| The Cheap Seats | |
| Cover: | Alabama Cheap Seats single.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Alabama |
| Album: | Cheap Seats |
| B-Side: | This Love's on Me |
| Genre: | Country |
| Length: | 3:54 |
| Label: | RCA Nashville |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | T.L.C. A.S.A.P. |
| Prev Year: | 1993 |
| Next Title: | We Can't Love Like This Anymore |
| Next Year: | 1994 |
"The Cheap Seats" is a song by American country music group Alabama, released on April 4, 1994, as the third and final single from their album Cheap Seats. "The Cheap Seats" was written by Marcus Hummon and Randy Sharp, and peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in mid-1994.[1] It also peaked at number 6 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks. The song was used as the theme song for Minor League Baseball games broadcast on ESPN in August and September 1994 during the 1994-95 MLB strike.
Dan Cooper of Allmusic called the song "way cute" in his review of the album.[2] Tom Roland of New Country magazine praised the song for "avoiding the now-stale Dixie tributes" that were present in the band's other songs.[3]
The music video was directed by Deaton-Flanigen and features the band at a baseball game. It is strongly implied that Des Moines, Iowa is the "middle-sized town" in question, as it does indeed have a AAA minor league team (Iowa Cubs) and is in fact "in the middle of the Midwest". It was filmed at historic Engel Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a staged game between the Carolina Mudcats and Chattanooga Lookouts, members of the Double-A Southern League at the time. It was also filmed in the band's hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama.
"The Cheap Seats" debuted at number 65 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 16, 1994. It ended their streak of 41 straight Top 10 singles on the Hot Country Songs Chart.
. The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 19.