Maddie & Tae Make a Summer Anthem Out of a Protest Song
Just sit back and appreciate where we’re at for a second ladies and gentlemen. Here it is the dead of summer 2014, and the song that has everyone talking in country music is not some frivolous, carefree party anthem. It’s not some beach-bumming or beer on the tailgate half-baked haven for country cliché. It’s the song from two young girls named Maddie & Tae that directly calls out the pervasive checklist trend of male-dominated country music, and does so in a very direct, earnest manner.
No, that’s not not the smell of suntan lotion and margarita quaffing through the air, it’s the burning dolor of protest and dissent. “Girl In A Country Song“— this is the song that has everyone buzzing. This is the song that virtually every DJ and every country music website and periodical is buzzing about. This song, these girls, and the scenario it thrusts upon country music is what people find fascinating, and has captured the country music zeitgeist at this moment in time more than any other topic or song, and during a season already chock full of blockbuster singles like Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt”, and compelling narratives like the return of Garth Brooks.
Displeasure reigns, and all those people who wonder why such effort is put forth to complain about country music songs that could just simply be ignored are now seeing the fruits of spirited discourse and articulate criticism. “Girl In A Country Song” is far from perfect. It may even be a stretch to call it good. But like all artistic expressions that rise above the sum of their parts, it captures a sentiment that is exceedingly relevant, and melds with the imagination of possibilities of what its success could mean.
READ: Women Going About Battling Bro-Country All Wrong
On Monday (7-21), Maddie & Tae made an appearance on NPR of all places, and explained the inspiration behind “Girl In A Country Song”.
“Looking good for the boys is not all we have to offer for them. We’re bringing a voice for the girls in country music, and that’s why we came at this topic with a different perspective … It’s just a trend that kind of became irresponsible in its view of women, so we wanted to come about it from our perspective … Because as women, we don’t want to be thought of as one-dimensional, and that’s kind of how these songs have been portraying women. So we hope that kind of changes the game just a little bit.”
As the NPR interviewer adeptly pointed out, Maddie & Tae also say that they like some of the Bro-Country songs and artists, and wondered if the girls were presenting a double standard.
“The thing is, we do feel like this trend has been very very consistent. And we want to give this girl that these guys love singing about a voice … We say it’s a tough gig because yes we wear bathing suits and we wear cutoffs, but we do it when we want to, not necessarily when the guy puts us in that place. It is a tough gig because you have to look a certain way to be looked at as a beautiful girl, and that’s one message that we want this song to put out there, that every woman should feel beautiful whether you’re in cutoffs, whether you don’t have tan legs.”
Something else interesting is that when writing the song, the girls put together a checklist of all the things they regularly heard in cliché country songs. “I think it had trucks, tailgates, cutoffs, tan lines and tan legs, dirt road, and the most important one, the girls. The smokin’ hot girl.”
“Checklist” was the precursor to the “Bro-Country” term, and has been a overly-consistent trend in country music since 2011. “Checklist” is how Maddie & Tae referenced the trend, not “Bro-Country.”
Over the last 35 years, country protest songs have become an indelible part of country music, and not since “Murder On Music Row” was championed by George Strait and Alan Jackson have we seen a protest song with such importance and success in the mainstream. “Girl In A Country Song” is far from traditional, whether this is to purposely mock the songs that it targets, or to pander to country’s current trends. And of course “Girl In A Country Song” is marketing, looking to re-monetize negative sentiment. But that comes from how the song was underwritten by Big Machine Records, not how it was composed by Maddie & Tae, who by all accounts wrote it with sincerity.
READ: The Re-Integration of “Bro-Country” Hatred by Music Row
Do the two songs that are set to dominate the summer of 2014—“Girl In A Country Song” by Maddie & Tae, and Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt”—signal a shifting of the winds in popular country music towards more substance? It still may be too early to make that determination. But it certainly is worth keeping an eye on, because anti-pop country music sentiment is at an all-time high, right beside the all-time high for country music’s popularity. Sports radio and sports websites are lampooning country regularly. It is the brunt of many pop culture jokes. What Maddie & Tae have done is given a voice to that angst, and they have done so using the same tradition Waylon Jennings started in 1975, which is taking the disappointment one has about the direction of country music, and writing a song about it.
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July 23, 2014 @ 2:01 pm
Could this “talk of the town” uproar for Maddie & Tae be why most of the bros came out to praise Maggie Rose’ “Girl in Your Truck Song”? I don’t think the release dates were so close out of pure coincidence, it seems like a blatant sabotage attempt to me.
Also, while I’m sure I don’t speak for everyone, I welcome to return to substance before the return to the sound anyday. I’d prefer to have music that is good and maybe a little poppy as opposed to trash that sounds like “real” country.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:07 pm
“What Maddie & Tae have done is given a voice to that angst, and they have done so using the same tradition Waylon Jennings started in 1975”
High praise, and well-deserved.
I wonder if Maddie and Tae read SCM. Based on their use of the word “checklist”, it sounds like they might.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:16 pm
It’s also worth noting that Waylon’s famous protest songs, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” and “Outlaw Bit”, borrowed heavily from the pop music of the time sonically.
Maddie and Tae are doing the same here by appropriating the rap-rock sound.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
“Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” was a two-chord, purposefully simplistic, almost monotone dirge, and it was done that way on purpose. I can imagine it sounded like nails on a chalk board to many at the time, and was slammed for its lack of sonic creativity. I am in no way comparing Waylon Jennings with Maddie & Tae, or even “Are You Sure Hank” with “Girl In A Country Song”. But there are some similarities.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:17 pm
I really only see this song kicking up a little dust before we never hear anything noteworthy for Maddie & Tay again. I think they put this out to get their 15 minutes and then they’ll just sink into mediocrity along with the countless other acts out today.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:35 pm
Scott Borchetta does not sign one hit wonders. He wouldn’t have “activated” them (his word) if he didn’t think they could be huge in country music, or he couldn’t make them huge. Same was said about Florida Georgia Line and “Cruise”. Ultimately maybe they are a one song bit, but based on history, that’s not a bet I would want to make.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:19 pm
I want to hear an album from them before really issuing any high praise…..this song may turn out to be an exception in their catalogue.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:40 pm
I don’t think any high praise is even deserved by “Girl In A Country Song”. I gave it a barely passing grade, and that’s probably about where it deserves to be. The point is that a protest song right now is creating the biggest buzz in country music. NOT Florida Georgia Line’s “Dirt”, NOT Jason Aldean’s new sing, NOT a song from Luke Bryan or Garth’s long-awaited single. It’s THIS song. And I think that goes a long way in illustrating the negative sentiment that exists out there right now for the direction of country music.
July 24, 2014 @ 9:03 am
Depends on how you look at buzz.
If you look at it from the standpoint of media attention, sure.
But the song had a pretty unremarkable first week on iTunes (only about 10K sales, and I’m not sure it even went higher than #95 on the overall chart), has a video that has only been picked up by TWO websites at press time and only scored 32 radio adds on impact (51 with pre-impact adds included).
Dirt basically landed on every station immediately, and is already a Top 20 song at country radio. We’re likely to see the same from Jason Aldean’s new song.
And we *DID* see the same from Kenny Chesney’s “American Kids,” which is already Top 10 at radio and back in the Top 10 on iTunes.
Luke Bryan’s “Roller Coaster” is already Top 25 at radio, and it’s a FIFTH ALBUM SINGLE that came out when people were still in love with Play it Again.
This song isn’t even in the Top 50 for spins yet and is just barely in the Top 50 for audience.
Frankly, this isn’t even the “song of the summer” among new artists. That honor goes to Sam Hunt’s “Leave the Night On,” which is right on the cusp of Top 25 at radio and has reigned for weeks as one of the strongest country sellers on iTunes.
And even if you want to look solely at Internet buzz, note that the girls – despite being pretty teenagers who are active on social media – have less than 20K Twitter followers. So it’s still only occupying a small niche within the ONLINE country space, let alone the overall marketplace.
The media blitz for this is strong enough that it will make waves, but thus far, this is a case of more bark than bite. For all the press it’s getting, it thus far represents a pimple on the butt of the actual country market.
July 24, 2014 @ 11:00 am
You might want to take a step back & have another look.
Their video (with it’s only 2 features) has been out for…umm, about 4 hours?
Their radio adds were after two weeks on the road (where the norm set up radio tour is 8-12 weeks) and still garnered the most adds. Additionally, these girls signed their record deal approx 7 WEEKS ago. So, to your point about having 20k Twitter followers and 11k+ singles sold first week is quite impressive. Maggie Rose has had a deal since 2010 and has 20k Twitter followers…not sure about radio adds or sales numbers there….but we’re not hearing about it. And, she’s had some of the biggest “bros” in bro-country supporting her song.
Also, the Today Show was calling them & their song “the next big thing” this morning. What other new artist this year can say that? The ink is barely dry on their record deal & they are being played on radio, selling music, and setting social media abuzz. I don’t know where you get your parameters to measure “unremarkable” success, but I’m guessing in comes from the competing label where you obviously work.
July 24, 2014 @ 12:01 pm
Maybe I was clear enough in this assessment, but my main observation is how much people are talking about this song. This is the same arc we saw with Kacey Musgraves and “Merry Go ‘Round”, another song that never had a huge chart or commercial performance, but still had a huge impact and won many awards. Maddie & Tae were never going to do battle with established names like Luke Bryan and Kenny Chesney. Comparing their social network reach at this point I think is completely unfair. They will get where they need to be eventually. This is a very young band and a very young song. I suspect it could take weeks or months to peak, where songs from many of the bigger stars peak weeks after they’re released and fall from there. And has been established, Sam Hunt got significantly helped by Clear Channel’s “On The Verge” program. For all we know, “Girl In A Country Song” may get the same treatment eventually.
July 25, 2014 @ 9:53 am
Your response offers an explanation for why this hasn’t taken off as well as some other songs. And for why a newcomer like Sam Hunt was able to make such a quick splash.
Nobody’s disagreeing with that.
The point of contention concerns the impact this has been making. And I’m glad you brought up Kacey Musgraves, because we’re looking at a similar situation with Maddie and Tae (but not in the way you think).
Right now, the overwhelmingly majority of buzz for Maddie & Tae is centered with the people who are already cognizant of criticism for bro country and/or the role of females within the genre. That buzz is strong enough and centered with people influential enough to turn this into a major news story for the summer of 2014. It likely ALSO played a role in getting radio stations to take a chance on this sort of song.
But the people currently buzzing about this song didn’t need this song. The market that “needs it,” if we’re to accept that bro country is a problem, is the one largely unaware of it. The core, casual, radio market that right now knows the big new songs of the summer as the ones by Kenny, FGL, Luke and Jason.
With Kacey, media/critical/diehard types have been clamoring for a strong, artistic female figure to shakeup a genre that, when not being male-dominated, largely looks for its women to be “vocalists.” And it’s great that we got one in Kacey Musgraves. But the audience that we truly want her to reach is either unaware of her or uninterested in her.
By not catching on with casual radio listeners, Kacey, in fact, almost proves radio programmers RIGHT for going with super-catchy, barely-country, shallow shlock.
I also think it’s worth noting that while I personally agree with calling Merry Go Round the best and most important Kacey Musgraves song (and it was the one that won the Grammy, the mainstream media was far more excited about “Follow Your Arrow.” And that was the worst performer of her four singles at radio. Even the fairly abysmal (by Kacey standards) Blowin’ Smoke did better.
July 25, 2014 @ 11:01 am
Daw,
There’s a lot of logic here, but you’re trying to compare the story arc of “Girl In A Country Song” with other songs when we’ve only just read the first chapter. This article was simply about how much buzz the song is creating right here, right now. The song was just released last week. The video was just released yesterday. The song was written in March., They weren’t singed to a label until last month. Who knows where it will go, and it’s foolish at this point to compare it with anything.
As for Kacey Musgraves, “Follow Your Arrow” did receive a good amount of media buzz, but it still may be half of what Maddie & Tae have received, and I’m serious. Plus, when “Follow Your Arrow” was released, Kacey in many respects was already an established star. She had already been nominated for the ACM of Female Vocalist of the Year, and that nomination was even before she had released an album. That was all based off the strength of “Merry Go ‘Round.” Maddie & Tae are a completely fresh quantity.
Furthermore, since I posted this article, I found another one corroborating my claims, that I hadn’t seen or read before writing my story:
http://jezebel.com/girl-in-a-country-song-is-going-to-change-country-music-1604907233?utm_campaign=socialfow_jezebel_twitter&utm_source=jezebel_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
Also another one has been posted today about all of the media buzz:
http://www.countrycalifornia.com/maddie-and-tae-girl-in-a-country-song/
July 23, 2014 @ 2:47 pm
Isn’t it somewhat hyperbolic to state this is “the song that has everyone talking in country music”?
Among the reviewing/critical communities, yes: that is pretty much settled fact. But among casual listeners, I highly doubt t.
“Girl In A Country Song”, to be fair, is performing alright thus far digitally. It’s currently at #30 on the iTunes Country chart and is outperforming most of its rivals below the Top Twenty on the airplay chart. But does a #30 placement necessarily translate as THE song that has everyone talking?
Even among the high-profile A and B-list mainstream country artists on Twitter, more have offered the endorsement for Maggie Rose’s “Girl In Your Truck Song” instead of this. And it’s not just male artists either. Even up-and-coming hopeful Jana Kramer (who reached #3 with “Why Ya Wanna”) has praised Rose’s latest offering but has said nothing about Maddie & Tae. Which says a lot when Rose is at a colossal disadvantage in that she is on a small label while Maddie & Tae have Big Machine behind them.
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Anyway, I do think Borchetta will remain true to his word in making “Girl In A Country Song” a hit; even if much of it is driven by payola and the casual listening demographic doesn’t warm up to it. I just think it would be more accurate to call this an autumn anthem if anything.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:53 pm
I don’t know anything about Jana Kramer, but IMO it’s not difficult at all to see why the A-list male artists in country are boosting the Maggie Rose song ”” it lends legitimacy to their misogyny.
July 23, 2014 @ 3:02 pm
Well, of course! =P
This is that type of instance where I’m especially curious to see some callout survey results. That will probably give us some big clues as to the viability and long-term potential of its chart run.
It already seems all but certain that younger males are not going to swarm behind this song in the most part. However, I can’t help but wonder if we may even see a split among younger female listeners between the “like” and “dislike” camps. And if the “Passionate Dislike” well eclipses the “Passionate Like”, I think, against Borchetta’s wishes, this may not have a long chart run.
July 25, 2014 @ 2:56 pm
Jana and Maggie Rose are really good friends. Check out their ig accounts.. they have slumber parties, get their nails done, get tattoos, share their showers, etc.. Her opinion is completely biased.
July 25, 2014 @ 6:38 pm
Share their showers?
July 23, 2014 @ 2:58 pm
How long before this duo gets the ‘On The Verge’ treatment to goose the spins?
July 23, 2014 @ 4:08 pm
I think it is, and I base this on metrics beyond that charts. I am not saying that this song with be a huge chart topper. I think it very well might. But just like Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go “Round” this song has everyone talking and intrigued. That song didn’t ever crack the Top 10, but it was one of the songs that defined 2013, and it made Kacey’s career.
July 25, 2014 @ 9:51 pm
“Merry Go Round” was a vastly better song musically and lyrically than “Girl In a Country Song”.
“Girl in a Country Song” is a pop country song that pushes the gender buttons, but contributes little from a musical perspective. I think it is much more similar to Shania Twain’s “Honey I’m Home” than to “Murder On Music Row”.
July 26, 2014 @ 1:16 am
I still feel like I’m having to explain that this article was neither a review of the song, nor an endorsement of it. I am in no way comparing “Girl In A Country Song” with “Merry Go ‘Round” aside from saying they may follow the same arc on the charts. But even this remains to be seen.
Besides giving it a barely passing grade in my initial review, and then writing a dedicated article about the marketing angle about the song, I also said in this article, “‘Girl In A Country Song’ is far from perfect. It may even be a stretch to call it good.”
July 23, 2014 @ 4:57 pm
I am not sure how much of an indicator this is or isn’t of the song’s popularity, but I am yet to hear it on the local terrestrial Clear Channel radio station. I have actually made it a point not to listen to this song to wait and hear it on this radio station (one of only two ‘country’ stations in this region of the country, both with identical content).
I am not not sure how CC pushes their content.. if it is all nation-wide in one fell swoop or if they monitor regional tendencies, as I imagine they would. Only a couple of months ago did Chase Rice’s “Ready, Set, Roll” start getting regular rotation and that single dropped quite a while ago.
July 24, 2014 @ 12:17 am
Neither have I on either of Portland, Oregon’s two country stations.
Which underscores my earlier point that this won’t be remembered as a summer anthem to most casual listeners. It will be an autumn, perhaps even early winter anthem, if it gains traction commercially.
July 23, 2014 @ 2:56 pm
If nothing else, I appreciate their honesty and the conversation this song opens up. It’s WAY overdue. No matter how calculated the timing of this song may be, I still think Maddie & Tae are very brave, at such a young age, to be out there talking about this. It only adds honesty and authenticity that they like some of the music they’re parodying. That shows even fans of the music are saying “Okay, enough of the tan legs and Daisy Dukes already. There’s more than this.”
I don’t think it’s hypocritical at all they like some of the music or wear cutoffs or whatever sometimes. They’re speaking to a whole culture that’s gone too far. That doesn’t mean they, or me, or anyone, can’t enjoy some aspects of that culture from time to time. What’s been lacking is a proper balance.
Women have had so little voice for so long, I think it took a big, splashy message like this to get noticed. I hope it has a good effect. Now that they’ve done the brotest song, I’m interested to hear what else they have to offer.
July 24, 2014 @ 9:10 am
To me, the issue has nothing to do with THEIR hypocrisy.
But I *DO* think there’s something ironic about a marketplace that wouldn’t give these girls a platform for this message if they didn’t look the way they did. I mean – Tae is on the “Luke Bryan’s wife” level of “hot blonde.” And Maddie’s eyes are just ridiculous.
Same goes for all genres. We’re supposed to think that Colbie Caillat video where she sheds the makeup is groundbreaking, but she’s still tall, slim, cute Colbie Caillat at the end.
Christina Aguilera sang “you are beautiful, no matter what they say.” As if anyone ever told a young Christina Aguilera she was anything but beautiful.
That Meghan Trainor song “All About That Bass” is blowing up (and actually even getting some country spins from Bobby Bones). Talks about “bringing booty back” and being curvy. She’s a cute blonde and maybe SLIGHTLY overweight by Hollywood standards. Bring in a legitimate 350 pound girl for that song, and see how the marketplace reacts.
July 25, 2014 @ 2:17 pm
As I was discussing in another thread, the importance of natural looks in the music business is highly overrated. Anyone can look good enough to be a celebrity as long as they stay slim and use the right amount of makeup. If one does not want to go that route, one can always follow the example of Lady Gaga or Daft Punk and look as unconventional as possible.
July 23, 2014 @ 3:37 pm
So I go to YouTube to relsiten to the song and this comes up in the search. I don’t care what your feelings are about Jon Denver this is a big NO all over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1P76BZfgn8
July 23, 2014 @ 3:39 pm
TBH I don’t even know the intentions of this song or the people who put it together but somebody did make it and put it up on YouTube! Ugh.
July 23, 2014 @ 7:09 pm
My God! What is this noise? Denver may have been pop country, but “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” is a good song. And these “singers” have no business covering it. I’m shocked Scott Borchetta hasn’t signed them yet. They’d fit right in with Music Row’s agenda.
July 23, 2014 @ 4:19 pm
Alright, Im ready for the Dixie Chicks to reunite and take these girls with em on tour. THen they can write a song about putting a boot up music rows ass because its the country music way!
July 23, 2014 @ 5:30 pm
The Dixie Chicks are not coming back to country. Natalie Maines has already stated that she hates the genre and compared it to an “abusive husband”.
I can’t say I blame them, given how badly they were treated by country fans.
July 24, 2014 @ 12:50 pm
I happen to not care about Natalie Maines’ sophomoric political opinions or what happened to her in the aftermath, but she wasn’t even factually correct in her criticism. Bush isn’t a Texan, he’s a blue-blooded Connecticut Yankee with a fake accent. Calling Bush a Texan is like calling Winthrop Rockefeller an Arkansan.
July 24, 2014 @ 10:34 pm
He was born in Connecticut, but he grew up in Texas from infancy.
July 23, 2014 @ 8:46 pm
My station has already said they will not play it because it is “insulting to other artists.”
July 24, 2014 @ 4:59 pm
Ironically, some of those “other artists” are insulting to the intelligence of the audience!
July 24, 2014 @ 6:45 pm
How the hell could this be insulting to other artists? Half the shit they play on country radio already insults women (hense’s the point of the song). I remember a guy praising country music on how, unlike rap music, it doesn’t insult women as much. That’s isn’t the only dumb thing I’ve ever heard from him.
July 23, 2014 @ 10:22 pm
Well, it ain’t particularly country…I can’t remember if the electronic drum beat in the background is robbed from a Nelly or a St. Lunatics album (circa 1999-2001), but it sure seems like one or the other… And the fact that they come out and tell us they actually like the music they’re ripping on is a huge letdown.
July 24, 2014 @ 8:42 am
Maddie & Tae face more competition than just Maggie Rose. Big Machine is also launching “The Voice” contestant RaeLynn’s debut single, “God Made Girls” this week. I have no clue why Borchetta would try to launch two female acts in the same week given radio’s lack of interest in girls.
So now there are 3 singles with the word “girl” in the title by largely unknown blonde female acts all going for adds in the same week. Radio didn’t pick up any new female acts last year so how can they be expected to start playing 2 or 3 new ones at the same time?
To make things even more complicated, Jana Kramer is promoting the lead single to her sophomore album right now plus “Somethin’ Bad” is trying to make an impact as well.
The timing of this is terrible.
July 24, 2014 @ 9:04 am
God Made Girls impacted radio weeks ago and has been in the marketplace for a while.
It’s getting additional pub now because it kind of fits in with this “bro country” response trend. But no one was talking about that aspect of the song until Maddie & Tae’s more overt song came out. People just either liked or hated the RaeLynn tune based on the song itself.
July 24, 2014 @ 12:29 pm
How much has Borchetta been paying you to stroke his ego?
July 24, 2014 @ 2:18 pm
The same amount he paid me to give him the nickname “The Country Music Antichrist”.
If you think you’ve entered pro-Borchetta country, you should poke around a little more.
July 24, 2014 @ 8:21 pm
Alright. I’ve stayed out of the fray long enough.
We’ve lost our bearings here. This is just not a good song. Period.
It gets a lot of attention for its subject matter, but the song itself is horrible.
If this song is a hit, well, good for them. Bad for country music.
July 24, 2014 @ 10:42 pm
For some reason, many folks are taking this post as either a review, or an endorsement. It is neither. I simply think it makes a fascinating case study that the song that the most people are talking about is a protest song when it is boiled down.
July 24, 2014 @ 10:16 pm
I have to disagree with Trigger here. I really don’t like this song at all. It is musically mediocre and lacking in substance in my opinion. It is just another marketing message disguised as music, aimed at a demographic the Nashville machine wants to target as they shamelessly try to sell to both sides.
A better way to challenge bro country would be to release country songs with traditional sounds and substantive lyrics, that don’t mention bro country at all.
July 24, 2014 @ 10:31 pm
I dislike the music too, but I don’t see how the lyrics lack substance. They call out bro-country by citing specific examples of how women are portrayed in disrespectful manner.
July 24, 2014 @ 10:40 pm
I don’t know how this is disagreeing with me. I pretty much said all of those things in my review of this song. I do however appreciate the sentiment of the song, and intrigued by its potential impact.
“A better way to challenge bro country would be to release country songs with traditional sounds and substantive lyrics, that don”™t mention bro country at all.”
I totally agree, and wrote an entire article about this and linked to it above.
July 24, 2014 @ 11:03 pm
It just seems much too gimmicky. You had mentioned in your articles that they admitted to liking some bro country songs. I don’t know if these girls themselves believe the words they are singing, and it would not be very surprising to me if we were to see them in a bro country video in the future.
And Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Florida Georgia Line would not be nearly as popular as they are if lots of young females were not buying their records. Part of the reason girls are portrayed the way they are in bro country songs is because lots of girls want to be the girl in the country song.
July 24, 2014 @ 11:32 pm
“I don”™t know if these girls themselves believe the words they are singing”
Maddie and Tae are taking a major career risk by releasing this as their first song. The lyrics are a strong and direct criticism of some of the most major songs in mainstream country today and could alienate country radio right off the bat (Michael has already pointed out an example of this above). I strongly doubt that they would be doing all of this if they did not truly believe in the cause.
July 25, 2014 @ 12:03 am
No, I have a different perspective. These girls are not taking a big career risk by recording this song, because I don’t think they have much to lose. They are unknowns. As mainstream music artists they are starting out with next to nothing. In that situation it doesn’t hurt to throw some mud at the wall and see if it sticks, if it doesn’t they would just end up where they started.
It would be a much bigger career risk if an established female artist, especially one who has built a persona as America’s sweetheart, were to release a song like this one.
July 25, 2014 @ 12:13 am
First impressions are critical. If country radio starts out with a negative view of Maddie and Tae, it will make the stations significantly less likely to play their future songs.
On the other hand, if an established star released a song like this, country radio would probably view it in the context of their other songs and forgive the artist (just like someone would forgive a family member for an angry outburst). The careers of George Strait and Alan Jackson, for example, were not dented by “Murder on Music Row”. In fact, Alan Jackson virtually swept the CMAs just a couple of years after releasing the song.
July 27, 2014 @ 12:04 pm
Eric, there is a huge difference between “Girl in a Country Song” and “Murder on Music Row”. Alan Jackson and George Strait are accomplished traditional artists who have built up credibility with traditional country fans over many years. What they say about the direction of the genre carries much more weight than what two teenage girls who are trying to get their first big hit say about it. Another big difference is that the lyrics of “Murder on Music Row” focus on the music itself, not on identity politics.
The country genre does not need songs like “Girl in a Country Song”. Women have the power to make bro country commercially unprofitable, by choosing not to buy music from bro country artists, by changing the radio station when they hear bro country songs, and by not going to bro country concerts. If all the female fans of mainstream country voted against bro country with their pocketbook it would likely have the effect of shutting down most of the bro country scene.
July 25, 2014 @ 11:59 pm
Just heard the song for the first time today on the local country station. Remarkably, it was played during the hour when the station plays the top fan-voted songs, usually dominated by bro-country.
July 26, 2014 @ 5:14 pm
How is this song not a good song I heard it on the radio for the 1st time today and now it has changed my life my girlfriend told me to stop asking her to shake her sugar sweet and look at me now today I heard it and I totally just said walked up to her and said to her “Honey, I’m sorry for asking her to shake her butt for me” and she asked me what made me change and I said “Well, listen to this song it’s a great song called “Girl in a Country Song” and it made me change my ways” and she listened to and looked at me like “OMG…A Country duo has changed you”