Too Lesbian for Country Radio?

As I checked Facebook for the millionth time today, I saw two topics that really interested me. The first was that The Walking Dead now has a spinoff show called Fear the Walking Dead set to premiere sometime in the summer, while The Walking Dead is in between seasons. The second topic of interest was about the Little Big Town song “Girl Crush”.

People in Idaho, and I imagine elsewhere, were demanding “Girl Crush” not be played on the radio, because “the lyrics promote the gay agenda”. As I read the article, I couldn’t help but think of the close-mindedness of my fellow country music listeners. And the second thought in my head? Were these people even listening to the lyrics? I can understand if people were using their selective hearing and thought it was about a lesbian romance. However, if you actually listen to the song you should be able to tell that it is about a jealous woman who wishes, essentially, that she was the woman her ex now loves. “I want to drown myself in a bottle of her perfume” is not because the narrator of the song wants to be with said woman, but because the ex likes this woman and perhaps if the narrator smelled like this woman the ex might like her more. That’s why the lyrics, “yeah ‘cuz maybe then you’d want me just as much” make sense. If the song were about lesbians, that line would not make sense.  I, myself, enjoy the way Charlie Worsham words his opinion on the situation:

girl crushExcuse me if this sounds rant-y, but it is 2015. Why do people have to complain every time they hear something they do not like? Why are people so easy to offend? Let’s look at more components to this little ordeal. The song was written by three women Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey. I can’t think of any other song out right now that has this much girl power backing it. Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild said this back in December, “there are not many women on the radio and not many ballads with that kind of lyrical content. I’m excited.” Is this song facing backlash just because it is “about pushing the gay agenda” or is it just too “sexy” for some people.

The song is currently ranked 17th on the Country Billboard charts. I would think it would be ranked lower had it actually been about lesbian lovers just due to how conservative the country music audience tends to be, but who knows. On the reverse of this argument, I do understand why the radio stations are complying with these demands for the song to not be played. The radio needs to have listeners to make money. If one song keeps the audience from listening, you can bet that the radio will stop playing it. I just think if we keep complying with people to get offended like this, when they really shouldn’t be, it will be harder for people to accept one another and be more open minded. If you think this song is about lesbians and it angers you, I just hope you will  listen to the song again with an open heart and open ears. And if this song was about a lesbian romance, how is that bad?

What do you think about “Girl Crush”? Why do you think this song is receiving so much hate? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

9 Comments

Filed under New Country, News, Song Analysis

9 Responses to Too Lesbian for Country Radio?

  1. Marissa Gallardo

    I can understand where you are coming from; “it’s 2015”. BUT… we are a completely different generation than anyone that has come before us. Although the song is not about being a lesbian, it is solely focused on being in some way attracted to a woman, and it is reasonable to see that the song makes some people uncomfortable. The first 45 seconds of the song hints in NO WAY that the song is about jealousy of a woman over a man. If someone is going to take anything away from a song, it is going to be in the beginning or the end, so again it seems reasonable that people are feeling that way. You can’t change people no matter how hard you try anyway; these kind of people are always going to be present in some form until the opinion fizzles out over many years. The only option country radio has is to give in to listener demands or to stick to their guns.

  2. Erin McAtee

    I think the rhetoric of this song is really interesting, in particular since Little Big Town hasn’t come forward to sway their listeners to take the song in any one particular way. I personally see this song as being exactly as it’s titled; a “girl crush”. The lyrics (to me) describe what I think every girl feels at some point – a sense of envy of the girl who seemingly has everything going right for her. While yes, the lyrics do say “I want to taste her lips”, I take that as wanting what the girl has; in this case, a guy. Other artists have taken this same approach to their lyrics in the past; not clarifying their intended message in order to force the audience to make their own decisions about the meaning. I think Little Big Town is doing the same thing here, and I think its due time for this style of writing in country music,

  3. Courtney Gonzalez

    I have been hearing for a while about how this song shouldn’t be played on the radio, but just recently listened to it myself. I had the same initial reaction as you did because if you actually listen to the song’s lyrics it has nothing to do with being a lesbian. I think people “judged a book by its cover” and just assumed that a song with the title “Girl Crush” had to refer to something that promoted the gay agenda. I agree with you when you said that it is 2015 and if you don’t like it don’t listen to it. However I know what my grandparents would say if they heard the title of that song on the radio. They would criticize it until they got a rouse out of someone, which in my opinion is what others are doing.

  4. Emma Morgan

    I’ve heard this song everywhere on country radio and have been meaning to look more into what it is actually about because my initial reaction to it was that it was about a lesbian romance. I think you make a good point about how the song is actually not really meant to be about lesbian love however, I think to the average listener it definitely sounds like it. People do need to have an open mind when listening to this song because there are definitely some underlying meanings and lyrics that could argue against the idea that it is about lesbian love. I personally think the song comes across the way that millions have also heard it and I believe this is why country radio stations are completely cutting it out. It is interesting to hear your view on the song though because it gives me a different perspective now when I hear it again.

  5. Reid Thompson

    I think this is an interesting post and song because there are so many different things to analyze here. First, even though this is 2015 and I can only hope our generation is more receptive of people of all opinions, views, and preferences, the reality of country music and its audience is that it has one of the least accepting audiences of any genre. While white, christian, and conservative, does not label all listeners, it covers the majority, and unfortunately, that is why this song has been such an issue. Second, I think it is interesting how Little Big Town approached this song. Whether the song is referencing a lesbian or not, it is clear that Little Big Town wanted the lyrics to make some noise. I do not know the background of the group to speak on where their motivation lies, but I applaud them for sticking to the music they want to write regardless of what some audiences might think.

  6. Joshua Fleming

    listening to this song makes me really sad to see what “country” is coming to. I necessarily think its too lesbian for country i just think in general that it shouldn’t be consider a country song because it doesn’t resemble anything that of a country song. Though the song doesn’t portray its message very well I think that now a days it is a kind of norm in todays society that is more accepting to things that wouldn’t generally be talked about in public back in older times. in general do I believe it is maybe a little out there on the inappropriate side for a country radio that tends to appeal to a more conservative audience that has more traditional values on topics like the song could be misconstrued to go towards.

  7. Madison Comstock

    I definitely agree with you- it is 2015 and even if it was a song about lesbians, which I really don’t think it is, it should be able to be played on the radio. This song really highlights the generation gap between our generation and our parents’ and grandparents’. “Girl crush” is a term we use all the time, usually not in the context Little Big Town did, but to describe a girl we like and admire. Us young adults know exactly what the song is trying to say, but our parents and grandparents probably don’t, they just hear the title and the lyrics which you have to really think about to understand. I think it is very interesting that Little Big Town has not come out to tell everyone what the song is really about, and this could be a smart publicity move for them if this controversy grows larger.

  8. Abby Wills

    I completely agree with you – times have changed and people need to be more accepting. I’ve been following up with this controversy and I think it is really incredible that other country stars have backed up Little Big Town by posting to social media with photos. Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, and so many other country stars and bands have posted pictures wearing red-and-white “Girl Crush” hats. When I first saw the title of the song, I was not remotely alarmed. The term “Girl Crush” is used numerous times in our generation as wanting to be exactly like a certain girl. I recently read an article that the controversy isn’t as widespread as the media is making it out to be. “Girl Crush” has been played on 140 of the 145 country radio stations and has received increase in sales. It seems that the media focus on this song has aided this success and growth in the song.

  9. Katie O'Neil

    I think this song title is very interesting. These days the term “Girl Crush” is used throughout different medias. I have heard it used on talk shows, tv shows, and movies. So what is the difference of it being used in a song. I agree with Marissa in saying that it is our generation that is not bothered by it. We have heard it used before so it is not shocking or surprising to us. However, I personally do not like this song. I had heard it before you posted this blog and it is definitely not one of my favorites by Little Big Town. I think that they are a very talented group but this song I just did not like it.

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