Stone was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, and learned guitar at the age of five from his mother, also a country singer. As a teenager, he performed in skating rinks in his hometown and later moved on to playing area bars while working long hours as a mechanic during the day.
It took Stone several years to be “found” by his soon-to-be manager who helped him finally land a record deal with Epic. His self-titled debut was released in 1990 and broke him in a big way with the despairing lead single "I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)," which shot into the country Top Five. Stone landed three more Top Ten hits from the album, including "Fourteen Minutes Old," "These Lips Don't Know How to Say Goodbye," and his first number one, "In a Different Light."
He quickly completed a follow-up album, I Thought It Was You, for release in 1991, which solidified his persona as country music’s suave song stylist and became his second straight million-seller on the strength of three Top Five hits: the title track, "Come In Out of the Pain," and a second number one in "A Jukebox With a Country Song."
Stone’s third album, 1992’s From the Heart, spun off one hit after another: "Warning Labels" and "Made for Lovin' You" went Top Ten, while "Too Busy Being in Love" and "Why Didn't I Think of That" topped the charts.n 2004, Doug Stone started a new chapter in his career and his life. After a brief hiatus from recording, a renewed interest in Doug's music by fans and radio made Doug one of the highlights at the 2004 Country Radio Seminar (CRS). The week of CRS, Doug joined Lofton Creek Records and reunited with a member of his former management team, Martha (Taylor) Borchetta who worked with Doug in the 90s.
Stone’s first album with Lofton Creek Records, In A Different Light, re-releases the original title track and “Why Didn’t I Think of That” from Stone’s library of hits. The album also contains Stone’s version of timeless classics as he artfully blends the traditional spirit of “Only You,” “Tell It Like It is,” “Georgia On My Mind” and “Crazy Love” with that famous Doug Stone style. The eight original songs on this album will both tug on heartstrings and invoke smiles—a task that only Stone can perform with such style and grace. With this new album, Lofton Creek Records is honored to place Doug Stone back in the spotlight.
Warning Labels
Doug Stone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But she said it's over then she said goodbye
Now I'm at this bar trying to wash away the pain
But every time I hear the jukebox the tears fall like rain
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
Harmful and to your heart, when your left all alone
And if you're drinking you'll start thinking of the love that went wrong
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
No one ever warned me about the music I hear
I don't guess I wouldn't listen to what they said anyway
But at least I've been ready when the first sad song plays
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
Harmful and to your heart, when your left all alone
And if you're drinking you'll start thinking of the love that went wrong
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
There's nothing harder on my heart then old Haggard and Jones
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
In Doug Stone's song Warning Labels, the singer is dealing with the aftermath of a break up. He pleads with his former partner to stay, but she tells him it's over and leaves him alone. He turns to drinking at a bar to try and numb the pain, but every time he hears a sad country song on the jukebox, it only makes him more emotional. He laments that warning labels should be put on these songs like they are on cigarettes and alcohol, as they can be just as harmful to one's heart.
The lyrics highlight the emotional impact that music can have on a person. Like cigarettes and alcohol, music can also be addictive and just as detrimental to one's well-being. The singer admits that he wouldn't have listened to any warning given to him about the music he was listening to, but at least he could have been prepared for the emotions it would evoke. The mention of Merle Haggard and George Jones, two highly respected country singers known for their sad songs, further emphasises the power of music to elicit feelings of sadness and despair.
In summary, the lyrics to Warning Labels speak to the cathartic and often heartbreaking nature of country music, and how it can serve as a powerful reminder of past love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I begged her to stay I said give me one more try
I pleaded with my partner to give our relationship another chance
But she said it's over then she said goodbye
But my partner decided that it was time to end things and said goodbye to me
Now I'm at this bar trying to wash away the pain
To ease the pain, I am currently trying to drink away my sorrows at a bar
But every time I hear the jukebox the tears fall like rain
Whenever a sad country song plays on the jukebox, I can't help but cry
They ought to put warning labels on those sad country songs
I propose that warning labels should be put on the sad country songs because of the emotional harm they can cause
Harmful and to your heart, when your left all alone
The songs can be harmful to your heart, especially when you're feeling lonely and heartbroken
And if you're drinking you'll start thinking of the love that went wrong
Drinking alcohol while listening to these songs can lead you to think about the lost love and pain of the past
They warned me about cigarettes, whiskey and beer
I have been warned about the damaging effects of alcohol and cigarettes, but not sad country songs
No one ever warned me about the music I hear
Nobody ever informed me about how the sad country songs could impact me emotionally
I don't guess I wouldn't listen to what they said anyway
Even if someone had warned me about the songs, I might not have heeded their advice
But at least I've been ready when the first sad song plays
I'm prepared for the inevitable emotional response when the first sad song starts playing
There's nothing harder on my heart then old Haggard and Jones
The songs of Merle Haggard and George Jones are particularly difficult for me to listen to and have the most significant emotional impact
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KIM WILLIAMS, OSCAR TURMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimbotc2000
THE TOP 75 BILLBOARD ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE
HOT COUNTRY SINGLES & TRACKS
thirty years ago
1992
Number 21
WARNING LABELS
Doug Stone
Words & music by
Kim Williams, Oscar Turman
Produced by
Doug Johnson
Epic Records
34-74399
First Chart Date:
Saturday, July 11, 1992
Last Chart Date:
Saturday, November 21, 1992
Total weeks on the chart:
20
Peak Position on the chart:
4 [4 weeks]
@russqueen8084
This is one of the most underrated country songs of all time.
@dougxvale
and artists
@lonniechiasson1747
absolutely
@WiccaMoonChild03
Yes he is and a damn good singer to.
@Just_Another_Hoosier
I couldn't agree more.
@dougstonemusic.
Hello,How you doing today?Thanks for your love and support❤❤
@matthewjones3553
Doug Stone is a true legend of early 90’s country and a survivor of life
@trctruckingracingcooking5464
This is from a time back when country music could reach in to your soul and make you feel what they sang about or you might have been going through the motions of this song and said hey I can identify with this.... But them day's is long gone now it's skinny jeans and catfish dinners with some girl they just met rollin on 25's what happened to real country music.
Doug stone we loved you then and now you never got the recognition you deserved by record labels or other country artists of that time but in my opinion you was one of the best in the late 80's to the mid 90's
@toyota4x4legend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLKW5QSAWo4 Meet Fred eaglesmith and the feelie uppers. Alan Jackson covered one of his songs, freight train, georgia overdrive is another good one. Look for my 41:09 time stamp comment in the video there for a good rendition of that.
@c.t.turner2123
Now it's just country rap. I'm very thankful I was a teenager in the early to mid 90s. The kids today won't know what real country music was.