Little big town radio
Little big town radio, Country music quartet Little Big Town has come under fire for the song Girl Crush, which some listeners have misinterpreted as being about a lesbian relationship.
The single, released on Dec. 15, has surged again since the band posted a video with the lyrics.In hindsight, Little Big Town guitarist Jimi Westbrook concedes, "The title is definitely provocative, as is the setup for the hook. You lean in in and wonder, 'What's this about?' But in the next line, it turns: Maybe then you'd want me just as much."
Listen long enough and you realize the song is told from the perspective of a jilted woman who's jealous of her ex's new girlfriend, reasoning that if she were more like that woman, she'd get him back.
Still, it was enough enough to set off a vocal minority of listeners who registered their complaints to radio stations upon hearing it.
"To hear that people were misinterpreting it was a little funny," says Westbrook, calling from rehearsal for the Sioux City stop of the band's Painkiller tour. "I was like, 'You didn't even listen past what you thought was offensive!' There are people who just like to complain and the moment they get to the part they can complain about it, they don't go any further. I hate it, but there's nothing you can do about it. People are the way they are and God bless 'em."
The protests have cost the song some radio exposure.
"At one point, the radio department at Universal was getting enough complaints that they felt the need to warn us about it," recalls the band's manager, Jason Owen. "We had a song that was sitting down in the 30s on the radio charts yet was selling in the top five on iTunes. That never happens."
So, in order to combat the confusion about the song, Owen sent the band on a little explanation tour, booking them on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "Then the eyeballs started connecting the dots. We saw an immediate positive reaction with fans and on the radio after that."
Girl Crush is holding steady at No. 32 on USA TODAY's Country Airplay chart after 12 weeks. It gained 94 spins, or airings, this week. The net effect: While the track is not losing airplay, it is taking longer to gain it. Four radio stations reduced the number of spins for Girl Crush last week by at least six, while 11 others moved it up in their rotation by six or more.
Owen adds, "The minute that first lick of Girl Crush begins in a live setting, it plays like it's been one of their hits for 15 years. That rarely happens and when you know all those things, you know this is going to be a monster."
Westbrook says he's been touched by the support he's seen both in the country scene and beyond. "I can't stay off Twitter. Radio stations have been posting photos of themselves in their Girl Crush hats. Pop stations are spinning it out of curiosity. The great thing is that whatever brought people to listen to the song, they're connecting with it."
Taking the whole story into consideration, he surmises: "Maybe the takeaway here is that if you love something, you should speak up about it more. Because if you don't, the voice of the person complaining will be louder than yours."
The single, released on Dec. 15, has surged again since the band posted a video with the lyrics.In hindsight, Little Big Town guitarist Jimi Westbrook concedes, "The title is definitely provocative, as is the setup for the hook. You lean in in and wonder, 'What's this about?' But in the next line, it turns: Maybe then you'd want me just as much."
Listen long enough and you realize the song is told from the perspective of a jilted woman who's jealous of her ex's new girlfriend, reasoning that if she were more like that woman, she'd get him back.
Still, it was enough enough to set off a vocal minority of listeners who registered their complaints to radio stations upon hearing it.
"To hear that people were misinterpreting it was a little funny," says Westbrook, calling from rehearsal for the Sioux City stop of the band's Painkiller tour. "I was like, 'You didn't even listen past what you thought was offensive!' There are people who just like to complain and the moment they get to the part they can complain about it, they don't go any further. I hate it, but there's nothing you can do about it. People are the way they are and God bless 'em."
The protests have cost the song some radio exposure.
"At one point, the radio department at Universal was getting enough complaints that they felt the need to warn us about it," recalls the band's manager, Jason Owen. "We had a song that was sitting down in the 30s on the radio charts yet was selling in the top five on iTunes. That never happens."
So, in order to combat the confusion about the song, Owen sent the band on a little explanation tour, booking them on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "Then the eyeballs started connecting the dots. We saw an immediate positive reaction with fans and on the radio after that."
Girl Crush is holding steady at No. 32 on USA TODAY's Country Airplay chart after 12 weeks. It gained 94 spins, or airings, this week. The net effect: While the track is not losing airplay, it is taking longer to gain it. Four radio stations reduced the number of spins for Girl Crush last week by at least six, while 11 others moved it up in their rotation by six or more.
Owen adds, "The minute that first lick of Girl Crush begins in a live setting, it plays like it's been one of their hits for 15 years. That rarely happens and when you know all those things, you know this is going to be a monster."
Westbrook says he's been touched by the support he's seen both in the country scene and beyond. "I can't stay off Twitter. Radio stations have been posting photos of themselves in their Girl Crush hats. Pop stations are spinning it out of curiosity. The great thing is that whatever brought people to listen to the song, they're connecting with it."
Taking the whole story into consideration, he surmises: "Maybe the takeaway here is that if you love something, you should speak up about it more. Because if you don't, the voice of the person complaining will be louder than yours."
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Little big town radio
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