Watch Mark Chesnutt Get the Crowd at Farm Aid Fired Up with “Old Flames Have New Names” in 1992

Few artists embody the sound of ‘90s country like Mark Chesnutt. He released his debut single “Too Cold at Home” in 1990 and it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. He would continue to release hit after hit as the decade moved forward. From slow heartbroken songs like his debut and “Brother Jukebox” to up-tempo barnburners like the Western Swing-infused “Old Flames Have New Names,” Chesnutt dominated the FM radio waves throughout the ‘90s.

When he took the stage at the Texas Stadium on March 14, 1992, for the fifth Farm Aid benefit concert, he hadn’t yet reached the peak of his popularity. At the time, he had one No. 1 single—“Brother Jukebox”—and a string of top 10 hits under his belt. However, the packed Farm Aid crowd knew they were watching a superstar in the making. Watch the Texas native get the crowd fired up with “Old Flames Have New Names” below.

[RELATED: 4 Country Hits From the 90s To Celebrate Mark Chesnutt’s Birthday]

Farm Aid hadn’t quite hit its stride yet in 1992. Today, it is an annual event. However, that wasn’t the case at the time. The event didn’t take place in 1988 and 1991. As a result, the event in 1992 was labeled Farm Aid V. Interestingly, the show hasn’t skipped a year since then. They even held a socially-distanced concert in 2020.

Mark Chesnutt Scores a Hit with “Old Flames Have New Names”

The legendary songwriter Bobby Braddock co-penned “Old Flames Have New Names” with Rafe Van Hoy. Mark Chesnutt released it as the lead single from his 1992 album Longnecks and Short Stories. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. More importantly, it became one of the Texas native’s best-known songs.

The song is about a ladies’ man who moves away from his hometown for a couple of years. When he returns, he hopes to dust off his little black book and revive a fling with one of his “old flames.” However, he quickly realizes that all of his ex-lovers have moved on with their lives. They’ve all gone on to get married, start families, or both.

Braddock and Van Hoy were hoping to capture the same energy as George Strait’s 1987 hit “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” which was penned by Sanger and Lyndia Shafer and went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. So, they tapped into the “list song” format and mirrored the concept of the song’s narrator having a plethora of former lovers in a single area.

In the end, Chesnutt didn’t see the same chart success as Strait. However, one could argue that “Old Flames Have New Names” rivals “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” for longevity.

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