Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye never intended to hit a nerve when they sat down on St. Patricks Day and wrote “Girl In A Country Song.” Merely expressing their own reaction to the reductive tilt of today’s BroCountry, the pair and co-writer Aaron Schwerz shamelessly skewered its Xeroxed stereotypes; “Girl” was as much a lark as it was ever “meaningful social commentary.”
Yet the response was so instant and intense, there was no denying it. NPR’s “All Things Considered” cited Maddie & Tae for “turning heads in different ways with their very first single,” Rolling Stone cited them as one of “10 New Artists You Need to Know” and David Letterman couldn’t get the plucky duo to New York fast enough. Even elevated cultural think-tank The Atlantic marveled, “Cheekily appropriating much of the sound of modern country, the two young women directly quote well-known bro-country lyrics and titles…”
No one was more surprised than the natives of Sugar Land, Texas and Ada, Oklahoma. Still in the studio tracking overdubs for “Girl,” they signed their record deal before Dan Huff had even finished four sides on the sunshine’n’moxie pair.
“We wanted to go at it from a girl’s perspective, and we wanted to put ourselves in the shoes of this girl,” says Dye. “You know, how does she feel wearing those cut-off shorts, sitting on the tailgate?”
“Boys, we love you, we want to look good, but it’s not all we’re good for,” Marlow cautions with a laugh. “We are girls with something to say. We were brought up to know how we should be treated.”
Simple as that. But there’s so much more to Maddie & Tae than the song that is either a feminist declaration, an echo of Janet Jackson’s rebuke “I’ve got a name, and it ain’t ‘Baby’,” or this year’s feel-good finger-wag to dumb boys. NPR’s lead pop critic Ann Powers agrees, “Maddie and Tae are more. They’re songwriters, powerful harmonizers, and in the video for ‘Girl In A Country Song,’ natural comediennes.”
One listen to their self-titled EP shows that. The reeling mean-girl send-up “Sierra,” with its bending steel and trotting acoustic guitar, boasts harmonies that turn in on each other and the kind of truth that’s hilarious and straight-up.
“There was this beauty-queen bully from high school who sent my friends and I home in tears plenty of times,” Marlow explains. “In order to get over it, I had to write a song. So I brought the idea of ‘Sierra,’ and started singing, ‘I wish I had something nice to say…’
“Tae and our co-writer Aaron Scherz lit up and ran with it.”
Any one who’s suffered through and survived high school can relate. But the ability to rhyme “Sierra, Sierra, life ain’t all tiaras…” and taking the rejoinder “you’re gonna find out karma’s a…” to the brink is what sets these two late teenagers apart.
Effervescent and savoring every moment, Maddie & Tae laugh when they lean into the cautionary “That high horse you’re riding… can buck you off clean,” then let their harmonies swoop free and high on the outro.
Like a lot of young women, Maddie & Tae grew up on the Dixie Chicks’ full-tilt acoustica. Both dreamers who knew what they wanted early, the pair met at 15 through their vocal coach and came to Nashville for “a summer camp publishing deal.” They met Big Machine’s SVP of A&R Allison Jones – and fate stepped in.
As Tae recalls, “She said, ‘If you really want to pursue this, you will need to move to Nashville.’ I knew that was what I wanted, but moving to Nashville also meant I had to figure out how to graduate from high school early, and Maddie had to turn down college.”
In 2013, it was decided. The pair relocated – and never looked back. Publishing deal in hand, they were immersed in creativity, seeking a voice that was both authentic and truly their own. Like Taylor Swift, the duo knew by speaking their truth, their uniqueness would set them apart.
As Marlow told Rolling Stone Country, “Our whole project revolves around keeping it real and being honest. We didn’t filter anything, because we felt like when it comes from an honest place, the truth will resonate so much better. The thing about Taylor, everything is real and relevant to what she’s going through, and that’s why people connect with her.”
Listening to the double harmonies over an acoustic guitar hope-strung-over-doubt mid-tempo “Fly,” Maddie & Tae’s conviction is evident. Will what’s been built be betrayed? How do you keep the faith when you’re so unsure? Where is the courage to maintain your place when you’re afraid of the outcome?
Not since “Wide Open Spaces” has an act embraced the will to grow so unabashedly. In perfect synchronization, Maddie & Tae sing, “Keep on climbing, though the ground might shake, keep on reaching through the limb might break/ we’ve come this far, don’t be scared now ‘Cause you can learn to fly on the way down…”
It’s the sort of song that empowers people wherever they are in life, whatever challenge they may be encountering. Yes, it is about coming of age, but it’s also facing the things that scare you – and having the faith to transcend.
“’Fly’ hits home every time we listen to it,” Dye offers. “We really wanted to write a song that was, ‘You may not have anything figured out, but it doesn’t matter.’”
Indeed. Townes Van Zant wrote, “To live is to fly…” For Maddie & Tae, their wings are in the music. What they feel, how they live, what they dream – this is where they rise. One need only listen to the tumbledown hoedown “Your Side of Town,” that’s all high jinx and higher spirits as the pair warn off a no-good man for the last time, to understand.
Even in the hardcore throw-down, all bucking backbeat and bee-sting guitar, there is a romp and a plucky audacity that shows these young ladies have no interest in letting anything break their spirits. Just as importantly, they fear no fiddles, no banjos, no steel guitars, even as they have bulked up drums that crash and guitars that slash and sting like the big boys.
While Rolling Stone observed, “Cheekily appropriating much of the sound of modern country,” there is so much more to Maddie & Tae than that. Independent thinkers, strong livers, hardcore dreamers, the pair are reaching for the sky – and winking at us all while they do it.
Sometimes, it’s the freshest faces and brightest sounds that pull us in. For Maddie & Tae, who embrace real country, it’s that merge of what’s right now and what they love that sets them apart/captures our imaginations in the best possible way.
Girl in a Country Song
Maddie & Tae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is only a test)
Well, I wish I had some shoes
On my two bare feet
And it's getting kinda cold
In these painted on cut-off jeans
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Yeah, baby
I hear you over there
On your tailgate whistlin'
Sayin', "Hey, Girl"
But you know I ain't listenin'
'Cause I got a name
And to you, it ain't "pretty little thing"
"Honey", or "baby", yeah
It's driving me red-red-red-red-red-red-redneck crazy
Being the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong
Like all we're good for is lookin' good for
You and your friends on the weekend, nothin' more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck
Keep our mouths shut, and ride along
And be the girl in a country song
Well, shakin' my moneymaker
Ain't never made me a dime
And there ain't no sugar for you
In this shaker of mine
Tell me one more time
You gotta get you some of that
Sure, I'll slide on over
But you're gonna get slapped
Ha, these days, it ain't easy bein' that
Girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong
Like all we're good for is lookin' good for
You and your friends on the weekend, nothin' more
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck
Keep our mouths shut, and ride along
And be the girl in a country song
Yep, yep, yeah, baby
Aw, naw, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
All y'all, we ain't a cliche
That ain't no way
To treat a lady
Like a girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong
Like all we're good for is lookin' good for
You and your friends on the weekend, nothin' more
Whoa! We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck
Keep our mouths shut, and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don't even want to be on
And be the girl in a country song
Yeah, baby
I ain't your tan-legged Juliet
Can I put on some real clothes now?
Aw, naw
The song "Girl In A Country Song" by Maddie & Tae is a satirical response to the typical representation of women in country music. The lyrics describe the frustration and discomfort of being objectified and reduced to nothing more than a pretty face or a body to be admired. The singer of the song wishes she had shoes on her feet and real clothes to wear instead of being forced to wear a bikini top and cutoff jeans. She takes issue with being addressed in derogatory terms such as "pretty little thing," "honey," or "baby" by men who view her as nothing more than an object.
The chorus of the song asks how it went so wrong for women to be reduced to objects for the entertainment of men. They used to be respected, but now they're lucky if they're even allowed to ride along in a truck and keep their mouths shut. The lyrics reference famous country singers such as Conway Twitty and George Strait to suggest that these men never treated women this way in their songs. The song is a critique of the country music industry and the male-dominated culture that often objectifies women.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I wish I had some shoes
On my two bare feet
I wish I had appropriate footwear for this setting
And it's getting kinda cold
In these painted on cut-off jeans
I am feeling cold because my clothing is not practical
I hate the way this bikini top chafes
Do I really have to wear it all day
I am uncomfortable with this clothing item and wish to remove it
Yeah, baby
General expression of exasperation and frustration
I hear you over there
On your tailgate whistlin'
I am aware of you but do not wish to interact
Sayin', "Hey, Girl"
But you know I ain't listenin'
You have addressed me in a disrespectful and generic manner
'Cause I got a name
And to you, it ain't "pretty little thing"
"Honey", or "baby", yeah
I am an individual deserving of respect and acknowledgement, not generic and belittling pet names
It's driving me red-red-red-red-red-red-redneck crazy
Your behavior is frustrating and stereotypical
Being the girl in a country song
How in the world did it go so wrong
Like all we're good for is lookin' good for
You and your friends on the weekend, nothin' more
Society has reduced women to mere objects of visual appeal, with no value beyond that
We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck
Keep our mouths shut, and ride along
And be the girl in a country song
Women have lost the respect they once had, and now are forced to be silent and submissive
Well, shakin' my moneymaker
Ain't never made me a dime
And there ain't no sugar for you
In this shaker of mine
My appearance and actions do not exist solely for your pleasure or monetary gain
Tell me one more time
You gotta get you some of that
Sure, I'll slide on over
But you're gonna get slapped
Ha, these days, it ain't easy bein' that
Your repeated attempts to objectify me are unwanted and will not be tolerated
Yep, yep, yeah, baby
Reaffirming previous statement with emphasis
Aw, naw, Conway and George Strait
Never did it this way
Back in the old days
All y'all, we ain't a cliche
That ain't no way
To treat a lady
Historically, country music treated women with more respect and dignity, and the current behavior is unacceptable
Whoa! We used to get a little respect
Now we're lucky if we even get
To climb up in your truck
Keep our mouths shut, and ride along
Down some old dirt road we don't even want to be on
And be the girl in a country song
Women are trapped in a cycle of objectification and disrespect, with no real agency or autonomy
I ain't your tan-legged Juliet
Can I put on some real clothes now?
Aw, naw
I am not the romanticized and subservient figure you desire, and I am not complying with your expectations
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Aaron Scherz, Maddie Marlow, Taylor Elizabeth Dye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
April Cutler
CassCountyCountry ... Why such beautiful language there buddy... I think there are lots of great country songs out there on the radio... .... Funny ones, heartfelt, emotional, and they are written excellently....But painted on jeans, bikini tops, cut off shorts, long tan legs..... That's what these girls are addressing and tired of hearing about... The way in which these lyrics address "woman" is being addressed in the song above.... There is so much more to a woman than those several words..... and better ways to respectfully describe a woman....
I love country music and everyone's entitled to there opinion.. Personally I like hearing a song like Blake Sheltons ... My eyes... He's admiring a woman with respectful descriptions.....
Or I Don't a Dance by Lee Brice.. or Who I Am With You by Chris Young... lots of excellent country songs.. but that's my opinion
This song by Maddie and Tae is funny because it just shows the girls perspective of how's she's viewed in lots of country songs...,
which is a long legged tan chick in a bikini top and daisy dukes.....
you don't have to agree with me but your wording above is a little much...
Ari Marie
I love the fact that some young women can come into the country scene and completely diss the music written by a majority of more popular artists. This song is amazing.
Ink and Poet
And the best part is that this was their first #1 single.
brittany salce
Ok on
Joshua Garner
More like women making oppression up for brownie points
Southern Star
@Joshua Garner no one said it was oppression dude😂bro country is just annoying and unless you’re basic (boys or girls)
Alex Woodward
@Joshua Garner they’re not ‘making it up’ they’re explicitly referencing and denouncing a bunch of specific country songs. Boys round here has the same ‘red red red red red neck’ line and when they say ‘tan legged Juliet’ it’s a reference to my kinda party by Jason aldean. Not sure how you can say they’re making it up when those are real songs
Jake Butler
Yes, the music video is great and hilarious and all that, but the MESSAGE that this song sends is loud and clear. These women called out the bullshit of bro-country. I have so much respect for people standing up for stuff like this.
Elizabeth Moeller
Lzzieggggg
Calla Nightshade
Dude I live in the country and actually I dated a guy who wanted me to be the girl in a country song. That only lasted three weeks cause I ain't like that. I don't even wear make-up and I'm not about to start for some guy
Kim Fowler
Same