On April 7, 1990, country music singer Randy Travis' "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart," the second single off the album No Holdin' Back (Warner Bros. Nashville), topped the charts for the first of four consecutive weeks. No single had reigned atop the Hot Country Songs chart for that long since Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson's version of "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" held the No. 1 spot for a whole month in 1978. Grabbing the public's attention for that long required the right artist, singing the right song about faith, hope and love.

"Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" was no one-month wonder. Certainly not to the folks at Billboard Magazine, who ranked it second only to Clint Black's "Nobody's Home" on their year-end chart. RPM Magazine's Canada Country Tracks chart loved the song even more, rewarding it the top spot on their year-end list. Keep in mind that this sustained praise came the same year that brought country fans three of Garth Brooks' first four No. 1 singles, including his truest masterpiece "The Dance."