Ladies in the '90s

Album: Getting Good (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Co-penned by Lauren Alaina, this fun, upbeat song tells the story of her childhood through references to the music her parents were playing.

    I was raised on radio waves where the ladies dominated
    Sometime I close my eyes and just replay it


    Back in the 1990s, female country artists didn't struggle to be heard on the radio, as they do now.
  • As well as referencing the titles of songs by country legends like "Fancy" (Reba McEntire), "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (Shania Twain), and "Cowboy Take Me Away" (Dixie Chicks), Alaina also gives a shout-out to tunes by pop and R&B stars such as "Genie in a Bottle" (Christina Aguilera), "Vogue" (Madonna)," and "No Scrubs" (TLC).

    I just wanna feel like ladies in the '90s
    Turn the dial and find me some 'Strawberry Wine'
    So I can sing all night long, actin' like I'm Britney
    Come on, 'baby, hit me' just 'one more time'


    Alaina references in the chorus Deana Carter's "Strawberry Wine" and Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time."
  • Lauren Alaina wrote the song with:

    English singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, who was a childhood friend of Ed Sheeran. They have collaborated together since Sheeran's early EP, Songs I Wrote With Amy. Their co-writes include Sheeran's hit singles "Thinking Out Loud" and "Galway Girl."

    Nashville musician and producer Jesse Frasure, whose other credits include Jon Pardi's "Dirt on My Boots," Chris Lane's "Fix," and Rascal-Flatts' "I Like the Sound of That."
  • The song was released just a couple of weeks after Walker Hayes' "90's Country." His song pulls a similar trick, telling a love story through the titles of classic country songs from the 1990s.
  • Lauren Alaina explained that she co-wrote the song to say thank you to the women she heard on the radio when she was a little girl dreaming of being a country star.

    "I grew up in a time where my dreams could come true because there were women doing it, and I believed I could be a female on the radio and be a songwriter and be a woman on stage, because Martina, Faith Hill, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Shania, the Dixie Chicks – all of these women were doing it fearlessly and inspired me to become who I am, and I wanted to write a song for them to thank them."

    Alaina added that she grew up during a time in country music where women had a good share of airplays on the radio. Unfortunately, that's not the case now and a question she often gets asked is why there's such a lack of female presence on the airwaves. A second reason for writing this song, she said, was to "put a positive spin on my answer to why aren't more women on the radio? My answer is I have no idea, but look how amazing it is when they are."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real Group

Modern A Cappella with Peder Karlsson of The Real GroupSong Writing

The leader of the Modern A Cappella movement talks about the genre.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.

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.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.