Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)

"Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" is a song written by Jamie O'Hara, and recorded by the American country music duo, The Judds. It was released in January 1986 as the second single from the album Rockin' with the Rhythm. The song was their sixth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.^[1] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.^[2]

"Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)"
Single by The Judds
from the album Rockin' with the Rhythm
Released	January 1986
Recorded	1985
Genre	Country
Length	4:15
Label	RCA/Curb
Songwriter(s)	Jamie O'Hara
Producer(s)	Brent Maher
The Judds singles chronology
"Have Mercy" (1985) "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" (1986) "Rockin' with the Rhythm of the Rain" (1986)

Content

"Grandpa" is a nostalgic country song in which the singer feels overwhelmed by the rapid changes of modern life ("It feels like this world's gone crazy") and wonders if things were really better in her grandfather's time. She asks him:

• if lovers really stayed together for life
• if people really always kept promises
• if families really prayed together
• if fathers really never abandoned their families

Poignantly, the song does not mention how her grandfather responds.

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[3]	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[4]	31
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)^[5]	10

Year End (1986)	Position
Billboard	?
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	11

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[6]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

The song won Grammy Awards for both The Judds in Country Duo/ Vocal Group category and for O'Hara in the Country Songwriting Category in 1987.

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 184.
2. Western Writers of America (2010). . American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
3. "The Judds Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
4. "The Judds Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
5. "The Judds Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
6. "American single certifications – The Judds – Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2023.