Merry Go 'Round (Kacey Musgraves song)

Last updated
"Merry Go 'Round"
Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go 'Round.jpg
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Same Trailer Different Park
ReleasedSeptember 10, 2012
Genre Country
Length3:28
Label Mercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Oh, Tonight"
(2011)
"Merry Go 'Round"
(2012)
"Blowin' Smoke"
(2013)

"Merry Go 'Round" is the debut single by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released in September 2012 as the lead single from her debut album Same Trailer Different Park . Musgraves co-wrote and co-produced the song with Shane McAnally, with additional writing from Josh Osborne and production assistance from Luke Laird.

Contents

"Merry Go 'Round" won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song at the 56th Grammy Awards. [1]

Content

The song is a cynical observation on life in the American heartland. [2] It uses samples of the nursery rhyme Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary as a continued play-on-words. The latter part of the song retells another traditional nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill, in a modernized fashion. It is in the key of F-sharp major, in a 2/2 time signature with an approximate tempo of 88 beats per minute. [3] The song's main accompaniment is guitar and banjo.

The song's plays on words in the chorus are only made possible by the General American merger of Mary, marry and merry.

Critical reception

Giving it 4.5 stars out of 5, Billy Dukes of Taste of Country compared the song's style and Musgraves' voice favorably to Miranda Lambert. [2] It received a "thumbs up" from Juli Thanki of Engine 145, who said that Musgraves "writes with a maturity beyond her 24 years, delivering an unflinching look into small-town life that’s more nuanced than the highly romanticized rural anthems offered up by many of her male counterparts." [4]

It also made "NPR Music's 100 Favorite Songs of 2012" list. [5] It was number 1 on Billboard's "10 Best Country Singles of 2013" list. [6]

Rolling Stone named it the 49th best single of 2012. [7] It was also ranked number 362 in the 2021 revision of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. [8]

Music video

Directed by Perry Bean, the music video premiered in September 2012. [9]

Commercial performance

"Merry Go 'Round" peaked at No. 14 on the Hot Country Songs chart. [1] The song reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The song has sold 825,000 copies in the US as of February 2014. [10]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [18] 2× Platinum2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Kacey Lee Musgraves is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 2007, Musgraves appeared on the fifth season of the USA Network singing competition Nashville Star, where she finished in seventh place. In 2012, she signed with Mercury Nashville and released the hit single "Merry Go 'Round". Her major-label debut studio album, Same Trailer Different Park (2013), won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2013.

<i>Same Trailer Different Park</i> 2013 studio album by Kacey Musgraves

Same Trailer Different Park is the debut studio album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on March 19, 2013, through Mercury Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 12 tracks and co-produced the album with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. Met with widespread critical acclaim, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blowin' Smoke</span> 2013 single by Kacey Musgraves

"Blowin' Smoke" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Kacey Musgraves, featured on her major label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. It was released April 1, 2013, as the album's second single. It was written by Musgraves, Luke Laird, and Shane McAnally. As of July 10, 2013, the single has sold 135,000 copies in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Follow Your Arrow</span> 2013 single by Kacey Musgraves

"Follow Your Arrow" is a song recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The song is featured on her major label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. It was released on October 21, 2013, as the album's third single. It was written by Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. It was named Song Of The Year at the 2014 CMA Awards. Rolling Stone ranked 'Follow Your Arrow' number 39 on its list of '100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Osborne</span> American singer-songwriter

Josh Osborne is an American songwriter with several number-one singles to his credit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscuits (song)</span> Song by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves

"Biscuits" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves that serves as the lead single from her second major label studio album, Pageant Material. It was released to country radio on March 16, 2015, through Mercury Nashville and was released to digital retailers the following day. The song was written and produced by Musgraves and Shane McAnally, with additional songwriting by Brandy Clark and additional production by Luke Laird. In December 2015, Billboard ranked "Biscuits" number one on its "10 Best Country Songs of 2015" list and number 16 on its list of the 25 best songs of 2015 across all genres.

<i>Pageant Material</i> 2015 studio album by Kacey Musgraves

Pageant Material is the second studio album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released June 23, 2015, through Mercury Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 13 tracks and co-produced the album with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. The album made numerous "Best Albums of 2015" lists and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 58th Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kacey Musgraves discography</span>

American singer Kacey Musgraves has released six studio albums, one soundtrack, four demo albums, four extended plays, 23 singles, six promotional singles, and 15 music videos. The earliest of Musgraves's material was released in the early 2000s with the issuing of demo albums, beginning with children duo effort Texas Two Bits with fellow student Alina Tatum, which self-released Little Bit of Texas in 2000. This was followed by her first solo album Movin' On (2002). She signed to Mercury Nashville in 2012. In early 2013, Musgraves released her debut full-length album Same Trailer Different Park. Critically acclaimed, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number two on the Billboard 200. Its preceding lead single "Merry Go 'Round" peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album would also spawn the top 40 singles "Blowin' Smoke" and "Follow Your Arrow". Same Trailer Different Park has since been certified platinum by the RIAA.

<i>Big Day in a Small Town</i> 2016 studio album by Brandy Clark

Big Day in a Small Town is the second studio album by American country music artist Brandy Clark. It was released on June 10, 2016, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was nominated for Best Country Album and the album's second single, "Love Can Go To Hell", was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterflies (Kacey Musgraves song)</span> 2018 single by Kacey Musgraves

"Butterflies" is a song by American country singer–songwriter Kacey Musgraves from her fourth studio album, Golden Hour (2018). It was released on February 23, 2018 alongside "Space Cowboy" as the second single from the album through MCA Nashville Records. Musgraves wrote the song with Luke Laird and Natalie Hemby, and produced it alongside Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. According to Musgraves, "Butterflies" was co-written with Shane McAnally; however, he was not credited as one its songwriters in the album's liner notes.

<i>Golden Hour</i> (Kacey Musgraves album) 2018 studio album by Kacey Musgraves

Golden Hour is the fourth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves, released on March 30, 2018, through MCA Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 13 tracks and co-produced the album with Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. A country pop record, Golden Hour also contains elements of disco, electropop, electronica, and yacht rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow (Kacey Musgraves song)</span> 2019 single by Kacey Musgraves

"Rainbow" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released as the fifth and final single from Musgraves' third studio album, Golden Hour (2018) in February 2019. Musgraves co-wrote the song with Shane McAnally and Natalie Hemby. Its release coincided with her performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Star-Crossed</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Kacey Musgraves

Star-Crossed is the fifth studio album by American singer Kacey Musgraves. It was released on September 10, 2021, by MCA Nashville and Interscope Records. Musgraves co-wrote and co-produced the album with American musicians Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian, with whom she collaborated on her fourth studio album, Golden Hour (2018), as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Remember Everything</span> 2023 single by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves

"I Remember Everything" is a song by American singer Zach Bryan featuring country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It appeared as track eleven on his fourth studio album Zach Bryan, released on August 25, 2023, and was sent to radio airplay in Italy on September 8, as the lead single from the album.

References

  1. 1 2 Wade Jessen (February 6, 2014). "Kacey Musgraves, Hunter Hayes Show Grammy Growth On Country Charts". Billboard.
  2. 1 2 "Kacey Musgraves, 'Merry Go Round' – Song Review". Tasteofcountry.com. 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  3. "'Merry Go 'Round' sheet music". Musicnotes.com. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  4. "Kacey Musgraves – "Merry Go 'Round"". Engine 145. 2012-09-26. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  5. "Music's 100 Favorite Songs Of 2012 : Best Music Of 2012". NPR. 2012-12-22. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  6. "Billboard Top 10 List". Billboard. 2013-12-23. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2014-01-03.
  7. "50 Best Songs of 2012: Kacey Musgraves, 'Merry Go Round'". Rolling Stone. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-21.
  8. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  9. "CMT : Videos : Kacey Musgraves : Merry Go 'Round". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  10. Bjorke, Matt (2013-02-12). "Country Chart News – The Top 30 Digital Singles – Feb 12, 2014: Cole Swindell Dominates; Scotty McCreery Hits Gold". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2014-02-21.
  11. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  12. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  13. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  15. "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  16. "Billboard Country Update for December 16, 2013" (PDF). Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. December 16, 2013. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  17. "Best of 2013: Hot Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 2013. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  18. "American single certifications – Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go 'Round". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 10, 2022.