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.
Watermelon Sugar
Maddie & Tae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a summer evening
And it sounds just like a song
I want more berries
And that summer feeling
It's so wonderful and warm
Breathe me in
Breathe me out
I'm just thinking out loud
I don't know if I could ever go without
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar
Strawberries
On a summer evening
Baby, you're the end of June
I want your belly
And that summer feeling
Getting washed away in you
Breathe me in
Breathe me out
I don't know if I could ever go without
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar
I just wanna taste it
I just wanna taste it
Watermelon sugar high
Tastes like strawberries
On a summer evening
And it sounds just like a song
I want your belly
And that summer feeling
I don't know if I could ever go without
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon sugar
I just wanna taste it
I just wanna taste it
Watermelon sugar high
I just wanna taste it
I just wanna taste it
Watermelon sugar high
Watermelon Sugar
This song by Maddie & Tae is a perfect ode to summertime bliss, where everything is sweet, colorful, and carefree. The lyrics are simple but very evocative, as they describe the taste of strawberries on a summer night, which is like a melody that fills the air. The singer craves more of the same experience and feeling, which is akin to a natural high that elevates her senses and emotions. She surrenders to this feeling and becomes one with it, breathing it in and out, unable to imagine life without it. The chorus repeats the phrase "Watermelon Sugar High", which is a metaphor for this feeling of ecstasy, as watermelon is also a juicy and refreshing fruit that is very popular in the summer.
The second verse introduces a romantic element, as the singer addresses a lover, who is the "end of June", which is usually considered the peak of summer. She wants to taste his "belly" and feel that same summer feeling, which is like being washed away in a wave of pleasure. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the addictive quality of this sensation, which is like a drug that the singer cannot get enough of. The song ends with a final repetition of the chorus, as the singer expresses her desire to taste the watermelon sugar high again and again.
Overall, this song is a playful and sensual celebration of the joys of summer, love, and pleasure. It captures the essence of a hot summer night spent with friends or a romantic partner, where the air is filled with the scent of fruits and flowers, and the world is a vibrant and colorful playground. Maddie & Tae's vocals are charming and upbeat, matched by the catchy melody and playful lyrics, making it a perfect anthem for the summer season.
Line by Line Meaning
Tastes like strawberries
The taste of this experience is sweet and enjoyable
On a summer evening
This experience is reminiscent of a warm summer night
And it sounds just like a song
This experience is so perfect it could be a piece of music
I want more berries
I desire more of this enjoyable experience
And that summer feeling
I desire the warmth and happiness associated with summer
It's so wonderful and warm
This experience is extremely enjoyable and comforting
Breathe me in
I want to be fully immersed in this experience
Breathe me out
I am completely absorbed in this experience
I don't know if I could ever go without
I am so attached to this experience that I cannot imagine life without it
I'm just thinking out loud
I am expressing my thoughts openly without any particular intention
Watermelon sugar high
This delightful experience is like a rush of sweetness that makes me feel alive
Strawberries
This experience is delightful and enjoyable
Baby, you're the end of June
Your presence represents the end of a period and the beginning of something new
I want your belly
I desire to be intimately connected with you
Getting washed away in you
I want your love to completely overpower me
I just wanna taste it
I desire to fully experience this pleasurable sensation
Watermelon Sugar
This delightful experience is sweet and refreshing like the taste of watermelon
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Harry Edward Styles, Mitchell Kristopher Rowland, Thomas Edward Percy Hull, Tyler Sam Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind