A radio-friendly song in country music is typically around three minutes in length. But sometimes, artists defy those standards and end up having big hits anyway. We found three songs in country music that were surprisingly long and still became successful singles.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Welcome To The Future” by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley’s “Welcome To The Future” is on his American Saturday Night album. Written by Paisley and Chris DubBois, the song came out in 2009. Coming in at just over six minutes, “Welcome To The Future” became a Top 5 hit for Paisley at country radio.
The song was inspired by Barack Obama becoming the President of the United States.
“You’ve got my kids’ generation, where you can explain to them that the president is Black, and that’s a remarkable thing,” Paisley tells The Boot. “They’re never going to understand. They’re going to think, ‘Why is that a big deal?’”
“Welcome To The Future” is about how life changes and evolves. It says, “My grandpa was in World War II / He fought against the Japanese / He wrote a hundred letters to my grandma / Mailed ’em from his base in the Philippines / I wish they could see this now / Where they say this change can go / Cause I was on a video chat this morning / With a company in Tokyo / Hey, everyday is a revolution / Welcome to the future.”
“American Pie” by Don McLean
“American Pie” is Don McLean’s second single, and without question the biggest song of his career. Out in 1971, “American Pie” is more than eight and a half minutes long, an unheard of length in music of any genre.
Written about the plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, McLean never considered shortening the song.
“American Pie had to be over eight minutes long. I wasn’t finished telling the story,” he says (via Fifteen Questions).
“American Pie” begins with, “A long, long time ago / I can still remember how that music used to make me smile / And I knew if I had my chance/ That I could make those people dance / And maybe they’d be happy for a while / But February made me shiver / With every paper I’d deliver / Bad news on the doorstep / I couldn’t take one more step I can’t remember if I cried / When I read about his widowed bride / But something touched me deep inside / The day the music died.”
“Fancy” by Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire didn’t have a No. 1 hit with “Fancy” when she released it in 1991, on her Rumor Has It record. But almost 35 years later, the song remains her most memorable.
Over six minutes in length, “Fancy” is a true rags-to-riches story. It’s about a girl who becomes a prostitute, later becoming a wealthy woman, one who lives without regrets. The song is more than six minutes in length
“Fancy” says, “Mama washed and combed and curled my hair / And then she painted my eyes and lips / Then I stepped into a satin dancin’ dress / That had a split on the side clean up to my hip / It was red velvet trim and it fit me good / Standin’ back from the lookin’ glass / There stood a woman where a half gown kid had stood / She said, ‘Here’s your one chance, Fancy, don’t let me down.’”
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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