Little White Church

Last updated
"Little White Church"
LittleWhiteChurch.jpg
Single by Little Big Town
from the album The Reason Why
ReleasedMarch 8, 2010
Genre Country
Length3:06
Label Capitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)
[1]
Producer(s)
  • Wayne Kirkpatrick
  • Little Big Town
Little Big Town singles chronology
"Good Lord Willing"
(2008)
"Little White Church"
(2010)
"Kiss Goodbye"
(2010)
Music video
"Little White Church" at CMT.com

"Little White Church" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music band Little Big Town, written by the band along with Wayne Kirkpatrick. It was released in March 2010 as the lead-off single from their album The Reason Why , released on August 24, 2010.

Contents

Content

"Little White Church" is an up-tempo country song, backed primarily by electric guitar, with a hand-clap during the pre-chorus. The song's female narrator confronts her love interest, telling him that he's not welcome anymore unless he "take[s her] down to the little white church" and marries her. Band member Karen Fairchild performs lead vocals for the song.

Critical reception

Juli Thanki of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs up, describing it as something that stands out "when so many singles on the radio sound the same." She also noted that in a "time of year when an infectious, upbeat hit ushers in spring after a dreary winter," this song "fits the bill perfectly." [2] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A− rating, favoring the groups' harmonies and the instrumentation. He concluded that with "a few more records like Laura Bell Bundy’s and this one, and country radio just might get interesting again." [3] Bobby Peacock of Roughstock spoke positively of the song, favoring "the song's energetic performance and uncluttered production," although he felt the song's lyrics were "a bit simplistic in parts." [4] Slant Magazine included the song in its "Best of 2010: Singles" chart, ranking the song at number fourteen, calling it "distinctive and seductive; one of the few bright spots on country radio this year." [5]

Music video

The music video, which was directed by Kristin Barlowe, premiered on CMT on June 1, 2010. [6] The video begins with Karen Fairchild getting dressed up for her wedding before leaving her house and beginning to walk down a country road. She is soon joined by the rest of Little Big Town, and the group proceeds to the church. While she is on the way to the little white church, Fairchild's mother gags her fiance and ties him up. When the group arrives at the church, no one has seen her groom, and they exit the church. The group is then shown performing on stage with vintage microphones at an outdoor festival, while Fairchild's mother lifts up the trunk of a car, revealing the groom tied up inside, before handing off the keys to the band and allowing them to drive away.

Chart performance

"Little White Church" debuted at number 48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of March 20, 2010. It became the group's first Top 10 single since "Bring It On Home" in 2006, reaching a peak of number 6 for the week of October 9, 2010.

Chart (2010)Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7] 6
US Billboard Hot 100 [8] 59

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)Position
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [9] 23

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10] Platinum1,000,000Double-dagger-14-plain.png

Double-dagger-14-plain.png Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Big Town</span> American country band

Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook. Their musical style relies heavily on four-part vocal harmonies, with all four members alternating as lead vocalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boondocks (song)</span> Song co-written and recorded by American country music group Little Big Town

"Boondocks" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in May 2005 as the first single from their second studio album The Road to Here. It became their first Top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. It was written by Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Roads, Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook and Wayne Kirkpatrick. The song is one of the band's most enduring and popular hits and they often perform it at the end of their concerts.

<i>A Place to Land</i> (Little Big Town album) 2007 studio album by Little Big Town

A Place to Land is the third studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. Released in 2007 as their second album on the independent Equity Music Group label, it features the single "I'm with the Band", which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in late 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda Lambert discography</span> Wikimedia artist discography

American country music singer Miranda Lambert has released ten studio albums, one extended play, one video album, and has made 23 other album appearances. She has released 39 singles, nine promotional singles, and 37 music videos. Lambert has sold 7 million albums in the United States, with her first seven studio albums being certified platinum. In 2001, Lambert released a self-titled and self-financed independent album. After gaining exposure as the third-place winner of the television competition Nashville Star, Lambert signed with Epic Nashville in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Big Town discography</span>

American country music group Little Big Town has released ten studio albums and 27 singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Liar</span> 2009 single by Miranda Lambert

"White Liar" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in August 2009 as the second single from her album Revolution. Lambert performed "White Liar" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on October 6, 2009, and on the 2009 CMA Awards on November 11, 2009. In December 2009, the song became Lambert's second Top 10 hit and reached a peak of number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 6, 2010. The song was written by Lambert and Natalie Hemby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giddy On Up</span> 2010 single by Laura Bell Bundy

"Giddy On Up" is a debut song by American stage actress and singer Laura Bell Bundy. Co-written by Bundy, it was released to country music radio in February 2010 as the lead-off single from her debut album Achin' and Shakin', which was released on April 13, 2010. Bundy wrote this song with Jeff Cohen and Mike Shimshack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassadee Pope</span> American singer

Cassadee Blake Pope is an American pop and country singer. She was the lead vocalist and songwriter of the pop band Hey Monday, with whom she released one studio album and two EPs. Pope embarked on a solo career in early 2012 and released the EP Cassadee Pope in May 2012. She took part in the third season of The Voice and became the first female winner in December 2012. Her debut solo country album, Frame by Frame, was released in 2013 to a top 10 Billboard 200 charting. It debuted at No. 1 on Top Country Albums, with 43,000 copies sold in its first week.

<i>Tornado</i> (Little Big Town album) 2012 studio album by Little Big Town

Tornado is the fifth studio album by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on September 11, 2012 via Capitol Nashville. "Pontoon," which was released in April 2012 as the album's lead-off single, has since become their first number one song on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and Little Big Town's fastest-rising single to date. The album's second single, "Tornado," was released on October 1, 2012. It became their first album since 2005's The Road to Here to produce two top 10 singles and to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>The Reason Why</i> 2010 studio album by Little Big Town

The Reason Why is the fourth studio album by American country group Little Big Town. It was released on August 24, 2010 via Capitol Nashville. "Little White Church," which was released in March 2010 as the album's lead-off single, has since become a Top 10 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

"A Little More You" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in February 2007 as the fourth single from their album The Road to Here. The song was written by group members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Roads, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook with Wayne Kirkpatrick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontoon (song)</span> 2012 single by Little Big Town

"Pontoon" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in April 2012 as the first single from their fifth studio album, Tornado. The song, written by Natalie Hemby, Luke Laird and Barry Dean, became the group's first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 15, 2012. The song won the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tornado (song)</span> 2012 single by Little Big Town

"Tornado" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in October 2012 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Tornado. The song was written by Natalie Hemby and Delta Maid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy (Sheryl Crow song)</span> 2013 single by Sheryl Crow

"Easy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow recorded for her ninth studio album, Feels Like Home (2013). The song, announced as the lead single, made its airplay debut on February 21, 2013, and was released on March 12. The song combines elements of rock and roll and country music and also is her first release through Warner Music Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Side of the Bed</span> 2013 single by Little Big Town

"Your Side of the Bed" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released April 8, 2013, as the third single from their fifth studio album, Tornado. The song was written by the group alongside Lori McKenna. They debuted the song at the 2013 ACM Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day Drinking</span> 2014 single by Little Big Town

"Day Drinking" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released in June 2014 as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Pain Killer. Little Big Town debuted the song on the CMT Music Awards on June 4, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Girl Crush</span> 2014 single by Little Big Town

"Girl Crush" is a song written by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey and Liz Rose, and performed by American country music group Little Big Town. It was released on December 15, 2014 as the second single from their sixth studio album, Pain Killer. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, won five music awards, including two Grammys, reached number one on US country radio, ended up being the second-most played song of 2015 on the format, and is certified Quintuple Platinum in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Alone Tonight</span> 2015 single by Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild

"Home Alone Tonight" is a song recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan as a duet with Karen Fairchild of American country music group Little Big Town for his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights (2015). Upon the release of the album, the song entered the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 33 on the strength of digital downloads. It was serviced to American country radio on November 23, 2015 as the album's third official single. The song was written by Jody Stevens, Cole Taylor, Jaida Dreyer and Tommy Cecil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Better Man (Little Big Town song)</span> 2016 single by Little Big Town

"Better Man" is a song by American country group Little Big Town. It was released on October 20, 2016, as the lead single from the group's eighth studio album, The Breaker (2017). American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wrote the song, intending to include it on her fourth studio album, Red (2012), but the song did not make the final track-list. She passed the song to Little Big Town in 2016, believing the group's vocal harmonies suited it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wine, Beer, Whiskey</span> 2020 single by Little Big Town

"Wine, Beer, Whiskey" is a song recorded by American country music group Little Big Town from their ninth studio album, Nightfall (2020). It was released to country radio as the album's third single on June 1, 2020. The music video premiered on November 7, 2020.

References

  1. ""Little White Church" listing". Broadcast Music Incorporated . Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2010.
  2. Engine 145: Little Big Town – “Little White Church” Archived 2014-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Country Universe: Single Review: Little Big Town, “Little White Church”
  4. Roughstock Blog: Little Big Town - "Little White Church" Archived 2010-04-05 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Best of 2010: Singles". Slant Magazine. 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2010-12-25.
  6. http://www.cmt.com/videos/little-big-town/521738/little-white-church.jhtml?id=1640275 [ dead link ]
  7. "Little Big Town Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  8. "Little Big Town Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  10. "American single certifications – Little Big Town – Little White Church". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 25, 2021.