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Single White Female (song)

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"Single White Female"
US promo and European single cover
Single by Chely Wright
from the album Single White Female
B-side"Let Me In"[1]
ReleasedFebruary 9, 1999 (1999-02-09)
Recorded1998
StudioThe Tracking Room (Nashville, TN)[2]
GenreCountry
Length3:17
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Chely Wright singles chronology
"I Already Do"
(1998) 		"Single White Female"
(1999) 		"It Was"
(1999)
Music video
"Single White Female" on YouTube

"Single White Female" is a song by American country music artist Chely Wright, penned by Canadian country singer-songwriter Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Shaye Smith and produced by Tony Brown, Buddy Cannon, and Norro Wilson; fellow country artist and label mate Trisha Yearwood sings harmony vocals on the song. "Single White Female" was released on February 9, 1999, to radio viaa2b Music,[3] as the lead single and title track to Wright's fourth studio album Single White Female (1999) by MCA Nashville.

The song was a hit on the US Hot Country Songs chart where it spent one week at number one, notably ending the record-breaking eight-week reign of country group Lonestar's single "Amazed".[4] It was also a success in Canada, topping the RPM Canadian Country Tracks and becoming the third most successful country song of 1999 in the country.[5] The track proved to be the breakthrough for Johnson, as she would become a major songwriter and singer in her own rights with co-writes including "Downtime" for Jo Dee Messina and her own hits like "Complicated".[6]

Background

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To promote the track, MCA Nashville created a newspaper-like advertisement entitled The Wright Times to be sent to radio and retail, which included a Chely Wright advice column, personal ads, and a crossword puzzle devoted entirely to Wright. The personal ads read, "SWF IS ISO country lover. Must be passionate and commitment minded for possible LTR. No followers. Leaders only. Tin ears need not apply.[7]

Content

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"Single White Female", according to the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com, is performed in the key of F-sharp major, with a metronome of 96.[8]

Critical reception

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Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe rated the track a B, calling the plot-line "slightly ridiculous" and that its main saving grace was Wright's charismatic voice and being "charming as hell."[9]

Chart performance

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"Single White Female" displaced Lonestar's (pictured in 2007) 8-week number one single, "Amazed", from the top of the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

"Single White Female" entered the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at number 66 the week of March 13, 1999. It topped the chart on September 11, 1999 in its 27th week on the chart, famously ending country group Lonestar's eight week number one reign of their single "Amazed";[10] it was in stiff competition with Kenny Chesney's "You Had Me from Hello" for the top spot of the chart.[11] It spent one week atop the chart and 31 weeks in total, becoming Wright's longest charting single to date. It is both her only number one and only top ten single.[12] In April 2002, the track would receive a BDS Spin Award for 200,000 confirmed spins.[13]

Music video

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Wright in the ACM-nominated music video for "Single White Female".

The music video for "Single White Female" was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions.[14] It debuted to Country Music Television (CMT) on February 21, 1999.[15] It was nominated at the 35th ACM Awards in 2000 for Video of the Year.[16]

Synopsis

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The music video takes place entirely on a city bus, with Wright performing by herself in the back of the bus, and in another scene with two backup singers and two guitarists while standing on the bus. In the beginning, it shows many of the bus's patrons, before moving to a "single white female looking for a special lover." A man gets on and eventually leaves the bus (having been seated in the row next to her and behind her, respectively) before he comes on a third time and sits next to her, where they glance at each other. The man eventually gets up, accidentally leaving his book on his seat. The woman grabs it and returns it to him, then they both walk off smiling at each other.

Live performances

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Wright performed the song at Capital Pride 2010 following her coming out. At the end of the song, she changed the lyric "lookin' for a man like you" to "lookin' for a girl like you" to enthused cheering from the audience.[17]

Personnel

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Taken from the Single White Female album booklet.[18]

Track listing and formats

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Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 476–477. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. ^ "Pro Audio: Production Credits". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 38. Prometheus Global Media. September 18, 1999. p. 44. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ^ Flippo, Chet (February 20, 1999). "Wolfe Uncovers Opry's Colorful History In 'A Good-Natured Riot'; Chicks At 4 Million". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 8. Prometheus Global Media. p. 27. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Chely Wright Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1999". RPM. December 13, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  6. ^ Blackwell, Sam (April 19, 2002). "Uncomplicating Carolyn Dawn Johnson". The Southeast Missourian. Cape Girardeau, MO. pp. 1C, 3C.
  7. ^ Flippo, Chet (April 24, 1999). "MCA Builds Attraction For Wright's 'Single White Female'". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 17. Prometheus Global Media. pp. 28, 30. ISSN 0006-2510.
  8. ^ Smith, Shaye; Johnson, Carolyn Dawn (March 29, 2000). "Chely Wright "Single White Female" Sheet Music in F# Major - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Coyne, Kevin John (October 10, 2022). "Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties: Chely Wright, "Single White Female" – Country Universe". Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  10. ^ Jessen, Wade (September 11, 1999). "Country Corner: Move It On Over". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 37. Prometheus Global Media. p. 57. ISSN 0006-2510.
  11. ^ Jessen, Wade (September 4, 1999). "Country Corner: Just How Big Is It?". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 36. Prometheus Global Media. p. 39. ISSN 0006-2510.
  12. ^ Stark, Phyllis (June 29, 2002). "Nashville Scene: Single White Female". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 26. Prometheus Global Media. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510.
  13. ^ "Announcing This Month's Recipients of BDSCertified Spin Awards". Billboard. Vol. 114, no. 21. Prometheus Global Media. May 25, 2002. p. 81. ISSN 0006-2510.
  14. ^ Wright, Chely (April 20, 2004). "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Chely Wright (DVD Liner Notes and Information)". MCA Records.
  15. ^ "Video Monitor: New Ons". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 10. Prometheus Global Media. March 6, 1999. p. 95. ISSN 0006-2510.
  16. ^ "Dolly Parton To Host Academy Of Country Music Awards". Times-Union. Warsaw, Indiana. April 27, 2000. p. 12C.
  17. ^ Miller, Sydney (May 7, 2021). "Queer Country Rewind: "Single White Female: Live" Chely Wright • Country Queer". Country Queer. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  18. ^ Single White Female (CD liner notes). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. 70052.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ Single White Female (US 7-inch jukebox single sleeve). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. MCAS7 72092.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ Single White Female (US CD single liner notes). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. MCADS-72092.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ Single White Female (US cassette single sleeve). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. MCACS-72092.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ Single White Female (European CD single liner notes). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. 172 117-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ Single White Female (European cardsleeve CD single liner notes). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. 172 116 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ Single White Female (US promotional single liner notes). Chely Wright. MCA Nashville Records. 1999. MCA5P-72092.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 8454." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. September 20, 1999. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  26. ^ "Chely Wright Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Chely Wright Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Gavin Country". Gavin Report. No. 2271. September 6, 1999. p. 49.
  29. ^ "R&R Country Top 50". Radio & Records. No. 1314. August 27, 1999. p. 110.
  30. ^ "Best of '99: Most Played All-Format Songs of 1999". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 62.
  31. ^ "Best of 1999: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1999. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  32. ^ "Y2K – 1 = The Top Records of 1999". Gavin Report. No. 2285. December 17, 1999. p. 33.
  33. ^ "Top 99 of 1999: Country". Radio & Records. No. 1329. December 10, 1999. p. 77.
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