgomery's "ability to deliver tongue-twisting lyrics in rapid fire fashion."{{cite magazine |magazine=Billboard |date=May 27, 1995}}
Personnel
{{div col}}
- John Michael Montgomery – vocals
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Rob Hajacos – fiddle
- John Barlow Jarvis – piano
- Brent Mason – electric guitars
- Terry McMillan – harmonica
- John Wesley Ryles – backing vocals
- Billy Joe Walker, Jr. – acoustic guitars
- Glenn Worf – bass
- Dennis Wilson – backing vocals
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
{{div col end}}
Chart performance
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1995) !align="center"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Canadacountry|1|chartid=8525|publishdate=July 17, 1995|accessdate=July 21, 2013}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|1|artist=John Michael Montgomery}} |
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"| Chart (2022) !scope="col"| Peak |
| scope="row"|Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard){{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/john-michael-montgomery/chart-history/cns/|title=John Michael Montgomery Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 12, 2022}}
| 48 |
|---|
=Year-end charts=
References
{{reflist}}
{{John Michael Montgomery}}
{{Billboard Year-End Hot Country Singles number one single of the year}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Atlantic Records singles
Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year
Category:John Michael Montgomery songs
Category:songs written by Richard Fagan