Girl in a Country Song

Last updated
"Girl in a Country Song"
GirlinaCountrySong.jpg
Single by Maddie & Tae
from the album Start Here
ReleasedJuly 15, 2014 (2014-07-15) [1]
Studio Blackbird (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Country
Length3:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Taylor Dye
  • Maddie Marlow
  • Aaron Scherz
Producer(s)
Maddie & Tae singles chronology
"Girl in a Country Song"
(2014)
"Fly"
(2015)

"Girl in a Country Song" is a song recorded by American country music duo Maddie & Tae, co-written with Aaron Scherz. It was released in July 2014 as the lead single from their debut studio album Start Here . The song criticizes the "bro-country" subgenre in contemporary country music, specifically in how women are portrayed by men, with lyrics containing references to a variety of popular recent country songs.

Contents

"Girl in a Country Song" peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, making Maddie & Tae the first female duo to top that chart with their debut single since The Wreckers' "Leave the Pieces" in 2006, and only the second in history. It also charted at numbers three and 54 on the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts, respectively. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 667,000 units in the United States as of September 2015. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, peaking at number five on the Canada Country chart and number 61 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by TK McKamy.

Content

The song is a response to the contemporary "bro-country" trend in country music, specifically pertaining to the way that top male stars portray women in their songs, [3] [4] and its lyrics contain references to a variety of popular recent country songs. Some specific songs include "Get Me Some of That" by Thomas Rhett, "Aw Naw" by Chris Young, "Redneck Crazy" by Tyler Farr, "My Kinda Party", "Dirt Road Anthem" and "Take a Little Ride" by Jason Aldean, "Boys 'Round Here" by Blake Shelton, and the stereotypical sugar shaker line, which was also included in the contemporary song "Get Your Shine On" by Florida Georgia Line. [5] [6]

The genesis of the song goes back to early 2014 when the three writers noted how marginalized women were in country music at the time. The song was written in 90 minutes. [7]

Critical reception

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the single an "A", saying that "Maddie & Tae have written and recorded the antidote to something that ails country music right now, and thankfully, they’re not offering it up with any sugar to help that medicine go down." [8]

Commercial performance

"Girl in a Country Song" debuted at number 58 on the Country Airplay chart dated for the week ending July 19, 2014. [9] After 23 weeks on the charts, it reached number one for the chart dated December 20, 2014, giving Maddie & Tae their first number one hit. It became the first debut single by a female duo to reach number one since The Wreckers did it in 2006 with "Leave the Pieces," and only the second in history. [10] It would remain Maddie & Tae's only number one single until almost six years later, when they topped the chart again with "Die from a Broken Heart" in August 2020. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on November 17, 2014, [11] and has sold 667,000 copies in the US as of September 2015. [12]

Music video

TK McKamy directed the song's music video. [6] It won Video of the Year at the 2015 Country Music Association awards.

Charts and certifications

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maddie & Tae discography</span>

American country music duo Maddie & Tae have released two studio albums, five extended plays, seven singles, seven promotional singles, twelve music videos and appeared on two albums. Signing with Dot Records, the label released their debut single in 2014 titled "Girl in a Country Song." The song reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart their self-titled EP was released the same year. In 2015, their debut studio album was released titled Start Here. It spent 40 weeks on the Billboard Top Country Albums and climbed to number two. The album also entered the top ten of the Billboard 200 list. Also in 2015, their single, "Fly" reached the top ten of country charts and was also included on their debut album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends Don't</span> 2018 single by Maddie & Tae

"Friends Don't" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Maddie & Tae. It was released on May 14, 2019 as the lead-off single to their second studio album The Way It Feels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Die from a Broken Heart</span> 2019 single by Maddie & Tae

"Die from a Broken Heart" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Maddie & Tae. It was released on May 6, 2019, as the second single from their second studio album The Way It Feels.

References

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