Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” Stirs Controversy – Like It Was Built To
Little Big Town’s latest single called “Girl Crush” is stirring a little bit of controversy from what some perceive as racy, lesbian themes, while others are acting shocked that the song could be misconceived in such a way, making “Girl Crush” a country music battleground for conservative values being fought in the shadow of country music’s big coming out party lately with Ty Herndon and Billy Gillman making their big announcements, and the success of Brandy Clark and the Kacey Musgraves’ song “Follow Your Arrow.” But in the the end they’re all feeding into the exact reaction Little Big Town wanted from the song—attention.
“Girl Crush” is not a lesbian song, and anyone coming to it from that camp is incorrect in their assessment. At least that’s what the songwriters Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, and Lori McKenna, as well as the performers from Little Big Town say about it, and there’s no reason to think they’re lying. However, the way the song works, especially with a quick listen (which let’s face it, is the way most mainstream music listeners hear their music), it’s not hard to understand why it could be perceived in this way. In fact it’s probably a little easier to understand the lesbian perspective on the song than to expect the average listener to peel back the somewhat convoluted lyrical structure and unravel all the layers to get to the heart of the message.
“Girl Crush” is a song about jealousy, and a woman wanting to superimpose herself into the place of her lover’s new mate, but with lines like….
“I want to taste her lips
Yeah, ’cause they taste like you
I want to drown myself
In a bottle of her perfume”
….it’s not hard to see how the song could be misconstrued. In fact it’s pretty easy to think that as the writers were spinning the lines, they would see this androgynous ambiguity as an asset, and maybe the vision of let’s say, two women kissing, would be a way to spice up the song for listeners, or at least adding to the intrigue of the track.
These are not criticisms of the song, mind you. These could be considered assets, and this song has be heralded for being very well written in many corners. This praise may be more the symptom of the dearth of well-written songs in the mainstream as opposed to the “Girl Crush” actually being well-written, but that’s in the eye of the beholder. The song also offers a very stripped-down production, with this walking, blues-inspired guitar line offering the only significant instrumental clothing. If nothing else, it is a very interesting track for the mainstream world, especially since it has found some moderate success.
Little Big Town is a band that has always benefited from some pretty staunch champions. Maybe it’s because they’ve been around so long compared to other mainstream acts. Maybe it’s because older listeners can relate a little better to the lineup compared to the younger artists dominating mainstream country. But the whole “controversy” surrounding this song smacks so much of baiting, and maybe some marketing, that you almost feel dirty for taking a side.
The country music site For The Country Record published a guest post from “TexMex” a few days ago who says they work at a Texas radio station that put “Girl Crush” in a lower rotation after receiving complaints about the song’s potentially-lesbian themes from listeners. “To my surprise, after explaining the song to more than a handful of people, every one of them responded with basically the same thing (paraphrased): ‘You are just promoting the gay agenda on your station and I am changing the channel and never listening to you ever again!!'” TexMex characterized.
The problem is, Little Big Town and the songwriters not only knew this song would stir chatter, they were betting on it. As Edward Mack of Wide Open Country said, “The title ‘Girl Crush’ is a little misleading. So are some of the band’s comments about the song, which are meant, no doubt, to stir the rumor mill.”
So if some “closed-minded conservatives” have an issue with the song, people have a right to disagree, but I don’t think they have a right to be shock or surprised, or even act morally superior. News flash, but country music is a conservative format. It doesn’t make bigotry toward the LGBT community right in any way, but when you’re betting on raising some hairs with your song, which “Girl Crush” does, you can’t get angry when that is the result. Complaining about the song being downgraded at radio may also be moot since without the controversial element, it may have never been added at all.
“Girl Crush” is sort of this middling, pedestrian song meant for the female adult contemporary demographic of country. You add this layer of intrigue about who is kissing who, and that’s what makes it a single. This isn’t an endorsement for the song getting docked in the rotations of radio stations, or for people taking incorrect misconceptions away from the song and using them for “closed-minded” purposes. But the songwriters, label, and Little Big Town had to know what they were getting into here, and if it weren’t for the potential of those misconceptions, this song likely would have never seen the light of day to being with, especially as a single.
March 24, 2015 @ 7:11 pm
Don’t people have better things to do than criticizing this song or controversal .?
March 24, 2015 @ 7:16 pm
My first reaction while playing this on the air the first time was that everyone involved–singers, musicians, and writers–are trying way too hard to be different. After hearing it a few times, I still think so: this thing is every bit as fake/calculated as the most brain-dead bro-country record. And also: if stations are shying away from Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You” and Jake Owen’s “What We Ain’t Got” for sonic reasons, why they wouldn’t shy away from this too, given that it’s every bit the momentum killer those ballads are?
March 24, 2015 @ 7:28 pm
Well, of course it is calculated. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Often, “calculation” can result in songs that are the opposite of “braindead”. In the case of this song, I find the double meaning to be rather clever.
March 25, 2015 @ 5:20 pm
“My first reaction while playing this on the air the first time was that everyone involved”“singers, musicians, and writers”“are trying way too hard to be different……”
I think you make an excellent point in general , JB . Not sure I’d agree with that observation about THIS particular song ….but yeah..I appreciate your observation in this respect .
Many songs and song titles are forgettable , and have no creativity behind them . So many songs seem to wander around looking for an intention or purpose making musical mountains from molehills rather than simply trying to relate and express REAL experiences. There is little prosody in much contemporary music , with exceptions like THIS , of course..( marriage of music and sentiment/lyric .) Even the heartfelt lyrical reflections and musings of many ballad are set to balls -to-the-wall screaming humbuckers , cannon-fire snare drums and Van Halen-esque guitar sqwalking . I think its a given that these over-produced , over-compressed productions are an all-out attmpt to serve the conditioned ears of a youthful demographic. I mean ..even Reba’s new song features ” Megaphone-Voice Reba ” in the breakdown . WTF ? I’m not opposed to ANY of those sonic earmarks on the RIGHT piece of music but it’s been done to death in every genre at this point. There are dozens of ‘ lead’ instruments to choose from and yet the electric guitar on 11 always gets the nod . Hell , I’m a lead player and even I’M tired of it .
Yup …’trying too hard’ is often the only way to describe some of this stuff . That’s when I switch to the Bluegrass station . Those cats know how to get the message out the right way every time .
March 25, 2015 @ 5:29 pm
I envy the fact that you have a bluegrass station to switch to. Here in the Bay Area, we are lucky to have a country station at all.
March 25, 2015 @ 6:06 pm
LIVE 365 …check it out on the internet . Great selection of streaming stations including Americana , Country Classics , Texas Roadhouse , Mandozine ( all mandolin styles ) Pickin In The Pines ( bluegrass ) etc etc..
Galaxy satellite radio or Stingray satellite radio – comes with our cable tv package …about 25 commercial- free stations -various genres including ‘roots’ . Maybe you get it on Comcast down there ?
March 24, 2015 @ 7:20 pm
this song peaked so far at #16 on the Hot country songs billboard chart.
March 24, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
It’s far too boring a song for me to care about one way or the other. I don’t understand the love it has gotten from certain critics, like Grady Smith.
March 24, 2015 @ 7:55 pm
I actually kinda like the song in and of itself. But hey, to each his own, right?
However, the way it’s constructed lyrically is genius. The lyric video imagery gives the intent away, but if you just listen to the words it can be interpreted any way you want it. The “you” is never gender specific. Traditional man/woman relationship. Woman/woman relationship. Even man/man in which one man turns to a woman for a tryst.
I like words. In my opinion, this is a great song because it has so many people up in arms.
Similar to the early stuff of Melissa Etheridge in which the object of her affection/venom was never gender specific.
Shouldn’t it be a part of music to interpret however you hear it? Isn’t that part of the enjoyment?
Or maybe I’m just old and out of touch.
March 24, 2015 @ 8:19 pm
Just to clarify to anyone wondering, this was not a review, though there may have been some review elements to it. I wanted to focus more on the controversy surrounding the song.
March 24, 2015 @ 11:35 pm
Oh, I know that. I was just saying I liked the song since every other comment before mine didn’t. And probably every one after.
Everything after that, I was speaking specifically about the lyrics.
March 25, 2015 @ 12:11 am
I really like it too and I’m not really all that much of a fan of Little Big Town. I said the same a couple weeks ago when this song got brought up in the comments.
I don’t think the song is very “Country” sonically but it’s definitely got “Country” roots lyrically even though it may be a little edgy (what some consider anyway).
I’m a man, and I can relate to this song. I don’t want to kiss dudes or anything (not that there’s somethin wrong with that), but to that level of jealousy. I definitely feel the song was better than pedestrian, but hey, we all got our opinions and I respect Trig’s allot.
March 25, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
Trigger, are you as old as trigger?? Your opinion counts for what??
March 25, 2015 @ 10:10 pm
What?
March 24, 2015 @ 8:04 pm
Wow, I don’t even care bout what y’all might be thinking, but kudos to Trigger for focusing on the lyrics/”controversy” instead of the sonic quality. I, admittedly, only made it through 1:23 of the song, but heard absolutely zero anything that would make me consider that even remotely “country.” Good for you, Trigger, way to hold back!!
March 24, 2015 @ 8:20 pm
There’s not much country about this song at all, but I think this goes without saying. I wanted to focus more on the issue about the different interpretations of the lyrics.
March 24, 2015 @ 9:22 pm
Oh yeah, I definitely caught on to what you were on about. Was just impressed you were able to withstand the urge to bring your “rants” out of retirement. Part of me understands why you retired those, but the other part of me doesn’t understand how you could resist it.
March 24, 2015 @ 8:27 pm
What I will never understand about this group is why Philip doesn’t get any lead vocals, at least not on any singles since their best song to date, “Bring it on Home.”
What the fuck? It makes absolutely no sense. He’s the best singer of the bunch. Trust a mainstream group to not know their heads from their asses.
March 24, 2015 @ 8:59 pm
That might be a wise decision. Country radio is so heavily dominated by male singers that the best way for a song to stand out is if it features a female lead vocalist.
March 24, 2015 @ 8:41 pm
Where this single may ultimately underperform with radio, it has already succeeded enormously with digital sales.
Of all the songs on the current singles chart, “Girl Crush” has by far the best sales-to-spins ratio. And when you factor non-charting singles into the equation, the only ones outdoing “Girl Crush” are Chris Janson’s “Buy Me A Boat” and Chase Rice’s cult non-single hit “Ride”.
Much like Keith Urban’s “Cop Car”, this will all but certainly wind up another rare case of a radio single that peaked higher on the mongrel chart than the airplay chart. And that, in itself, underscores why “Girl Crush” has already hit it out of the park as far as singles are concerned.
March 24, 2015 @ 8:56 pm
i like that one song of their’s…Motorboatin i think it’s called.
March 24, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
I’m hoping your comment about motorboatin was sarcastic. For your sake.
March 24, 2015 @ 9:19 pm
What’s the matter, you don’t like women’s breasts?
😉 jk…
In all seriousness, “Pontoon” is my least favorite song from Little Big Town. I consider it an early example of bro-country.
March 24, 2015 @ 9:15 pm
As Noah Eaton pointed out, digital sales of this song are significantly outperforming radio spins. This would seem to imply that the demographics of the buyers are disproportionately young.
This may be one of the few instances when the young cohort is actually helping elevate the quality of country music rather than damaging it.
March 25, 2015 @ 9:47 am
As frustrated as I have been with label executives and gatekeepers projecting tunnel vision on the most youthful listening demographics and overlooking most everyone else, I’m certainly not one of those “Get off my lawn!” types…………even when one can easily suggest I am when I keep screaming about the likes of Michael Ray, Cole Swindell and Kelsea Ballerini’s releases.
And I’m inclined to agree “Girl Crush” is an example of more youthful demographics positively influencing the charts. While I understand where a few are coming from in asserting it sounds calculated, it doesn’t diminish the fact that on paper, and in Fairchild’s delivery, it’s effectively nuanced and ambiguous. It wisely strips back the production and, in result, is a poignant effort all around.
The success of “Girl Crush” serves as proof that while radio is certainly a critical aspect of building a career and establishing a brand, it’s nonetheless not the only means to do so. This clearly wasn’t intended as a radio single and more as a stand-alone commercial single in the efforts to broaden their listener reach and vie for “Song of the Year” nominations. And the more this continues to sell, the more likely it will even garner Grammy attention.
*
If they want to get back on the good grace of country programmers, they do have a couple surefire choices remaining on this album with the title track and “Quit Breaking Up With Me”.
Whether they can actually bounce back is a whole other matter altogether. After all, their entire career has been characterized by inconsistency at radio. Also, it’s hard to say whether they still appeal enough to the volatile mean listener demographics and may have more in common with a veteran act like Fleetwood Mac as opposed to a more youthful act like Lady Antebellum (who hit a snag with their most recent single).
But “Quit Breaking Up With Me”, straight-up, does sound like the kind of song that would return them to the Top Five, as does the island-vibed summer song appeal of the title track. I can also see “Live Forever” see release sometime this cycle because it has been singled out as an important cut among the group’s members, although I don’t see that moving the needle at radio.
March 24, 2015 @ 10:08 pm
I’d go as far as calling this the WORST “country” song of all time. Not to mention, Little Big Town is an excuse of a country band as well.
March 25, 2015 @ 5:04 am
Really? Honky Tonk Badonkadonk? That’s My Kind Of Night? Cruise? Dirt Road Anthem?
You should get your ears checked if you think it’s worse than those.
March 25, 2015 @ 9:38 am
Are you shitting me? It’s WORSE than anything I’ve ever heard in the country genre, period!
March 25, 2015 @ 1:04 pm
SummerJam, I Envy you, you’ve obviously never heard “Boys Round Here” or “Ready Set Roll”
March 25, 2015 @ 2:07 pm
I have, and I’m not afraid to admit that I enjoy both of those songs. They are fun songs that make ya feel good and they make working on piece of shit cars much easier for me. I love mixing my Ipod playlist up with songs like that then some fun traditional country songs like “Take This Job And Shove It”. Let’s just say I’m pretty open minded. Everyone is going to have their opinion and their own preference..
March 24, 2015 @ 11:53 pm
Little Big Town is an odd little band. Their first self-titled album on Monument Records in 2002 is more or less pure pop fluff. It sounds very much of its era at the dawn of the new millennium with acts like Rascal Flatts. It’s not bad so much as pedestrian. They were then signed to Clint Black’s label Equity Music Group and released The Road to Here in 2005. Quite interestingly, their sophomore effort found them taking a much more rootsy vibe. I’d even call it mainstream bluegrass if there is such a thing (if not, they found it). It might not be traditional in the traditional sense, but it’s a solid album of modern country music.
A Place to Land was released, and very much followed the same template. Solid modern country music with impeccable four part harmonies and each member alternating on lead vocals. However, Equity Music Group closed its doors due to the plummeting economy that year, so Capitol Records picked the group up and re-released their third album with four bonus tracks (including “Life in a Northern Town” with Sugarland and Jake Owen). In 2010 the band released The Reason Why, which I consider to be the midpoint between the soft rock pop they are now and the country roots pop they used to be. It features a mixture of both, with some songs packing the twang and others dropping it and sounding more or less uncountry. Then, in 2012, Tornado was released. While I like that album there’s no denying that, save for a few tracks, it’s very poppy. It also contains their monster hit “Pontoon,” which I think we can all agree is a far cry from their past singles like “Boondocks,” “Bring it On Home” and “Little White Church.”
And now we arrive at Pain Killer, which I haven’t personally put ears to in its entirety. I will say, though, that “Day Drinking” struck me as both a retread of “Pontoon” with nothing new to say and also completely idiotic. How does the time of day that one indulges in alcohol make for a song hook nowadays? Really? I’m sure plenty of folks have chugged a beer or shot with the sun up. The cynics out there might wonder how this band could sell out given that they were pop country to begin with, but if you actually dig into their albums (barring the misguided debut) they have some GREAT material. I’d have to say that the Road to Here, Place to Land, Reason Why eras are what cause so many LBT apologists to claim they have good album cuts, Trigger. In those particular cases I’m inclined to agree for the most part.
Personally, after having done a bit of digging into their discography today, I have to say I like this band. They aren’t a favorite but their music is so light-hearted and catchy that I find it easy to like. I’m also a sucker for harmonies and a band in which every member can sing lead is somewhat unique in the country music world, regardless of whether one considers their newer material “country” to begin with (I qualify that statement with “newer” because as I said above their second, third and parts of the fourth are very much authentic mainstream country). I personally find “Girl Crush” to be a fairly interesting song. Even if it is a blatant attempt to stir headlines, I like the atypical subject matter. Hey, at least the song is about something unlike so many of its peers on the charts. And despite not really being country, at least this band uses actual instruments for the majority of their sound and sing as opposed to computerized beats, rapping and autotune.
Say what you want about their lesser singles, but country music can (and often does) do a lot worse than Little Big Town. Nobody has to like them but there are far bigger tumors to deal with at present (and LBT’s music is decent enough on its own merits that I personally feel that they don’t need to be “dealt with” at all at, assuming that they maintain their present level of decency). Just my two cents.
March 25, 2015 @ 1:02 am
Thanks for the summary.
As it happens, I wasn’t paying much attention to mainstream country in the mid-2000’s, but “Boondocks” did happen to catch my ear. At the time, I thought the band’s country-roots pop style was somewhat of an intriguing take on the modern country concept, and that it might represent an interesting direction the genre could take in the future. Alas, that was not to be, as we know all too well.
I still think LBT could have retained the rootsy elements in their music and remained relevant in the mainstream. In fact, one would think that during the height of the Mumford / Lumineers / pop-folk craze, the group’s earthy, roots-infused style could have even granted them greater marketability with young audiences.
Instead, however, the group decided to go full on pop (of course), sing mindless anthems about pontoon boats and alcohol indulgence, and wiggle their butts in flashing, futuristic, Tron-style robot costumes along with Ariana Grande on the CMA Awards.
Because that’s the way the country music works these days.
I still think the group has the potential to be a decent pop-country band, if only they stuck to their guns musically, and didn’t pander so much with the radio singles. Oh well.
March 25, 2015 @ 12:22 am
” ….., and this song has be heralded for being very well written in many corners. ………. song also offers a very stripped-down production, with this walking, blues-inspired guitar line offering the only significant instrumental clothing. If nothing else, it is a very interesting track for the mainstream world, especially since it has found some moderate success.”
Nailed it again Trigger !
Not particularly a fan of this band and THIS is NOT a country song by any measure whatsoever -but neither is LBT a country band by any measure so having established that – THIS is one very solid write . From the stripped -down 50’s -ish arrangement / chord progression to the 6/8 time signature, this IS a sonic anomaly on mainstream country radio .THIS is fresh on all fronts . No there are no trad instruments because as I said …LBT is not a country band .But THIS is what labels and country radio keeps saying they’re looking for from songwriters and never have the guts to cut or promote when it falls into their laps. Shame on anyone who condemns this lyric without listening to it from beginning to end .
I’m dumbfounded that the Kruise Kids and their shameless Sun Daze lyric is considered OK by radio and critics when its a derogatory pile of shit . I’m offended by DAY DRINKIN and DRINK IN MY HAND and DRUNK ON A PLANE and AIN’T WORTH THE WHISKY -songs that get undue airplay and attention considering the theme ….while an inoffensive song as well-crafted as GIRL CRUSH ( or FOLLOW YOUR ARROW , for that matter ) gets all this flack ??? Man , what a warped set of values .
LBT is a band with no character , no style ,and they seem to chase songs all over the map ( strawgraspers ) hoping to establish an identity but never seem to accomplish their mission . Girl Crush works for them because it would have worked for any number of female vocalists . LBT gets a few points from me for this one . But they are far from being in my good books based on the other shlocky crap they throw at us .
March 25, 2015 @ 5:11 am
wut do ya no. yall r way off bass on lil big town agin. lil big town are like the modern day abba of cuntry music. probly won of the most enovative bands in music period.
March 25, 2015 @ 8:30 am
I have to agree with Dale, the deliberate ambiguity in this song, the same ambiguity that has wrought the controversy, is pretty “enovative.” I’d even go so far as to call it “creative.”
March 25, 2015 @ 10:18 am
It’s a good song. I had to Google it to make sure it wasn’t a Shelby Lynne album cut the first time I heard it. Also 6/8 time!
March 25, 2015 @ 11:02 am
Of course it is a lesbo theme, that is why it is called “Girl Crush.”
Cashing in by selling out. Nothing new here.
March 28, 2015 @ 10:25 am
They know what they are doing Their time is bout up, I actually cant believe this band or group or whatever is still around.
March 25, 2015 @ 12:05 pm
I can’t help but wonder if the reaction to this song is somewhat generational, specifically turning on whether you’re used to the use of the phrase “girl crush” in pop culture parlance. Because if you are, then I can’t imagine you’d misinterpret the song.
Also, if you at least know of the 1992 movie Single White Female or know of the pop culture phrase “single white femaling” another person, then I also don’t think it’s likely you’d misinterpret the song.
I think this is a really compelling tune in the way it captures idly jealous-turned intense-turned creepy thoughts a person can have about another who has what (and who) she wants. We don’t hear about that much in country – I know Miranda Lambert had a single called “More Like Her” (about her triangle with Blake Shelton’s first wife), but “Girl Crush” is sensual whereas “More Like Her” is more emotional and resigned.
Of course this was going to run into radio resistance for the wrong reasons. The wrong reasons include, but are not limited to, misinterpretation of the lyrics (though if this *were* exclusively about lesbian urges, so what?), the tempo of the song, the fact that it’s sung by a female lead, etc. Sure, Little Big Town and its team may be drumming up the “controversial” angle for the sake of attention. But as I see it, it’s in the service of a greater good – opening up space at country radio for riskier, quality songs. As mentioned above, sales of the song are way, way ahead of airplay. “Girl Crush” is clearly a hit song, and to the degree country radio’s not playing it for the wrong reasons, I hope country radio continues to get called out for it.
March 25, 2015 @ 12:59 pm
As many know all too well around these here parts, I have long been fiercely critical of revenge fantasy songs from the several top females of the corporate country format, or else responding to the topic of infidelity from a “Hulk Smash!” mindset.
I’ve longed for more emotional nuance on this topic among the A and B-artists of this format. I genuinely don’t think that’s too much to ask for, even in this climate.
And that’s why I appreciate “Girl Crush” and consider it among the best singles in the Current Top 40 of the Country Airplay chart along with Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You”, Jake Owen’s “What We Ain’t Got”, Mickey Guyton’s “Better Than You Left Me” and Tim McGraw’s “Diamond Rings & Old Barstools” (I certainly hope Jana Kramer’s “I Got The Boy” keeps moving up because that is another fabulous, nuanced song). It broaches the same tired, rugged theme of infidelity…………but rather than approaching it in an unhinged flamethrower demolition derby fashion, it delves into other aspects of the grieving process: namely bargaining and depression. Add the obvious lyrical ambiguity, and it just stands out to me.
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At any rate, in spite of minimal airplay, this single has already set out to achieve beyond its wildest dreams.
Firstly, it is already halfway to Gold status in digital sales, and at a current peak on the all-genre composite chart (#27 at the moment). Sure, compared to where sales were even one year ago it seems insignificant. But let’s face it: Gold is the new Platinum in the Age of Streaming. When even format heavyweights like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean are really fighting to get secondary singles to Gold status as of late, “Girl Crush” is already towering head and shoulders above recent #1 hits like Jason Aldean’s “Just Gettin’ Started”, Florida Georgia Line’s “Sun Daze” and Blake Shelton’s “Lonely Tonight” in sales power.
Secondly, it’s drawing a LOT of enviable publicity in light of Bobby Bones’ vocal dismay over radio shrugging this off, the aforementioned several DJs refusing to play the song and swift responses of support from countless recording artists as Trigger specified. That will ensure the broader longevity for this single so it holds up better than most chart rivals on the iTunes chart.
Finally, especially considering the album, “Pain Killer”, opened pitifully last autumn (I argued at the time that Little Big Town probably deserve to be considered one of the Losers of 2015 more than Brad Paisley because the latter was already coming off of a considerable commercial decline with “Wheelhouse” and had actually fared better with airplay this time around, while Little Big Town has had more to lose from “Tornado” to “Pain Killer”)…………..this opens up a window of opportunity for the otherwise slumping era to achieve a second wind, and make a bid for industry recognition including at the Grammys. The intense hype this single is enjoying may also revitalize enthusiasm for them at radio with the title track or “Quit Breaking Up With Me”.
Little Big Town sure looked washed up by the end of 2014 between opening week sales registering less than half of what “Tornado” sold in its opening week, the yawn-inducing commercial performance of “Day Drinking” and their much-mocked “Little Big Tron” performance with Ariana Grande. But, it looks like they’ve got their groove back and will get the last laughs in 2015.
March 25, 2015 @ 6:39 pm
I agree that generational differences are probably a factor here, as I would presume that older listeners are less familiar with the context of the “girl crush” phrase as it is used in pop culture, but I’m also not sure that this song uses the phrase in the same way it is commonly used. It seems to me that when women talk about having a “girl crush,” it typically denotes a kind of lighthearted, platonic affection or admiration for another woman. Emphasis on “lighthearted.” This song uses the phrase in the context of a burning, palpable jealousy, which gives it a different sort of psychosexual connotation in my opinion. That’s not a criticism – I think this twist makes the song more interesting, but I also think Little Big Town knew exactly what they were doing when they released this song. Actually, the first time I heard “Girl Crush”, or even saw the title, it immediately struck me as a purposeful (one might even say contrived) attempt to generate buzz by courting mild controversy, and that is exactly what they have done. I also agree that, as I beleive Trigger stated, part of the problem may be that this song requires close listening to interpret, and most people don’t pay close attention to anything these days, which may be part of why the lyrical content of mainstream country and pop songs is frequently so poor in the first place. Finally, there probably is a certain segment of the country radio audience that is going to be uncomfortable with lyrics about a woman wanting to taste another woman’s lips regardless of the context. However, a lot of the current media buzz about the “controversy” surrounding this song seems phone to me.
March 25, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
Phony, even.
March 25, 2015 @ 6:49 pm
The thing that makes this a little more complicated to me is that Little Big Town have had a real erratic chart history with some big hits which will then be followed up by songs that don’t even crack the top 40. It’s not like they are some kind of hit making machine so when one of there singles doesn’t exactly catch on it doesn’t mean there is some sinister undercurrent at work.
As for the song itself I think it’s OK and is kind of clever but like you said it’s hard to imagine that they didn’t know that this would raise some eyebrows.
March 25, 2015 @ 8:07 pm
I love Little Big Town and country radio has never been fair to them. They can out sing any group out there and have had to prove it over and over. Give them a break.
March 26, 2015 @ 9:28 am
Donna ..I think LBT’s ‘respect’ issue , as you point out , is two-fold .
The group lacks a vocal focus …that ONE person or sound ( like Antebellum , for instance ) that identifies a band no matter the song . And they lack focus in the songs themselves .The band doesn’t seem to know who they are and they are all over the map material-wise . I don’t think this shows integrity or builds cred . Yes …you could argue that Lady A is all over the song map too ….but they have that vocal identity , at least . LBT is a bit faceless in that department , I think . Unfortunately ( and ironically ) when all radio wants is ‘hot’ guy singers, LBT has two guys who are never featured and most folks wouldn’t know in the grocery store .
Unless you’re the Beatles , ‘four’ doesn’t seem to be such a magic number in these times .
March 25, 2015 @ 1:00 pm
Very insightful. I like the song for lots of reasons. I mainly like it because it is the first LBT song that I have liked in years. I don’t think it is a country song. But I enjoy the jealousy factor of it. I agree with JoshuaR. – I see the point of view of the song. Now the song would be interesting if both a female and a male were singing it together. It would be more interesting if just a man was singing it. But in the end it is stepchild of “Jolene”- which manages to be a masterpiece, imply some gay tendencies, and still highlight Dolly’s great voice and songwriting skills. And it only took one woman to write it.
March 25, 2015 @ 1:23 pm
I have a soft spot for Little Big Town. I think their brand of country pop is really damn good and I want to see what else they can come up with. I think they’re all talented and have been a big fan since A Place To Land. So, as long as they make good music, period, I wish them continued success because I want more people to know about this band.
March 25, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
Lori McKenna posted this on her instagram “It’s a shame but not surprising that people hear but don’t listen. After all, this is a country where millions think that “Born in the USA” is a flag-waving anthem and even use it at political rallies when really the song is about how poorly this country treats its vets”.
I can’t believe anyone listened to that song and thought it was about lesbians. I love the song.
March 25, 2015 @ 2:54 pm
What?!!! You mean after all this time, you mean to tell me that Bruce Springsteen song is…………..(gulp)………………NOT aout how awesome America is?!!!
HULK SMASH!!!
😉
March 25, 2015 @ 3:07 pm
I can’t blame listeners for misunderstanding “Born in the USA”. Great song, but the vocals are so obscure and the instrumentation so loud that the lyrics are difficult to discern.
March 25, 2015 @ 2:14 pm
I would love to see the radio stations give the idiot listeners the finger.
March 25, 2015 @ 4:15 pm
…the lyrics you quoted are exactly why it makes no sense that people think it’s about LGBT stuff. The line “Because she tastes like you” eliminates any ambiguity in the song.
March 25, 2015 @ 4:17 pm
Not really. It could be a bisexual fantasy as well, in which the narrator wants to “taste” both the man and the other woman.
March 25, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
No, she wants to taste the woman’s lips because she tastes like him. That’s literally what the song (which is constructed as an inner monologue) says.
March 25, 2015 @ 4:49 pm
Yes, but a heterosexual woman would not want to taste another woman’s lips at all. This particular fantasy strongly suggests bisexuality.
March 25, 2015 @ 5:26 pm
This woman says no, it doesn’t.
March 26, 2015 @ 5:01 pm
It’s just a metaphor for jealousy. Why do we have to assume anything about bisexuality?
March 25, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
Playing devils advocate here…
I do think a few people have complained, but I think what’s really going on here is, dj’s, bloggers, ect are using these “hoards” of mystery complainers as a chance to get up on their “I’m so liberal and love gay people” soap boxes and get a bit of free exposure and extra clicks on their sites. I’ve read about 3 too many blogs today that all basically say “I’ve held my tongue as long as I could… So what if it is about being a lesbian… So many of you are complaining to me…” BUT I have yet to see a screen shot of a tweet or a fb comment complaining about the song, a copy of an email, a link to a comment section, whatever. The only thing worse than a bigot is someone that uses a real issue to further their popularity.
March 25, 2015 @ 4:22 pm
BTW, I am not including you in the bunch and after I posted this, saw that you tweeted something similar.
March 25, 2015 @ 6:17 pm
There is a gay agenda in this country and country music is not immune to it
March 25, 2015 @ 6:49 pm
I think that is indisputably true, in the sense that anyone who is interested in promoting something, such as the acceptance of a particular point of view, has an agenda.
For example, I wish country radio programmers had a country agenda.
March 27, 2015 @ 4:02 am
Yeah! Them thur gays won’t stop until they make every last state in the US of A stop forcing them to pay higher taxes than straight couples!
The monsters!
March 25, 2015 @ 9:15 pm
I think Little Big Town might be trying to neutralize a perceived weakness: that they’re boring. I also think they might be trying too hard here.
March 25, 2015 @ 10:34 pm
Does everyone call these days? No complaint emails to post online? Bro-country lyrics are worse. How many complaint calls do stations get about those because we’ve seen many complaints about them online, even on the mainstream country sites? Is anyone complaining about Girl Crush online?
March 27, 2015 @ 2:14 am
News Report: “Country Music Fans Really Don’t Like Gay People”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM210vIoWr8
Geez Louise.
Right off the bat with the incredibly biased click-bait title.
Apparently, the source for this piece of “news” is the recent Washington Post story discussing the complaints allegedly flooding radio stations over “Girl Crush.” People also can’t seem to resist dredging up the old Dixie Chicks incident from 2003, despite the fact that the current country radio landscape is vastly different now that it was 12 years ago.
Anyway, the chatter in the comment sections, both on the video and the original
Washington Post article, are both stupefyingly ignorant and deeply depressing, though I guess that’s to be expected, especially considering that Youtube comment sections are generally soul-sucking quagmires of stupidity. But to hear people talk, you would think that country music as a genre is literally incompatible with intelligence or open-mindedness of any kind, and that country award shows literally commence with a fundamentalist snake-handling ceremony in which Blake Shelton burns a homosexual in effigy. People also really need to update their stereotypes about the genre. Tobacco chewin’, gun-totin’, and Hee Haw-style style references? Hey, if that were the demographic that country radio programmers were actually pursuing, the music might be at least be a little more lively.
The point is, I would never dream of making the kind of harsh, sweeping generalizations people make about country music and its audienceabout the fanbases of other genres, including those genres I dislike.
March 27, 2015 @ 2:18 am
And by the way, speaking of “Single White Female,” which, in addition to being the name of a movie about a disturbed woman with a rather serious “Girl Crush,” is also the title of Cheryl Wright’s only number one Billboard hit.
I happened to recall recently that Cheryl has a new album in the works, which should be released sometime soon. I can’t wait until she releases it, then starts complaining about how she’s being “shunned” by country radio, despite the fact that she hasn’t had a major hit in a decade and a half. I’m sure the media will eat it up, and we will get another nice round of articles, videos, and blog posts about how country music fans are homophobes.
March 28, 2015 @ 10:27 am
No, country music fans, mostly conservatives, dont like the gay agenda, that is being placed on them. Difference.
March 28, 2015 @ 11:35 pm
I hear what you are saying. I believe that straight and gay people should have the freedom to make their own decisions about relationships and marriage, and that the government should get out of the way. I voted against California’s Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in 2008. I was opposed to the federal Defense of Marriage Act when Bill Clinton signed it in the 1990s.
But there is a difference between believing that gays should have the right to choose to get married, and being pressured to celebrate gay culture and/or having the gay agenda forced on us. I support the former, yet I resent the latter. And I expect and hope that music artists that try to push the gay agenda on country music fans will see their commercial success fall short of their aspirations.
March 29, 2015 @ 12:53 am
Admit it, Adrian, you’re a libertarian, not a conservative 😉
The Bay Area is so socially liberal that a majority of the Republican voters in the region lean socially liberal.
May 18, 2015 @ 9:46 pm
My big irritation with this song is that it’s equating attraction between two women to jealousy and competition for another man’s affection. Maybe if the title of the god damn song itself weren’t “Girl Crush” I’d be a little less irritated, but honestly. If you’re going to write a song about how much you want to smooch a girl, the song better damn well be about wanting to smooch her because you like her, not because you think in some weird convoluted way it’ll get Some Guy’s attention. But, hey, what do I know. We live in an almost aggressively heteronormative society, I honestly shouldn’t be surprised by queerbaiting in country music whether it’s intentional or not.
July 13, 2015 @ 11:45 am
The band, the songwriters, and the publicists for this group knew exactly what they were doing with this ambiguous ‘song’..Mass appeal equals more money.