Thinkin' Problem (song)
{{Infobox song
| name = Thinkin' Problem
| cover = David Ball - Thinkin Problem cd single.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = David Ball
| album = Thinkin' Problem
| B-side = "Down at the Bottom of a Broken Heart"{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|date=2008|page=39|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}
| released = March 28, 1994
| recorded = January 1994
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|Country|honky-tonk}}
| length = 3:00
| label = Warner Bros. Nashville
| writer = David Ball
Allen Shamblin
Stuart Ziff
| producer = Blake Chancey
| prev_title = Gift of Love
| prev_year = 1989
| next_title = When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me
| next_year = 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."{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t2737674|pure_url=yes}} |title=David Ball - "Thinkin' Problem" |last=Cohoon |first=Rick |access-date=2008-11-01 |work=Allmusic}} 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."Billboard, April 2, 1994
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.
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1994) !align="center"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Canadacountry|1|chartid=2541|publishdate=July 25, 1994|accessdate=August 4, 2013}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardhot100|40|artist=David Ball}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|2|artist=David Ball}} |
=Year-end charts=
References
{{Reflist}}
{{David Ball}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:David Ball (country singer) songs
Category:Songs written by Allen Shamblin
Category:Song recordings produced by Blake Chancey