Ricky Van Shelton sings “My First Reaction”

Introduction

Picture background

“My First Reaction” is a heartfelt ballad that delves into the depths of love and heartbreak. Written by Troy Seals and Max D. Barnes, the song was recorded by country music singer Ricky Van Shelton and released in 1989 as the lead single from his album New Highways.

The song tells the story of a man who is struggling to come to terms with the end of his relationship. He reflects on the memories of their love and the pain of their breakup, grappling with the emotions that are swirling inside him. The lyrics are poignant and raw, capturing the essence of heartbreak and the longing for closure.

Ricky Van Shelton’s soulful vocals bring the song to life, conveying the depth of emotion and vulnerability that lies beneath the surface. His performance is both powerful and intimate, resonating with listeners who have experienced the pain of heartbreak.

“My First Reaction” became an instant hit, reaching the top of the Billboard country charts and earning Van Shelton a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song’s success propelled him to stardom, solidifying his place as one of the most talented and beloved voices in country music.

The song’s enduring popularity is a testament to its timeless message and the universal appeal of heartbreak. It continues to resonate with listeners today, reminding us of the power of love and the pain of loss.

Video

You Missed

MERLE HAGGARD WAS STILL A TEENAGER WHEN LEFTY FRIZZELL CALLED HIM ONSTAGE IN BAKERSFIELD AND HANDED HIM THE GUITAR. DECADES LATER, MERLE BOUGHT THAT SAME GUITAR BACK. Lefty Frizzell was already the man young country singers studied. By the early 1950s, he had changed the way a line could move. He did not just sing straight through a lyric. He bent it, delayed it, leaned on it, and made every word sound like it had its own wound. In California, Texas, and every honky-tonk where country singers listened harder than the crowd, boys were learning how to sing by trying to sound a little like Lefty. One of those boys was Merle Haggard. Merle was still young in Bakersfield when Lefty came through the Rainbow Garden. He could already imitate him well enough that people around him knew the trick. That night, Lefty heard about the kid. Instead of brushing him off, he brought Merle onstage and handed him his own custom 1949 Gibson J-200 — the big guitar with the Bigsby neck and the Lefty Frizzell name worked into it. For Merle, it was the first guitar he ever played on a professional stage. That could have been the whole story. A legend being kind to a kid for one night. But it stayed with him. Years later, after Lefty was gone, that same guitar passed through display and family hands, eventually coming up for sale. Merle bought it. Not because he needed another instrument. Merle Haggard already had all the proof a country singer could ask for. He bought it because that guitar had once been placed in his hands before the world knew what those hands would become. Lefty Frizzell gave Merle Haggard more than a stage moment. He gave him the weight of a country future for one song.