Aaron Tippin – You’ve Got to Stand for Something

About The Song

“You’ve Got to Stand for Something” was co-written and recorded by American country music artist Aaron Tippin. It was released in October 1991 as the lead single and title track from his debut album, You’ve Got to Stand for Something, on RCA Records Nashville. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and became an anthem for American troops during the Gulf War, gaining widespread recognition.

The song was recorded in Nashville, produced by Emory Gordy Jr. The track features Tippin’s baritone vocals with a heavy nasal Southern twang, supported by a traditional country arrangement with steel guitar by Kayton Roberts and fiddle by Mark O’Connor. The track runs approximately 3:01.

The lyrics emphasize resilience and moral conviction, with lines like “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.” Tippin co-wrote the song with Buddy Brock, crafting a narrative about standing firm in one’s beliefs, which resonated deeply during the early 1990s military conflict, earning it airplay on Armed Forces Radio.

The recording process involved engineers like Alan Schulman and mixing by Steve Tillisch, with additional contributions from assistant engineers Jeff Giedt and Jeff Coppage. The song’s straightforward production highlighted Tippin’s vocal strength, contributing to its patriotic appeal.

Upon release, “You’ve Got to Stand for Something” charted for 20 weeks, contributing to the album’s gold certification by the RIAA. The album, released in 1991, peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, marking Tippin’s entry into the country music scene.

Tippin, born on July 3, 1958, in Pensacola, Florida, and raised in South Carolina, promoted the single with live performances. After working as a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music, he signed with RCA in 1990, with this song establishing him as a new voice in country music.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZiF8fFJC4

Lyric

Now we got quotas and bottom lines
Bosses and deadlines, a regular grind
We’ve got rules and regulations
And now they’ve got our imaginations

You’ve got to stand for something
Or you’ll fall for anything
You’ve got to be your own man
Not a puppet on a string

Now we got runaways and barroom fights
Long nights and all day and all night
We’ve got wrong and right, black and white
And we’ve got to set ourselves apart

You’ve got to stand for something
Or you’ll fall for anything
You’ve got to be your own man
Not a puppet on a string

I know there’s people with a lot more money
But they ain’t got a lick of sense to show
Think about those who have given all
And those who are giving still

You’ve got to stand for something
Or you’ll fall for anything
You’ve got to be your own man
Not a puppet on a string

(Instrumental break)

Now we got runaways and barroom fights
Long nights and all day and all night
We’ve got wrong and right, black and white
And we’ve got to set ourselves apart

You’ve got to stand for something
Or you’ll fall for anything
You’ve got to be your own man
Not a puppet on a string