Welcome to Country Perspective’s newest weekly feature, Throwback Community Review! Many of you enjoyed a previous similar feature The Past Pulse of Mainstream Country Music and it was one of the main inspirations behind this feature. It’s quite simple: each week there will at least one of these. I will present some information about the song and of course a video to listen to it. You will then take to the comments delivering your thoughts and a grade, on a scale from 1-10. Your grades will be averaged to get the community grade for the song. The comments will be open for a few days before I close them to tabulate the average. Songs from any era of country music could go show up here and I’m open to suggestions for future featuring in this space.
Last Week’s Community Grade: Chris Young – “Aw Naw” – 2.4
This week we take a look at…
Artist: Brad Paisley
Song: “We Danced”
Released: June 26, 2000
Written by: Brad Paisley and Chris DuBois
Producer: Frank Rogers
Background: This was the fourth and last single from Brad Paisley’s debut album Who Needs Pictures. This song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart after debuting at #58 on July 1. This was Paisley’s second #1 hit. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
See you in the comments with my own thoughts and grade!
Country Perspective 
This is a beautiful song with a good story. We Danced is the kind of song that is missing from country radio, a song with honest storytelling. Although it pales in comparison to some of the songs of 2000 in my opinion (I Hope You Dance and Smoke Rings in the Dark; the early 2000s is my favorite era of country music and it had some of the best songs ever), We Danced is still extremely solid. 7/10
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Love this song! Back when country music actually told stories instead of reciting grocery lists. Fantastic steel guitar during the chorus.9/10 for me.
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Brad Paisley at his best. Love the music and really solid lyrics. Compared to what you hear from mainstream radio today about picking up women this song is gold. 9/10
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I think Brad’s first 2 albums really had a pure Nashville sound to them, musically and lyrics. He didn’t really break out until Mud on the Tires. This era was him still playing it safe, but it was still great neo traditional country at it’s finest. I love a good storytelling song that you can picture exactly what they’re singing.
8/10 from me
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amazing lyrics and excellent instrumentation, 9/10 to my ears
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My favorite era of Paisley also. Radio has been missing tunes like this for quite some time. From his debut up until his Time Well Wasted album, i think was very solid. 5th Gear and later, he started to get a little cheesey and commercialized. His guitar playing is always top notch though.
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One of his very best singles, 8/10.
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Great song from Brad’s early career! For me, his best music was from his first two albums, Who Needs Pictures and Part ll. I just love his solid neo-traditional sound from back then. I also echo other commenters that songs like this are sorely lacking on country radio today. This song actually tells a charming story about a couple meeting and falling in love for the first time, as opposed to the hook up and creepy sex songs you hear on the radio today. Just because I like “Who Needs Pictures” and “He Didn’t Have To Be” just a tad better, this gets a 9/10 from me.
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Ballads like this were staples of 90’s country. I didn’t appreciate them enough then, and I sure do miss them now. I’ll give this a 9/10. Great song.
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9/10. Fantastic song, rather underrated in Brad’s catalog and one of the best in his career.
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Eh, I’ve always found this song a tad sappy sorry😐
It’s not bad. But radio drove it into the ground growing up so I honestly never want to hear this song ever again.
5/10
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Among his very best. Great neotraditional sound and thoughtful, well-written lyrics. Brad’s first few albums are pretty much as good as late ’90s/early ’00s mainstream country gets for me. 9/10
I totally agree with Kevin’s comment that this is the type of song we took for granted back then but would kill to have now.
I also completely agree with Brett’s take on the trajectory of Paisley’s career.
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Brad’s second best single release. Only thing better was I Wish You Would Stay. Who Needs Pictures and Part II are two of my all time favorite albums. I still keep them in heavy rotation on my phone. The steel, the lyrics, an actual story that goes somewhere with a logical progression through the verses, and a chorus that compliments each one. More common back then obviously, but rare as a three dollar bill nowadays. Brad’s always been a favorite, and this song/album/sound he had is a main reason why. 9.5/10. (I Wish You Would Stay is a 10/10 for me)
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Ah, the early Brad Paisley days. Definitely one of his early gems and wasn’t constantly going for novelty. 9/10
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Ah the good old days when Brad Paisley was neotraditional. I love this song and I agree with the many others here who have praised Paisley’s first two albums. I’m a huge fan of these sappy 90s country ballads, I rate 9/10.
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Not his best single. Not my favourite Brad Paisley single. Solid. 8/10.
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Great song! Looking forward to his concerts in Sweden this summer.
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Wow, a love song that isn’t creepy, a la Sam Hunt, douchey, a la Luke Bryan/Michael Ray, or boring, a la Brett Young…also that thing you’re hearing is called a steel guitar. Seriously, one of Brad Paisley’s best singles. 9/10
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Like the instrumentation a lot, and with nice, slow lyrics. I like this one a lot. Not quite great in my book, but a solid 7/10 is what I’m going with. Seriously I wish this was the norm in country radio today, but…
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Thematically, this is a very good song. The instrumentation is traditional and doesn’t overstep any boundaries. The lyrics tell a solid story. The song doesn’t necessarily stick out above the rest of country music at the time though, but overall this is what country music should be.
9.5/10
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