“Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie and Tae pokes fun at male country singers and the way that they portray women. At the time the song was made, 2014, seemed like a direct response to songs released in 2013, for example Thomas Rhett’s “Get Me Some of That” and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” but more likely a response to the music video for “Cruise rather than the lyrics. But with lyrics like “Shakin that money maker like a heartbreaker” in “Get Me Some of That” reinforces that belief as there seems to be a direct response to that lyric in particular when Maddie and Tae sing “Shakin my money maker ain’t never made me a dime” and they also have a line that goes “Tell me one more time you gotta get you some of that sure I’ll slide on over but you’re gonna get slapped” which could also be seen as a response to the title. i do not think this song was written as a direct response to one song but several male country singers were releasing songs like that so it was the perfect time to release how women feel about being portrayed that way.
At this point in time there seemed to be a decline in female Country Music singers. if you would look at the country charts only 3 female country singers were up there out of the top 100 songs. That is why a song like this is so important. In an industry that is controlled by men, many women feel silenced. They have a hard time making their voices hears, so releasing a fun song to listen to that conveys a deep message was the perfect way to call out the industry.
Maddie and Tae wrote “Girl in a Country Song” along with Aaron Dye. Throughout the song they are criticizing the way women are dressed in music videos and the way that they are treated. The first lyric of the song is “Well I wish i had some shoes on my two bare feet, and it getting kinda cold in these painted on cut off jeans, I hate the way this bikini top chafes do i really have to wear it all day?” This immediately establishes how ridiculous the outfits that women have to wear in these music videos are. They also say at the end ” I ain’t your tan legged Juliet! Can i put on some real clothes now?” as poking fun at the guys who sing that way about women. In 2014, the Observer posted a story titled “Bro Country’s Sexism is Ruining Country Music” which seems to be what this song is criticizing exactly. Way too many songs perceive women as objects or trophies to be won but Maddie and Tae make it clear that women should not be treated that way because if a man was treated that way people would be upset and they would criticize the women for treating men that way just because it is not normal.
October 2, 2022 at 3:48 pm
Keira,
It seems like you are sort of tip-toeing around the main context of the song: the rampant sexism in country music lyrics, videos, and the music industry itself. The over-the-top lyrics and hyper-stylized (and somewhat tongue-in-cheek) video very adeptly puts a funny sheen on the issue (by seemingly just “poking fun,” as you write), but it is a significant issue nonetheless that really should have been delved into in much greater detail here.
I do like how you are seeing the song as a direct response to other songs, and that is certainly part of it, but this is an issue that goes back to the early years of country and how performers like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton were (and were continued to be treated).
So, for your podcast you’re going to really need to do extensive research on these issues and how new artists, like Kacey Musgraves, are trying to buck (and confront) that trend.
And in future posts, please, as the assignment reads, “be sure to add other features that are important to blogs and blog readers: links whenever having one would make a meaningful connection, images, embedded video and/or audio, and so on.”
Bill