Rocky Top " Rocky Top " is an American country and bluegrass song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1967 and first recorded by the Osborne Brothers later that same year . The song , which is a city - dweller ' s lamentation over the loss of a simpler and freer existence in the hills of Tennessee , is one of Tennessee ' s eight official state song s and has been recorded by dozens of artists from multiple musical genres worldwide since its publication . In U . S . college athletics , " Rocky Top " is associated with the Tennessee Volunteers of the University of Tennessee , whose Pride of the Southland Band has played a marching band version of the song at the school ' s sporting events since the early 1970s . The Osborne Brothers ' 1967 bluegrass version of the song reached number thirty - three on the U . S . Country charts , and country singer Lynn Anderson ' s 1970 version peaked at number seventeen . In 2005 , " The Atlanta Journal - Constitution " ranked " Rocky Top " number seven on its list of 100 Songs of the South . Background . " Rocky Top " was written by married songwriting duo Boudleaux Bryant ( 1920 – 1987 ) and Felice Bryant ( 1925 – 2003 ) in 1967 . At the time , the Bryants were working at the Gatlinburg Inn in Gatlinburg , Tennessee on a collection of slow - tempo songs for a project for Archie Campbell and Chet Atkins . Writing the fast - paced " Rocky Top , " which took about 10 minutes to write , served as a temporary diversion for them . While the song became a staple of the Osborne Brothers concerts in the late 1960s , the song did not achieve mass popularity until the early 1970s , when Lynn Anderson ' s version reached number seventeen on the Billboard Country Top 100 . In 1972 , the University of Tennessee ' s Pride of the Southland Band first played the song as part of one of its drills , the idea and arrangement being primarily the work of band arranger Barry MacDonald . The song was officially adopted as the fifth Tennessee state song in 1982 . In the 1970s , the song achieved such popularity among bar crowds that the Chapel Hill , North Carolina , old - time band the Red Clay Ramblers ' national tours included a crowd - pleasing satire informally titled " Play ' Rocky Top ' ( or I ' ll Punch Your Lights Out . ) " The Bryants ' children currently own the rights to the song under the corporate name " House of Bryant , " and the song ' s original sheet music is on display at the Rocky Top Village Inn in downtown Gatlinburg . Lyrics . Despite its fast and upbeat tempo , the song is actually a lament over the loss of a way of life . In the song ' s opening verse , the singer longs for a place called " Rocky Top , " where there is no " smoggy smoke " and there are no " telephone bills . " The singer reminisces about a love affair he once had on Rocky Top with a woman " wild as a mink . " The song ' s second verse recalls a story about two " strangers " ( apparently revenue agents ) climbing Rocky Top " looking for a moonshine still , " but never returning ( conflict between moonshiners and " revenuers " is a common theme in Appalachia n culture ) . In the third and final verse ( which consists of just four lines ) , the singer again longs for the " simple " life , likening life in the city to being " trapped like a duck in a pen . " College fight song . With its good - natured regional references to a carefree lifestyle , the singing of " Rocky Top " by Tennessee college students and alumni at sports venues such as Neyland Stadium is well established . The University of Tennessee has been granted a perpetual license to play the song as much and as often as success on the field dictates by the copyright holders , House of Bryant . " Rocky Top " was first played by the UT band at Tennessee ' s October 21 , 1972 , game against the University of Alabama . Contrary to popular belief , " Rocky Top " is not UT ' s official fight song , although it is so closely identified with the university that many believe this to be the case . UT ' s official fight song is a radically different tune called " Down the Field . " Location of Rocky Top . While the Bryants never indicated that " Rocky Top , Tennessee " refers to a specific place , some have suggested that a barren summit known as " Rocky Top " — located in the Great Smoky Mountains along the Tennessee - North Carolina border — is the best fit , due in large part to its proximity to Gatlinburg , where the song was written . Rocky Top is a subpeak of Thunderhead Mountain , which overlooks Cades Cove , and is traversed by the Appalachian Trail . Rocky Top appears on maps of the western Smokies as early as 1934 , and has been a popular hiking destination since the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created during the same period . The name " Rocky Top " is sometimes used as a nickname for East Tennessee , the city of Knoxville , and the University of Tennessee ( especially its two major athletic venues , Neyland Stadium and the Thompson - Boling Arena ) . " Rocky Top " is also a popular name for East Tennessee businesses , among them a real estate agency and a chain of convenience stores . Operation Rocky Top . " Operation Rocky Top " was the FBI ' s code name for a public corruption investigation into the Tennessee state government in the late 1980s which resulted in the eventual suicide of the Tennessee Secretary of State , Gentry Crowell , and the incarceration of several other individuals , most notably state House Majority Leader Tommy Burnett . The focus of the investigation was the illegal sale of bingo licenses . Notable covers . Phish played " Rocky Top " regularly from 1987 to 2003 and , after reforming , again in 2009 . There have been additional cover versions of the song by artists such as The Schwag , Dillard and Clark and country artists such as Buck Owens , Dolly Parton , John Denver , Albert Lee , Conway Twitty , and Billie Jo Spears . Columbus , Ohio - based all - female rock trio Scrawl included a cover of the song on their Nashville - recorded 1988 album " He ' s Drunk " . Many contemporary groups and artists have performed the song while performing in Knoxville , including Rascal Flatts , Brad Paisley , and Keith Urban . The country rock group the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band tackled the song on their 1976 compilation album " Dirt , Silver and Gold " . The 2011 pilot episode of NBC ' s sitcom " Up All Night " featured Christina Applegate and Will Arnett singing " Rocky Top . "