Girl Crush
| "Girl Crush" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Little Big Town | ||||
| from the album Pain Killer | ||||
| Released | December 15, 2014 | |||
| Format | Digital download | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:13 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Writer(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jay Joyce | |||
| Little Big Town singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Girl Crush" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in December 2014 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Pain Killer.[1] It was released by Interscope Records to Hot AC and top 40 radio.[2]
Content
As CMT's Alison Bonaguro says, "it's more about wanting to taste her lips in order to taste him and to drown in her perfume, to have her long blond hair — and so on — all in an effort to get him back".[3] Bonaguro also adds, "On the other hand, it could also be about a girl obsessing over the girl who is with the man that she wants but has never had. That mystery is unclear, which only adds to the allure of this song".
Lori McKenna said that when she presented the idea to co-writer Liz Rose, that Rose disliked the idea at first, but that Rose changed her mind after hearing the first verse that Hillary Lindsey had written. Group members Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild heard the song and asked that it be saved for them.[4]
Composition
"Girl Crush" is in the key of C major and a 6/8 time signature, with an approximate tempo of 58 dotted quarter notes per minute and a primary chord pattern of C-Em-F-G. Karen Fairchild's lead vocals range from G3-A4.[5]
Critical reception
"Girl Crush" has received mainly positive reviews. CMT's Bonaguro adds, "if anyone knows how to write a country song that's never been written before, it's these three": Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, and Liz Rose. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country states, "Karen Fairchild's lead on Little Big Town's new single 'Girl Crush' may be the best vocal performance of the year. Her anguish drives through you like a steam engine, and afterward she's nothing but a puff of white smoke barely holding on to existence."[6] Dukes adds, "listen to the song on repeat and find yourself exhausted … in the best possible way" and "mass homogeny on the radio makes it seem impossible to create a sound or write a song that's truly unique. It's as if all the good ideas have been used up. Little Big Town prove this is not the case on each album they release."
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Country Music Association Awards | Song of the Year | Won |
| Single of the Year | Won | ||
| Music Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Duo/Group Performance | Won |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Best Country Song | Won | ||
| Academy of Country Music | Single Record of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| CMT Music Awards | Group/Duo Video of the Year [A] | Won | |
| CMT Performance of the Year [B] | Nominated |
- A^ "Girl Crush" as performed by Little Big Town.
- B^ "Girl Crush" as performed by Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis was nominated as 2016 CMT Performance of the Year for their rendition of the song on the "CMT Artists of the Year" TV special on December 2, 2015. Their performance was in honor of Little Big Town in recognition of CMT's selection of the group as a "CMT Artist of the Year." (The other four honorees on that special were: Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Florida Georgia Line, and Sam Hunt.)
Commercial performance
"Girl Crush" debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 8, 2014, before it was released as a single and debuted at number 55 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart for the week of December 27, 2014. "Girl Crush" sold 10,000 copies in its debut week of November 8, 2014.[7] The song reached more than two million in sales by early February 2016.[8] As of April 2016, "Girl Crush" had sold 2,139,000 copies in the United States.[9]
It is Little Big Town's career top 20 single, having peaked at number 18 for the Billboard Hot 100 Chart Week ending May 9, 2015,[10] besting the number 22 peak of "Pontoon" in 2012. It is also their highest showing on the Canadian Hot 100, besting the number 39 of "Pontoon" in 2012. It is also their longest-running number one single, 13 weeks atop Hot Country Songs. It broke the record set by The Browns' 1959 hit "The Three Bells" as the longest-running number one on Hot Country Songs by a group of three or more members.[11]
Alleged controversy
Some radio stations were reported to have pulled "Girl Crush" from their playlists, in response to concerns from listeners who interpreted the song to be about lesbianism. In response, Fairchild said, "That's just shocking to me, the close-mindedness of that, when that's just not what the song was about…But what if it were? It's just a greater issue of listening to a song for what it is." In addition, the label created a short commercial in which the band discusses the song and its actual meaning.[12] Billboard consulted several radio program directors on its panel and found only one who detailed a specific complaint from a listener; the magazine concluded that the controversy surrounding the song was mostly fabricated.[13]
Music video
The music video is in black-and-white.[14] It was directed by Karla and Matthew Welch and premiered in April 2015. The music video was filmed in Los Angeles, California and produced by Meritocracy Inc.[15] The music video is nominated for a 2016 Academy of Country Music Award for Video of the Year [16]
Live performances
- February 2015 – The Ellen DeGeneres Show[17]
- March 2015 – The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon[18]
- April 2015 – The 50th Annual ACM Awards[19]
- May 2015 – Billboard Music Awards with Faith Hill[20]
- November 2015 – CMA Awards[21]
- February 2016—Grammy Awards[22]
Cover versions
- Kelly Clarkson covered the song at the Microsoft Store opening in Cerritos, California in November 2014.[23]
- Miranda Lambert and Gwen Sebastian covered the song at a surprise concert in Nashville in January 2015.[24]
- In March 2015, Halestorm covered the song in concert in Munich, Germany.[25]
- On the April 13, 2015 episode (Season 8) of The Voice, contestant Meghan Linsey (formerly one-half of Steel Magnolia) performed the song. Country singer Blake Shelton, who is a judge on the show, said that the song was his favorite on the radio at that point.[26] Reba McEntire, who served as a mentor on the episode, also reacted favorably to Linsey's rendition.[27] Linsey's version peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart[28] and number 1 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.[29]
- Lauren Alaina covered the song during her radio tour.[30]
- Adam Lambert and Leona Lewis performed the song at the 2015 CMT "Artists of the Year" special to honor Little Big Town.[31] Lewis and Lambert's version of the song was nominated for "Performance of the Year" at the 2016 CMT Music Awards.[32]
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
|
| Preceded by "Take Your Time" by Sam Hunt |
Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single May 9–August 1, 2015 |
Succeeded by "Kick the Dust Up" by Luke Bryan |
References
- ↑ "Future Releases - Country". AllAccess Music Group. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Cantor, Brian (24 April 2015). "A crossover push is in the works for Little Big Town's "Girl Crush."". Headlineplanet.com. Headline Planet.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ↑ Bonaguro, Alison. "I'm Crushing on Little Big Town's "Girl Crush"". Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Rodman, Sarah (15 December 2014). "Lori McKenna Reveals Her 'Girl Crush'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ↑ "'Girl Crush' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ↑ Dukes, Billy. "Little Big Town, 'Girl Crush' – ToC Critic's Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ Bjorke, Matt. "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: October 29, 2014". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ↑ Brian Cantor. "Little Big Town's "Girl Crush" crosses the 2 million US sales mark". Headline Planet.
- 1 2 Bjorke, Matt (April 20, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Report: April 20, 2016". Roughstock.
- ↑ "The Billboard Hot 100 : May 09, 2015 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-09-08.
- ↑ Asker, Jim. "Kacey Musgraves 'Material'-izes at No. 1 on Country Chart; Little Big Town Ties Record". Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- ↑ Yahr, Emily (25 March 2015). "Why stations are pulling Little Big Town's 'Girl Crush' — and what that says about country radio". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ Stark, Phyllis (27 March 2015). "Controversy Over Little Big Town's 'Girl Crush' & Its 'Lesbian Theme' Is Mostly Fabricated". Billboard. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ http://countryfancast.com/music-video-of-the-year/
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Little Big Town : Girl Crush". Country Music Television. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
- ↑ "Nominees". ACM Awards. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Little Big Town Performs 'Girl Crush'". Retrieved 19 May 2015.
- ↑ Bell, Rebekah. "Little Big Town Perform 'Girl Crush' on 'The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon' [Watch]". Taste of Country. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ↑ Lynch, Joe. "Little Big Town Bring Provocative 'Girl Crush' to 2015 ACMs". Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ↑ Lynch, Joe. "2015 Billboard Music Awards: 10 Best Performances". Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/6753091/little-big-town-girl-crush-cma-awards
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/6875300/little-big-town-girl-crush-grammys-2016
- ↑ Scott, Jason. "Kelly Clarkson offers smooth cover of Little Big Town's 'Girl Crush': Watch". AXS. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑ McMaster, Sean. "Dark-Haired Miranda Lambert Sings 'Girl Crush' With Gwen Sebastian at Surprise Club Show Read More: Dark-Haired Miranda Lambert Sings 'Girl Crush' With Gwen Sebastian at Surprise Club Show". Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ↑ "Halestorm - Girl Crush (Little Big Town cover)". Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ↑ Dukes, Billy (14 April 2015). "Meghan Linsey Brings Her 'Girl Crush' to 'The Voice'". Taste of Country. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ↑ Anderson, Danielle (14 April 2015). "See The Voice's Meghan Linsey 'Kick the Dog Poo' out of Little Big Town's 'Girl Crush'". People. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
- ↑ "Meghan Linsey Album & Song Chart History - Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Meghan Linsey Album & Song Chart History - Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ↑ "Lauren Alaina - Girl Crush".
- ↑ "CMT Artists Of The Year 2015". Retrieved 2015-12-16.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/7358052/cmt-music-awards-nominations-2016
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Little Big Town – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Little Big Town.
- ↑ "Best of 2015: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Best of 2015: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
- ↑ "American single certifications – Little Big Town – Girl Crush". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH