Old Flames Have New Names

"Old Flames Have New Names"
Single by Mark Chesnutt
from the album Longnecks & Short Stories
B-side	"Postpone the Pain"[1]
Released	February 1992
Format	CD Single, 7"
Recorded	1991
Genre	Country
Length	2:24
Label	MCA
Writer(s)	Bobby Braddock, Rafe VanHoy
Producer	Mark Wright
Mark Chesnutt singles chronology
"Broken Promise Land" (1991) "Old Flames Have New Names" (1992) "I'll Think of Something" (1992)

"Old Flames Have New Names" is the title of a song co-written by Bobby Braddock and Rafe VanHoy and recorded by country music singer Mark Chesnutt. It was released in February 1992 and is one of his most well known songs. It was the leading single off of Chesnutt's second album Longnecks & Short Stories.

Content

The main protagonist — an apparent self-described "ladies' man" — moves back to his hometown after a two-year absence, hoping to resume his wild, womanizing ways with women he found desirable. But instead of arriving back in town to a grand homecoming and a night of carousing and lovemaking, he learns a hard truth: that all of his former love interests have moved on with their lives and settled down.

Several of the protagonist's old flames are married, two are expectant mothers and another has taken up vows of sisterhood. Upon learning about what became of his former girlfriends, he bemoans that they now want nothing to do with them, since "I'm just a bad reminder of their wild and wooly days."

Chart performance

Chart (1992)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	5
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	4

References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 

• Allmusic