Fishin' in the Dark

"Fishin' in the Dark"
Single by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
from the album Hold On
B-side	"Keepin' the Road Hot"
Released	June 1987
Genre	Country, country blues
Length	3:20
Label	Warner Bros. Nashville
Writer(s)	Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo
Producer(s)	Josh Leo
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band singles chronology
"Baby's Got a Hold on Me" (1987) "Fishin' in the Dark" (1987) "Oh What a Love" (1987)

"Fishin' in the Dark" is a song written by Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo and recorded by American country music group The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It was released in June 1987 as the second single from their album Hold On. It reached number-one on the U.S. and Canadian country charts. It was the band's third number-one single on the U.S. country music charts and the second in Canada. After it became available for download, it has sold over a million digital copies by 2015. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA on September 12, 2014.

Content

The premise of the song is a couple contemplating a late night fishing expedition. Specifically, the adventurers plan to make their way to a river and chart constellations in the full moon light. In the song, the tentative date for this excursion is set in the late spring to early summer.

Music video

The music video was directed by Bill Young and features the band playing in front of a live audience.

Cover versions

• Canadian country band Emerson Drive recorded their version of the song on their 2004 album What If? A live version recorded in Dallas, Texas during 2004 was released as a digital single in 2005.
• Garth Brooks recorded his version of the song for his 2005 album The Lost Sessions and again for his 2013 box set Blame It All on My Roots: Five Decades of Influences.
• Irish Country singer Nathan Carter released his version of the song on his 2011 album Time Of My Life.
• The Ozark Mountain Daredevils cover the song on a rare Album (CD) named Heart of the Country released in 1987
• The Swon Brothers covered it during season 4 of The Voice and subsequently a studio version was released.

Chart and certification

Weekly chart

Chart (1987)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,129,000
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Preceded by "The Way We Make a Broken Heart" by Rosanne Cash	Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single October 17, 1987	Succeeded by "Shine, Shine, Shine" by Eddy Raven
	RPM Country Tracks number-one single October 17, 1987	Succeeded by "Little Ways" by Dwight Yoakam

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics