| Thinkin' Problem | |
| Cover: | David Ball - Thinkin Problem cd single.png |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | David Ball |
| Album: | Thinkin' Problem |
| B-Side: | "Down at the Bottom of a Broken Heart"[1] |
| Released: | March 28, 1994 |
| Recorded: | January 1994 |
| Genre: | Honky-tonk |
| Length: | 3:00 |
| Label: | Warner Bros. Nashville |
| 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.
"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.
The music video was directed by O Pictures and premiered in early 1994.
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."[2] 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."[3]
Cledus T. Judd, a country music parodist, parodied the song as "Stinkin' Problem" on his 1995 debut album Cledus T. Judd (No Relation).
"Thinkin' Problem" debuted at number 72 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of April 16, 1994.
| Chart (1994) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[4] | 18 | |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 71 |