Chivalry’s Not Dead: Tim McGraw Ensures Wife Faith Hill Has Second Chance at Career
There is no room for aging female talent in today’s mainstream country music. Had a failed single? Been a while since you released an album? Well then it’s over. Kacey Musgraves isn’t even 30 yet, and barring a miracle, she’ll never have a Top 20 single for the rest of her life. Sexism? Ageism? Sheer stupidity? Yep, you can pretty much check all the above boxes.
So Tim McGraw, the consummate gentleman of mainstream country music at the moment, and one of the few good guys both off the stage and the radio dial, took his coat off, threw it over the puddle, and let his wife walk over it. Screw whatever ramifications to his personal career. It’s just a coat.
It’s all beginning to make sense now. When it was first announced like a shot out of the dark that Tim McGraw wasn’t going to re-sign with Big Machine Records where he’d had so much recent late-career success with the label and instead was going with Sony—and at the same time it was announced Faith Hill was also signing with Sony and the country music power couple was going on tour together—clearly something was cooking. And now we’ve been given a taste of it.
Chivalry may be dead, but it’s alive and well in the McGraw/Hill household. In a press release, the couple announced they will release a new single together called “Speak to a Girl” that will be shipping to country radio on March 23rd. It was written by Shy Carter, Dave Gibson and Joe Spargur, and it will be the first single off of a joint album with McGraw and Hill. Perhaps the new single will suck. Perhaps it won’t. We’ll just have to see. That’s not really the point at the moment though. The point of this is to allow the couple to collaborate with each other, and letting their fortunes be intertwined for the foreseeable future.
Think Faith Hill doesn’t need a man to make a comeback and it’s reductive to imply so? Get real. Don’t blame me, blame Music Row. But McGraw is out to beat the system at its own game, just like he did when he left Curb Records in his 40’s and was still able to mount a comeback. Now at 49, country radio loves McGraw just as much as they have at any time in his career.
It all makes perfect sense really. Though Faith Hill never announced a retirement to spend more time with family and a triumphant return like Garth Brooks did, that’s pretty much what happened. Her last studio record was in 2008, and now that the couple’s youngest daughter Audrey (born in 2001) is reaching that age where she’ll be flying the coop soon enough, it allows Hill to head out on tour more and have a rejuvenation of her career if the cards fall right. Tim and Faith will be heading out on their joint Soul2Soul tour starting on April 7th.
This won’t be the first time Tim and Faith have toured together. They did another Soul2Soul tour in 2000, and another in 2006-2007. They also toured Australia together in 2012, right before Tim signed to Big Machine Records. This is one of the reasons it seems perhaps the touring situation is facilitated by the Sony deal, though it is interesting the couple signed individual deals. It’s not unusual for a duo to sign a separate deal from their solo deals when they’re both already established stars. Some have speculated that Big Machine, who is currently in the process of contracting, didn’t want to sign Faith, and this is what sealed McGraw leaving the label so he could work directly with Hill.
Either way, we now have the Tim and Faith show to look forward to (if that’s something you look forward to), and it will be very interesting to see what this does for the future of both stars. Faith hasn’t had a successful single since 2006’s “Sunshine and Summertime” that peaked at #7, except that #2 she had singing duet style on McGraw’s “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” from 2014. You see?
This should be interesting.
March 21, 2017 @ 8:46 am
let’s hope for some substance.. Hi Hopes..
Another song with Girl in the title though. LOL
March 21, 2017 @ 8:57 am
My first thought was that this seems to be an emotional decision rather than a rational one. Hmm, perhaps he is really as head over heels about her as was implied in “It’s Your Love” and several other ballads.
On second thought, there also have not been as many romantic ballads played on country radio in recent years, unlike the 1990s when Tim and Faith first became big stars. Perhaps there is an opportunity for those kinds of songs to make a comeback, if country radio wants to bring the suburban mothers back to the genre. This is only speculation, since not many of Nashville’s decisions in the last few years support it.
On third thought, I think ageism is a red herring, when mentioned as a factor behind Kacey’s limited commercial success. She’s not even 30. I think she did not have more success because the young progressive audience that her music and message might appeal to does not listen to country radio.
March 21, 2017 @ 9:36 am
I’m an extreme conservative and I also don’t listen to “Country” radio.
March 21, 2017 @ 11:48 am
Second that.
March 21, 2017 @ 8:58 pm
I’m a conservative myself but I listen to country radio all the time. I pick out the good shit, and I have quite a few songs that are guilty pleasures….bite me :p
March 21, 2017 @ 9:58 am
Actually romantic ballad is big on radio right now (and just like half the stuff out right now, Girl is in the title on this one)
March 22, 2017 @ 8:48 pm
Not all songs about girls are romantic ballads. For example bro country songs about girls are more likely to describe them as sex objects. You might have a point that there are some romantic ballads on the radio, perhaps it is starting to come back somewhat. Carrie released her first romantic ballad about a year ago and Brad Paisley always likes to release songs that please the ladies. But still this type of song is nowhere near as dominant as back in the 1990s when they seemed to be played on country stations (as well as AC stations) all the time. I think that was a big part of what brought the suburban mothers to country radio and it created an environment where more female artists had mainstream success. The genre just doesn’t cater to the girls and their moms who mainly listen to slow songs, as much as it used to.
March 21, 2017 @ 9:34 am
I’m thinking that since Dave Gibson (formerly of the great 90s Country band the Gibson/Miller Band) had a hand in writing the new song, it should be quite good. He has never gotten into the bad kinds of things that happen in “Country” music.
March 21, 2017 @ 9:42 am
Faith Hill has an excellent voice (e.g. see her performance of Stronger on Letterman) and I have missed her absence this last decade. So, at least for me, it is a welcome return.
Unfortunately the mistake the elder ladies of country make (including Martina McBride) is that they try to compete with the younger generation of singers at their game – releasing music to match the current and modern style and that never works.
The younger listeners just ignore them and carry on listening to the new female vocalists doing their thing and more mature listeners are alienated as they have deserted the sound that made them fans in the first place. So they basically lose both sets of fans.
I hope that Faith stays true to herself in her come back and does not try to compete with the new generation of country singers. If she produces more meaningful music leaning more towards the country side of things, she will have a better chance of success – basically just follow the path her husband has ploughed
March 21, 2017 @ 10:34 am
Good point Cowboyal. When Tim McGraw tried to run with the young pups (“Truck Yeah”) it general floundered. It was when he started making adult material that his post-Curb resurgence took hold. “Humble and Kind” was a massive song last year.
March 21, 2017 @ 12:06 pm
As bad as “Truck Yeah” was, “Lookin’ for that Girl” was worse to me. It was as dumb as anything FGL, Luke Bryan or Sam Hunt have released. I’m glad he’s had success with these recent singles. As for Faith, she is an excellent singer and has generally released good singles. But these days, other than Carrie or godawful Kelsea Ballerini, it’s really hard for female artists to get airplay. Lauren Alaina has a hit but it was a long time coming for her. Miranda didn’t make the top 10 with “Vice” and “We Should Be Friends” isn’t flying up the charts either. So when she’s having trouble getting played,what chance do these other women have?
March 21, 2017 @ 12:55 pm
Cowboyal – that Letterman performance is one of my favorites of hers!
I definitely agree with all the points made here. Faith sticking to her roots will, hopefully, pay off and earn her some mainstream success, as it has recently with McGraw with “How I’ll Always Be” and “Humble and Kind.” Between the tour news and this new single/joint album/ACM single premiere, there is a lot of recent buzz behind these two, so hopefully that will incentivize radio to play the new stuff, as well. Plus, we can never fault Faith because Lori McKenna often accredits Faith for giving her a job in Nashville by cutting 3 of her songs on her 2005 release, “Fireflies”, which put her on the map as an esteemed songwriter in this town.
March 21, 2017 @ 10:03 am
I have my fingers crossed for Faith. On a certain level though this is the least Tim could do, since Faith stayed home to raise their kids. I mean he could have alternated years at home/albums with her etc. Yes, country radio and women is annoying, but her last full length album went double platinum (released 2006), and had several top 10 singles. Tim’s 2007 release “only” went platinum (his 2004 release was 4x platinum though).
March 21, 2017 @ 10:40 am
If mama ain’t happy, nobody is.
March 21, 2017 @ 12:16 pm
McGraw is definitely a solo act and he should keep it that way–maybe do one duet with Faith Hill on each album, not necessarily for release as a single. Tim’s got to be the oldest artist still playing in the majors on country radio. I think he and Chesney are the only Garth-era artists whose new singles still make the charts. The business is too competitive now to allow for personally-motivated detours.
March 21, 2017 @ 12:50 pm
Yep.
Tim McGraw May 1, 1967.
Keith Urban October 26, 1967.
Kenny Chesney March 26, 1968.
So as of next week they will all be 49 years old.
March 21, 2017 @ 12:51 pm
Oops, that was supposed to be a reply to Luckyoldsun.
March 21, 2017 @ 1:07 pm
Long before FGL, Luke Bryan, Aldean, Swift, Hunt, etc. were stomping on the grave of Country Music, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were throwing dirt on top it’s casket.
March 23, 2017 @ 7:31 am
Yeah, because the only “valid” country music needs to sound like it was recorded in a basement on an old tape recorder. No production. A produced sound is bad! I am SO tired of this.
Fuck off.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw both recorded some great, meaningful music in their careers.
March 21, 2017 @ 4:02 pm
Hopefully the song is about speaking to an actual girl, like one of their daughters.
There is so many ways this song can go wrong (either offensive or preachy) but despite that I’ll wait to hear it first.
March 21, 2017 @ 5:20 pm
Is Kacey Musgraves washed up, then? I rather thought she would cross-over.
March 21, 2017 @ 5:27 pm
Tim McGraw was pretty good in “The Shack.”
Hopefully, the song turns out well. Tim is a pretty good singer despite a few mishaps, which happens to every long time artist.
March 22, 2017 @ 1:39 pm
“Sexism? Ageism? Sheer stupidity? Yep, you can pretty much check all the above boxes.” Sounds like basic SJW talking points. Most females have a more traditional leaning sound nowadays with heavier subject matter. Radio doesn’t dig that. They want fun contemporary music. Plus, the reason Faith Hill has failed to make a comeback is because whatever she has realized in the last decade flat out sucks.
March 23, 2017 @ 7:40 am
Trigger is HARDLY a SJW, nor does he use SJW “talking points.” Try again, fool.
No, clown, radio doesn’t just play “fun contemporary music.” Radio plays songs about fake country dudes talking about trucks, beer, and screwing broads.
It’s not that female artists have a “traditional” sound nowadays. Define traditional. 1999? 2000? That is the kind of sound Hill has employed in her singles in the last ten years or so. No, that doesn’t fit the stupidity of today’s mainstream radio. But traditional? No.
I do agree with the heavier subject matter. Too bad that the modern radio listener is too stupid to appreciate and/or understand lyrics with meaning!
And not all of Hill’s music in the last decade “flat out sucks.” I’m not trying to shit all over your opinion; you are certainly entitled to it. I just don’t happen to agree.
Faith Hill could have released really strong singles and it wouldn’t have mattered. Radio won’t play her, or McBride, etc. I still have no idea how Reba got that one last number 1. It kind of reminds me of how Kenny Rogers broke through in 2000 and got himself one more number 1. In Reba’s case, it was a triumph because of her age more than being a woman, in my opinion.
But back to the SJW comment…ageism DEFINITELY plays a role in radio. And it has for almost 30 years. McGraw is an exception, as was Kenny Rogers when he broke out in his 40s and had hits well through his 50s.
And sexism IS happening at country radio right now. Perhaps it is because women don’t sing about beer, trucks, and screwing broads. Either way, it is going on.
Leave Trigger alone. He’s right, as usual.
March 23, 2017 @ 11:30 pm
He’s not right “as usual.” Sexism is just an easy response to a more complicated problem with women and radio. Radio is not interested in playing music that makes you think. Women tend to have far more meaningful lyrics than guys and their music is without doubt countrier sounding. Obviously it isn’t Kitty Wells country, but it’s country enough to make non country listeners think it is really traditional. Radio wants to stay hip and cool and all that crap. The men are more willing to play that game because they aren’t real artists. They are just props. And ageism is a joke. That’s life. People like fresh blood. Radio listeners are younger. They don’t want to hear about the experiences of people 30, 40, 50 years older than them. I’m not defending that. I’m just saying that’s the way it is. And I’m not going to argue about Faith Hill. If you like her stuff, Fine. I hate it. Throwing out buzzwords without any actual proof of sexism is exactly what an SJW does. Radio is a free market. They get to choose what to do. There are many other ways to have your music be heard. This isn’t 1960. There is the Internet, Itunes, and a million other ways to discover music.
March 23, 2017 @ 6:08 am
It’s hard to take it seriously with a ridiculous, “Let’s pander to 12 year olds!”, tour title like Soul2Soul. Seriously. “To” isn’t THAT long of a word. Just take the time to learn to spell it. Talk to a girl. She’ll teach you…
March 23, 2017 @ 7:41 am
McGraw and Hill have used the name “Soul2Soul” for multiple tours over the years, guy. This isn’t new.
And they never pandered to 12 year olds.
Don’t get me wrong…watching them so “in love” on stage was enough to make me want to puke. But, they did not, and nor are they now pandering to 12 year olds.
March 23, 2017 @ 2:26 pm
Not a fan of the new single at all. Either I forgot what Faith Hill’s voice sounded like or it’s aged since she last recorded music. I don’t think the new single is even slightly country.
March 23, 2017 @ 3:22 pm
Am a big fan of Faith’s first albums, especially the first one. Seemed so genuine to me, can’t say the same about her later albums..
March 24, 2017 @ 4:13 am
The song is 90s pop ballad that was obviously made for crossover success b/c it sure isn’t country. It is also too low for Faith. I guess it’s to keep in Tim’s range but doesn’t do her any favors. Hope the rest of the album is more country sounding.
March 25, 2017 @ 7:51 am
Oh please, please, please review the new single! No one can offer due diligence on the auditory abomination like you can. The lyrics sound like Kane Brown and Sam Hunt are having a heart to heart on the sidelines of the basketball court; it’s cringe worthy when delivered by two middle-aged, married country singers. Johnny and June just rolled over in unison in their graves! I’m literally embarrassed for them; I can’t imagine how their teenage daughters must feel. Mom and Dad hacked your Snapchat and they’re trying to deliver love advice in contemporary slang, Yo!
March 26, 2017 @ 12:13 pm
Faith has pretty much been “retired” for a decade now. She and Trisha Yearwood are one in the same… they don’t work unless their husband works.
March 26, 2017 @ 5:13 pm
I had to turn it during the first half. This sounds way too much like Jay-Z and Beyonce and nothing like Tim and Faith.