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.
Sierra
Maddie & Tae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About that girl and her million-dollar face
But beauty only gets you so far
A heart of pure gold is something very rare
And the only one she has is on that necklace that she wears
Acts like she's some kind of movie star
Ooh, it might be not be Christian
To be wishing what I'm wishing
Sierra, Sierra
Girl, let me tell ya
One day, you might need those friends that you ditched
Sierra, Sierra
Life ain't all tiaras
You're gonna find out that karma's a
To tell the truth, I ain't even mad
'Cause I know the universe is gonna get you back
All I have to do is bite my tongue
Ooh, I hope that I'm around when
You get knocked up or knocked down
Sierra, Sierra
Girl, let me tell ya
You can't break boys' hearts like you're flipping a switch
Sierra, Sierra
Life ain't all tiaras
You're gonna find out that karma's a
Big pain in the, as far as I can tell
Yours is adding up fast
Sierra, Sierra
Girl, let me tell ya
That high horse you're riding can buck you off quick
Sierra, Sierra
Life ain't all tiaras
You're gonna find out that karma's a
Pardon my French, but karma's a (Mhmm)
I said karma's a
Oh Sierra
The song Sierra by Maddie & Tae is a powerful commentary on the dangers of beauty culture and the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. The song addresses a specific individual named Sierra who the singer finds shallow and insincere. While she acknowledges that Sierra has a beautiful face, she also understands that beauty can only take someone so far. The real value lies in having a good heart and treating others with compassion.
The song suggests that Sierra is obsessed with her appearance and believes she is something of a movie star because of her beauty. However, the singer notes that acting like a celebrity is not necessarily a positive thing, and can actually be damaging to one's character. The lyrics suggest that Sierra has ditched friends and broken boys' hearts without a care, and that her actions will likely come back to haunt her in the form of bad karma.
The song's message is clear: beauty is not everything, and treating others well is the key to living a happy and fulfilling life. Through its criticism of superficial beauty culture and praise for inner goodness, Sierra encourages listeners to value themselves and others in a positive and meaningful way.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I had something nice to say
I don't like Sierra and don't have anything nice to say about her
About that girl and her million-dollar face
Sierra is pretty, but that's all there is to her
But beauty only gets you so far
Looks are not everything and won't take you everywhere
A heart of pure gold is something very rare
Being kind and genuine is not something Sierra has
And the only one she has is on that necklace that she wears
The only good thing about her is her necklace
Acts like she's some kind of movie star
She has a big ego and thinks she's better than everyone else
Ooh, it might not be Christian
It's not very nice or moral to wish bad things on someone
To be wishing what I'm wishing
I don't want to admit that I'm wishing bad things on her
Sierra, Sierra
Calling out to Sierra
Girl, let me tell ya
I have something to tell you
One day, you might need those friends that you ditched
Don't be surprised when the friends you ignore no longer want to be around you
Life ain't all tiaras
Life is not always perfect and glamorous
You're gonna find out that karma's a
You will soon realize that what goes around comes around
To tell the truth, I ain't even mad
I'm not angry, I just want her to know that her actions have consequences
'Cause I know the universe is gonna get you back
I believe that no one can escape the consequences of their actions
All I have to do is bite my tongue
I don't need to say anything mean or hurtful, karma will handle it
Ooh, I hope that I'm around when
I want to witness when Sierra's bad behavior catches up with her
You get knocked up or knocked down
I hope she gets a taste of her own medicine and gets knocked down a peg
You can't break boys' hearts like you're flipping a switch
It's not okay to play with people's emotions like she does
Big pain in the, as far as I can tell
Sierra is not a pleasant person to be around
Yours is adding up fast
Her negative actions are accumulating and will catch up to her soon
That high horse you're riding can buck you off quick
She thinks she's better than everyone else, but soon reality will set in
Pardon my French, but karma's a (Mhmm)
I apologize for the language, but karma is a bitch
I said karma's a
Reiterating that karma is the ultimate judge
Oh Sierra
Calling out to Sierra one last time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Taylor Elizabeth Dye, Maddie Marlow, Aaron Scherz
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alainahuesman6105
"oooh, i hope that im around when you get knocked up or get knocked down" ❤
@percyoliver8415
"Sierra, Sierra, you"re gonna find out that Karma's a-" LOVE IT
@chantellecollogan727
Me 2
@jarradpearman
when she laughs as she says "girl let me tell ya". I can't help but smile.
@shannoncrosby7665
She was clearly happy to produce this song!
@imapotato4750
So true
@karisapustka06
Same
@sethgraham5508
I really hope they make a music video for SIERRA.
@leoyori9829
Seth Graham ikr
@Beeftoes
As Sierra I take this song as a warning ❤