"Old Man and Me," Hootie and the Blowfish (1996)
A country radio smash, a few decades too soon
Peak: #13 on the Hot 100
Streams: 4.2 million
As I write this, Hootie and the Blowfish is racing up the country radio chart. They’re the featured act on “Bottle Rockets,” a Scotty McCreery song that interpolates the chorus of “Hold My Hand,” Hootie’s breakthrough hit from 1994. However, “Bottle Rockets” isn’t just sampling the older record. The band recorded new vocals and instrumentals, and within the year, I assume they’ll play with McCreery on a televised award show.
You may know that Darius Rucker — Hootie and the Blowfish’s lead singer — has been a country star for a good long while. From 2008 - 2020, he racked up 12 top 10 country hits, including nine number ones. Nine! It’s significant that Hootie and the Blowfish got back together for “Bottle Rockets,” when it easily could’ve been Rucker singing his old tune as a solo artist.
Maybe this augurs a Hootie and the Blowfish renaissance. Yes, they’ve been touring after releasing a comeback album in 2019, but they still seem undervalued to me. They get dismissed, I think, because they present as nice, normal guys. Rucker has an incredible voice and the band’s best songs have undeniable hooks, but there’s no “mystique” to back up all this talent. The cultural imagination is rarely captivated by a group of dudes who make solid records, never have scandals, and generally come across as your buddies drinking beer a few stools down at the bar and grill.
After 30 years, it’s amazing that the guys in Hootie and the Blowfish still seem this sane. If you ask me, that’s grounds for a reappraisal right there. Perhaps we can celebrate the band for making good music while maintaining apparently normal lives.
If we somehow do agree to revisit the Hootie catalogue, then the entire country can enjoy some remarkably sturdy songs. The big hits — “Hold My Hand,” “I Go Blind,” “Let Her Cry,” “Only Wanna Be With You” — are as satisfying as ever, but there’s more to enjoy. Take “Old Man & Me,” the first single from their second album, Fairweather Johnson.
First of all, those chiming guitars epitomize 90s rock. They’re tuneful. They groove. They suggest sunny optimism. And they sound great supporting Rucker’s soulful vocal. He might be singing about how easy it is to ignore the problems of other people, but the song’s vibe suggests it’s going to work out.
In other words, “Old Man & Me” offers genuine pleasure, even though it tackles a heavy subject. This music isn’t going to reshape our perceptions of art, but who cares? It’s well made and enjoyable, and that’s more than enough.
If it were released today, this song might go directly to country radio, which is where these sounds are king. “Hold My Hand” would probably be a country hit, too, even without Scotty McCreery’s help. My fingers are crossed that the band’s appearance on the country chart won’t be their last, and that music lovers can realize they’ve been neglecting the ideal soundtrack to their backyard barbecue.
I love "Old Man And Me." I put it above a couple of those songs from "Cracked Rear View," to be honest. There's a depth to it I really appreciate.
I do wonder if the Hootie backlash of the mid '90s happened because they were peaking right as the post-grunge wave was washing over pop radio. If CRV came out a couple of years later, it might have been celebrated with acts like Matchbox 20, rock bands with a softer, less angsty edge. As it was, it was easy to pile on them, which is unfortunate, because they were pretty great in their moment.