The Little Girl

This article is about the John Michael Montgomery song. For other uses, see Little Girl (disambiguation).

"The Little Girl"
Single by John Michael Montgomery
from the album Brand New Me
B-side	"Brand New Me"
Released	August 29, 2000
Recorded	2000
Genre	Country
Length	3:53
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Harley Allen
Producer(s)	Buddy Cannon John Michael Montgomery Norro Wilson
John Michael Montgomery singles chronology
"You Are" (2000) "The Little Girl" (2000) "That's What I Like About You" (2001)

"The Little Girl" is a song written by Harley Allen and recorded by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. The song features harmony vocals by bluegrass musicians Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski, both members of Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was released in August 2000 as the lead single from the album Brand New Me . The song became Montgomery's seventh and last No. 1 hit to date on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and his first chart-topper since 1995's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)". ^[1] The song also reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^[2]

History

Songwriter Harley Allen based the song on a story that had been circulated via e-mail for many years prior, and had been forwarded to him by his brother. According to the story, a young child is raised by atheist parents who are abusive to each other. The daughter witnesses her parents' death via murder-suicide, after which she is taken in by a foster family. After the foster family shows the child a picture of Jesus, she remarks that he was "the man who was holding me the night my parents died." Research conducted by Snopes noted that neither their staff nor Allen could discern the original writer of the e-mail story, and declared it to be "a fairly typical example" of uplifting and inspirational stories circulated via e-mail. The website also noted that the anecdote had been frequently mis-attributed as a true story. ^[3]

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that "every element flows seamlessly together, from the understated production and the tendered melody to Montgomery's carefully measured performance." ^[4]

Chart positions

"The Little Girl" reached number one on the Billboard country chart in late 2000, holding the position for three weeks. It was Montgomery's seventh number-one hit and first since "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)" in 1995. The song also reached number one on the RPM country singles chart in Canada, and was that publication's last country number-one hit as RPM closed in November 2000.

Chart (2000)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [5]	1
US Billboard Hot 100 [6]	35
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2000)	Position
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8]	44

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 236. ISBN   978-0-8230-8291-9.
2. "The Little Girl – John Michael Montgomery". Billboard . Retrieved August 26, 2011.
3. "Was John Michael Montgomery's Song 'The Little Girl' Based on a True Story?". Snopes. November 3, 2000. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
4. Taylor, Chuck (August 19, 2000). "John Michael Montgomery The Little Girl". Billboard . Retrieved August 26, 2011.
5. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 7108." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. October 30, 2000. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
6. "John Michael Montgomery Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
7. "John Michael Montgomery Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
8. "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2012.