| "Tornado" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Little Big Town | ||||
| from the album Tornado | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Jay Joyce | |||
| Little Big Town singles chronology | ||||
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"Tornado" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in October 2012 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Tornado . The song was written by Natalie Hemby and Delta Maid.
The song is in E-flat minor with a moderate tempo and a main chord pattern of E♭m-D♭. [1] It features lead vocals from Karen Fairchild, and uses a tornado as a metaphor for a woman's anger at her lover being unfaithful. The main accompaniment is guitars in E-flat tuning, along with a distorted bass guitar and drum loops.
Natalie Hemby wrote the song with Delta Maid, and said that the idea came when Maid asked if the area had frequent tornadoes. [2]
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song four and a half stars out of five, writing that "Karen Fairchild is the group’s go-to girl for attitude, and she slings it on this relentless foot-stomper that somehow still feels understated." [3] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a favorable review, saying that "Tornado is a lyrical gem and a downright awesome song with really interesting percussion and the vocal effects the group does are simply unmatched." [4] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a B− grade, writing that "the concept is interesting, but it’s forced, with predictable imagery lifted right out of Wizard of Oz ." [5]
The music video was directed by Shane Drake and premiered on October 31, 2012. It was filmed in Watertown, Tennessee and co-stars Johnathon Schaech as the object of the band's wrath. [6]
"Tornado" debuted at number 47 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 13, 2012. [7] It also debuted at number 97 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of November 24, 2012, and debuted at number 88 on the Canadian Hot 100 for the week of December 15, 2012. [8]
| Chart (2012–2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [9] | 60 |
| Canada Country ( Billboard ) [10] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 51 |
| US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [12] | 6 |
| US Country Airplay ( Billboard ) [13] | 2 |
| Chart (2013) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Airplay ( Billboard ) [14] | 40 |
| US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [15] | 42 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) [16] | Gold | 40,000* |
| United States (RIAA) [17] | Platinum | 693,000 [18] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
American country music group Little Big Town has released ten studio albums and 27 singles.
Tornado is the fifth studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on September 11, 2012 via Capitol Nashville. "Pontoon," which was released in April 2012 as the album's lead-off single, has since become their first number one song on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and Little Big Town's fastest-rising single to date. The album's second single, "Tornado," was released on October 1, 2012. It became their first album since 2005's The Road to Here to produce two top 10 singles and to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"Time Is Love" is a song written by Tony Martin, Mark Nesler and Tom Shapiro and recorded by American country music artist Josh Turner. It was released in January 2012 as the lead-off single from Turner's album Punching Bag. It was covered by Mark Kozelek on his 2013 covers album Like Rats.
"Cowboys and Angels" is a debut song recorded by American country music artist Dustin Lynch. It was released in January 2012 as the first single from his self-titled debut album. Lynch co-wrote the song with Josh Leo and Tim Nichols.
"Pontoon" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in April 2012 as the first single from their fifth studio album, Tornado. The song, written by Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird and Barry Dean, became the group's first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 15, 2012. The song won the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
"Cruise" is a song recorded by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. It was first released to iTunes in April 2012 and then to radio on August 6, 2012 as the first single from their extended play It'z Just What We Do. It was written by group members Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard with Joey Moi, Chase Rice, and Jesse Rice. It is included on their first album for Republic Nashville, Here's to the Good Times, released on December 4. "Cruise" is the best-selling country digital song of all time in the United States as of January 2014. The song is considered the foremost example of the genre of country music termed "bro-country".
"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released in August 2012 as the fourth and final single from his album Tailgates & Tanlines. The song was written by Bryan, Jeff Stevens and Shane McAnally.
"True Believers" is a song co-written recorded by American country music artist Darius Rucker. It was released in August 2012 as his first single and title track from his album True Believers. Rucker wrote the song with Josh Kear.
"Goodbye in Her Eyes" is a song recorded by American country music group Zac Brown Band. It was released in October 2012 as the second single from the group's third major-label album, Uncaged. The song was written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins and Sonia Leigh.
"Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Gary Allan. It was released in September 2012 as the first single from his album Set You Free. Allan wrote the song with Hillary Lindsey and Matt Warren.
"Better Dig Two" is a song recorded by American country music group The Band Perry. It was released in October 2012 as the first single from their second album, Pioneer. The song was written by Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally and Trevor Rosen.
"Somebody's Heartbreak" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Hunter Hayes. It was released in October 2012 as the third single from his debut studio album, Hunter Hayes. Hayes co-wrote the song with Andrew Dorff and Luke Laird. "Somebody's Heartbreak" is about an aspiring lover being invited to break this person's heart.
"One of Those Nights" is a song written by Luke Laird, Rodney Clawson, and Chris Tompkins and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in November 2012 as the second single from McGraw's 2013 album Two Lanes of Freedom and his second one from Big Machine Records.
"Downtown" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 22, 2013, as the first single from their fifth studio album Golden, and it features lead vocals from Scott. The song was written by Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, and Natalie Hemby. It was originally planned to be recorded by fellow country artist Miranda Lambert.
"Little Bit of Everything" is a song written by Brad Warren, Brett Warren, and Kevin Rudolf and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in May 2013 as the first single from Urban's 2013 album Fuse. The song became Urban's first Top 40 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 since "Only You Can Love Me This Way" in 2009.
"Drinks After Work" is a song written by Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Natalie Hemby and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in June 2013 as the first single from his album of the same name.
"Sober" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on September 30, 2013 as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Tornado. The song was written by Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey, and Lori McKenna.
"Lookin' for That Girl" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in January 2014 as the first single from his second studio album for Big Machine Records, Sundown Heaven Town. The single was still rising the charts when Big Machine Records pulled it so that McGraw's next single, "Meanwhile Back at Mama's", could be released.
"Home Alone Tonight" is a song recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan as a duet with Karen Fairchild of American country music group Little Big Town for his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights (2015). Upon the release of the album, the song entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 33 on the strength of digital downloads. It was serviced to American country radio on November 23, 2015 as the album's third official single. The song was written by Jody Stevens, Cole Taylor, Jaida Dreyer and Tommy Cecil.
"Better Man" is a song by American country group Little Big Town. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, The Breaker (2017). American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote the song, intending to include it on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), but the song did not make the final track list. She passed the song to Little Big Town in 2016, believing the group's vocal harmonies suited it.