Famous in a Small Town

Last updated
"Famous in a Small Town"
Famous Miranda single art.png
Single by Miranda Lambert
from the album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
ReleasedApril 2, 2007 (2007-04-02)
Recorded2006
Genre Country
Length4:05
Label Columbia Nashville
Songwriter(s)
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Travis Howard
Producer(s)
Miranda Lambert singles chronology
"Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"
(2006)
"Famous in a Small Town"
(2007)
"Gunpowder & Lead"
(2008)
Music video
"Famous in a Small Town" on YouTube

"Famous in a Small Town" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in April 2007 as the second single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend . It was Lambert's second Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 2008. The song was written by Lambert and Travis Howard.

Contents

The song was ranked number 40 on Engine 145's 50 Best Country Songs of 2007. [1]

Content

"Famous in a Small Town" has a moderately fast tempo in the key of B major. The main chord pattern is Bsus2-Esus2/B-F/B. [2] The narrator describes the simplicities of living in a small town, where everyone knows each other and no one needs to have their face in a magazine to be famous. Thus, everybody dies "famous in a small town."

Music video

A music video was released for the song, directed by Trey Fanjoy. The video features Lambert singing in a town square in Lebanon, Tennessee mixed with scenes from Shelbyville, Tennessee. The video's depicts people's everyday lives in a small town, including a diner and high school; all of these scenes are shot in black and white. One major part in the video is every person/event seen is taken as a magazine picture (ending with Lambert herself getting one taken). Lambert is also seen playing her guitar and singing on a red carpet with camera flashes, neon signs, and her band, to contrast with the small town image, and is shot in color rather than black and white. This is her second video to be shot in both black and white and in color, after "New Strings" in 2006. In Lambert's own words, "Famous in a Small Town is really, (really) how it was growing up in Lindale." [3]

The music video reached the top spot of CMT's Top Twenty Countdown for the week of August 16, 2007.

Chart performance

"Famous in a Small Town" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of April 7, 2007. After 33 weeks on the chart, it peaked at number 14 on November 17, 2007.

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
Canada Country ( Billboard ) [4] 32
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] 87
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [6] 14

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7] 57

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [8] Gold500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Lambert</span> American country singer (born 1983)

Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition which aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies, a group she formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the "greatest country music artist of all time" in 2019. In 2024, Lambert was awarded the Country Icon Award at the People's Choice Country Awards.

Ashley Lauren Monroe is an American country music singer-songwriter.

<i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Miranda Lambert

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the second studio album by American country music artist, Miranda Lambert, released May 1, 2007, by Columbia Nashville. It was produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunpowder & Lead</span> 2008 single by Miranda Lambert

"Gunpowder & Lead" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2008 as the third single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The album's third single, it became Lambert's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs in July 2008. With over 1,000,000 digital downloads, "Gunpowder & Lead" was certified Platinum by the RIAA on December 3, 2010. The song was written by Lambert and Heather Little.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Lambert discography</span>

American country music singer Miranda Lambert has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, one video album, and has made 23 other album appearances. She has released 39 singles, nine promotional singles, and 37 music videos. Lambert has sold 7 million albums in the United States, with her first seven studio albums being certified platinum. In 2001, Lambert released a self-titled and self-financed independent album. After gaining exposure as the third-place winner of the television competition Nashville Star, Lambert signed with Epic Nashville in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">More Like Her</span> 2008 single by Miranda Lambert

"More Like Her" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in September 2008 as the fourth single from her album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It is the only single from the album to be written solely by Lambert.

<i>Dead Flowers</i> (Miranda Lambert song) 2009 single by Miranda Lambert

"Dead Flowers" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. On May 4, 2009, the song was released as the lead-off single from her album Revolution. Additionally, the song was included on an EP release also titled Dead Flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Liar</span> 2009 single by Miranda Lambert

"White Liar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in August 2009 as the second single from her album Revolution. Lambert performed "White Liar" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 6, 2009, and on the 2009 CMA Awards on November 11, 2009. In December 2009, the song became Lambert's second Top 10 hit and reached a peak of number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 6, 2010. The song was written by Lambert and Natalie Hemby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The House That Built Me</span> 2010 single by Miranda Lambert

"The House That Built Me" is a song written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. Blake Shelton was originally set to record the song, but when Lambert heard it, she emotionally reacted to the lyrics, and immediately wanted to record it for herself. It was released in March 2010 as the third single from her third studio album, Revolution. It is the fastest-rising single of her career, reaching the Top 20 in its eighth week. For the chart week of June 12, 2010, the song became Lambert's first number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and held its place at the top for four consecutive weeks. It is also Lambert's first single of her career that she did not have a hand in writing. Additionally, it was her second single to receive a platinum certification from the RIAA on January 31, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only Prettier</span> 2010 single by Miranda Lambert

"Only Prettier" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in July 2010 as the fourth single from her album Revolution. Co-written with Natalie Hemby, the song has both a country girl and city girl facing each other over the differences of their respective lifestyles, coming to an agreement that they have similarities but the former says that she's like her "only prettier". Critics gave praise to Lambert's vocal performance and lyricism but were critical about the song's production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heart Like Mine</span> 2011 single by Miranda Lambert

"Heart Like Mine" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2011 as the fifth and final single from her 2009 album Revolution. Lambert co-wrote this song with Ashley Monroe and Travis Howard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over You (Miranda Lambert song)</span> 2012 song by Miranda Lambert

"Over You" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2012 as the second single from Lambert's album Four the Record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastest Girl in Town</span> 2012 single by Miranda Lambert

"Fastest Girl in Town" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in June 2012 as the third single from Lambert's album Four the Record. The song was written by Lambert and Angaleena Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Were Us</span> 2013 single by Keith Urban with Miranda Lambert

"We Were Us" is a song written by Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, and Jon Nite and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban as a duet with American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released in September 2013 as the second international single and third overall from Urban's 2013 album Fuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somethin' Bad</span> 2014 single by Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood

"Somethin' Bad" is a song recorded as a duet by American country music artists Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Chris DeStefano, Brett James and Priscilla Renea. It was released as the second single from Lambert's fifth studio album Platinum in advance of the album's release two weeks later. The song premiered at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014, and was released for sale the next day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Strings</span> 2006 single by Miranda Lambert

"New Strings" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in April 2006 as the fourth and final single from the album Kerosene. The song reached #25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vice (Miranda Lambert song)</span> 2016 single by Miranda Lambert

"Vice" is a song recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released to radio on July 18, 2016, as the lead single from Lambert's sixth studio album The Weight of These Wings (2016). The song was written by Lambert, Josh Osborne and Shane McAnally. "Vice" debuted at number two on the Hot Country Songs chart in August 2016. "Vice" was ranked at number 31 on Rolling Stone's "50 Best Songs of 2016" list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Country</span> 2016 song by Artists of Then, Now & Forever

"Forever Country" is a 2016 mashup performed by Artists of Then, Now & Forever, a one-time gathering of 30 American country music artists. The song combines elements of three previous country hits: John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971), Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" (1979), and Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" (1973). The song was recorded to commemorate the Country Music Association Awards reaching its 50th year. Originally, CMA Awards producers had wanted to record a cover of a single song; the idea to instead record a mashup came from Joseph Kahn, who directed the song's music video. The song was recorded in a span of three days in Nashville, Tennessee, in June 2016 with Shane McAnally as producer, with the music video produced concurrently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drowns the Whiskey</span> 2018 single by Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert

"Drowns the Whiskey" is a song written by Josh Thompson, Brandon Kinney, and Jeff Middleton and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert. It was released in May 2018 as the second single from Aldean's album Rearview Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Settling Down</span> 2020 single by Miranda Lambert

"Settling Down" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on September 21, 2020, as the third single from Lambert's seventh studio album Wildcard.

References

  1. "Best Country Songs of 2007". Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  2. "'Famous in a Small Town' sheet music". Musicnotes.com. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  3. "Interview (YouTube channel)". YouTube . Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  4. "Miranda Lambert Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  5. "Miranda Lambert Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  6. "Miranda Lambert Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  7. "Country Songs - Year-End 2007". Billboard . Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  8. "American single certifications – Miranda Lambert – Famous in a Small Town". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 5, 2018.