Little Toy Guns

Album: Greatest Hits: Decade #1 (2014)
Charted: 47
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Carrie Underwood co-wrote this song with Chris DeStefano ("Good Girl," "Something in the Water") and Hillary Lindsey ("Jesus, Take The Wheel," "Last Name," "Two Black Cadillacs.") The tune is about the effect that parents' falling out has on their children.

    "There's these characters in the song and there's a little girl and she hears her parents fighting, as unfortunately a lot of kids do," Underwood explained to Country Vibe. "So it's basically her saying, in her words, 'I wish their words weren't real. I wish they were like little toy guns and they didn't hurt you.'"
  • Underwood penned the lyrics from her personal observations. "I've seen it first hand from different people in my life and seen how the tumultuous parental relationship between each other can affect a child," she said. "So that's kind of what it's about, but it's a really tempo-driven song as well, so it's kind of a bit of a juxtaposition as far as the story content and the music… It sounds rockin', but it has a positive message."
  • Underwood spoke about the song during an interview with Chicago's US99.5. "It's about words," she explained. "It's about a child hearing her parents fighting. Even at a young age she realizes how much they hurt. And she wishes they were plastic and fake, like toys, and they didn't actually cause any damage."
  • The song's music video was directed by P.R. Brown, who previously collaborated with Underwood on her "Two Black Cadillacs" clip. It stars Grace Rundhaug, who played Marta alongside Underwood in 2014's The Sound of Music Live! television special

    Brown pitched to Underwood the concept of a storybook land-themed visual where the young girl could be the hero, an idea which the songstress loved. Underwood then suggested Grace Rundhaug for the part of the girl. "Whenever I thought of the types of things I wanted to see in this video, I just saw her face," she stated.
  • The song developed from a basic form that Chris DeStefano brought into the writing session with Carrie Underwood and Hillary Lindsey. "I had this musical idea - the track, basically," he recalled to Taste of Country. "I kinda brought that in, and I might have even had some of the parts kinda moved around. I remember playing it for Carrie and Hillary, and they both really reacted to it. I remember Hillary saying, 'I love that riff that you're doing in the verse there, you should move that to the main intro riff, that would be awesome.'"

    Lindsey also suggested a title, "Wooden Guns." "We kinda talked about what it could mean, and we kept throwing ideas out," DeStefano remembered. "And Carrie said, 'What if we called it 'Little Toy Guns'? And it just took it to a different level, I think, when we hit that. It felt right, and once we had that direction, we had more than enough to hang the song on."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Bible Lyrics

Bible LyricsMusic Quiz

Rockers, rappers and pop stars have been known to quote the Bible in their songs. See if you match the artist to the biblical lyric.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.