On This Day in 2015, Little Big Town Reached No. 1 With a Song That Was Pulled From Country Radio After Listeners Complained

On this day (May 11) in 2015, Little Big Town was at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Girl Crush.” The single went on to be the group’s biggest hit, topping the country chart for 13 consecutive weeks and peaking at No. 18 on the Hot 100. It has since been certified 7x Platinum by the RIAA. The single’s success didn’t come without some backlash, though. Some listeners missed the point of the lyrics and were quick to call their local radio station to complain. As a result, many radio stations pulled the song from rotation, possibly stopping further chart progression.

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Little Big Town released “Girl Crush” as the second single from their album Pain Killer in December 2014. A few months later, it became their second No. 1 on the country chart.

[RELATED: Little Big Town Singer Kimberly Schlapman Reveals the Secret She’s Been Keeping for Two Decades]

“Girl Crush” Was a Smash

Its 13-week run at the top broke the record for longest run at No. 1 for a group with three or more members. The Browns set the record in 1959 when “The Three Bells” sat at No. 1 for 10 weeks, according to Songfacts.

“Girl Crush” was more than a chart hit, though. It also won multiple awards. It brought them Single of the Year at the CAM Awards and the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Songwriters Lori McKenna, Liz Rose, and Hillary Lindsey won Song of the Year at the CMA Awards and the Grammy for Best Country Song.

The single stalled at No. 3 on the relatively new Country Airplay chart. This is due, at least partially, to listeners who heard the song, missed the point, and called their local country stations to complain. As a result, several stations took the song out of rotation.

Little Big Town Got Backlash for Nothing

Some listeners thought “Girl Crush” was a lesbian country song. They heard Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild sing the lines “I want to taste her lips / Yeah, ‘cause they taste like yours,” and immediately clutched their pearls. After their pearls were sufficiently clutched, they reached for their phones.

The song drew so much controversy that the band’s label, Capitol Nashville,” had the group record a behind-the-scenes video that laid out the meaning of the lyrics. During the short clip, they explain that the song is about jealousy. The narrator has a “girl crush” on the lady that is with the guy she wants. It all boils down to the narrator trying to puzzle out what the other woman has that she doesn’t.

Featured Image by Ed Rode/Getty Images for Spotify