"Twang" is an up-tempo in which the singer states a desire to listen to country music to "lift [his] spirits".[2]
Critical reception
Jim Malec described the song positively in his review of the album, calling it a "honky tonk floor-burner that brims with swaggar [sic]."[1] Bobby Peacock also described it positively in his review of the album, saying that the lyric "I like all kinds of music, I try to keep an open mind" seemed like a "mission statement of sorts" for Strait.[3]Country Weekly reviewer Chris Neal gave the song three-and-a-half stars out of five, calling it a "propulsive little groover" and saying that it was performed in "classic Strait style."[2]
Chart performance
"Twang" debuted at number 58 on the BillboardHot Country Songs charts dated for August 22, 2009, from unsolicited airplay received after the album's release. It climbed to number 51 a week later and then fell from the charts, re-entering at number 45 on the chart dated for October 17, 2009. It peaked at number 14 on the country chart dated January 30, 2010, becoming Strait's first single to miss the Top Ten since "The Seashores of Old Mexico" peaked at number 11 in 2006. Also, on the week ending December 26, 2009, "Twang" debuted at number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.