Big Green Tractor
| "Big Green Tractor" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Big Green Tractor" is a song written by Jim Collins and David Lee Murphy and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in May 2009 as the second single from his album Wide Open, as well as the eighth single of his career. The song debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in May 2009, and in September of the same year, it became his third number-one hit.
Content
The song is a mid-tempo where the narrator asks if his lover wants to go to town with him, or if she would rather ride with him on his "big green tractor".
David Lee Murphy told Engine 145 that the idea for the song came to him when he was out driving his own tractor: "The next day I was writing with Jim Collins, who had written 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' for Kenny [Chesney]. I walked in there and asked him if he’d be willing to tackle another tractor song."[1] Collins agreed, but he said that this song should take on a different direction than "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," which he called "tongue-in-cheek."[2] Regarding his decision to record the song, Aldean said that Murphy is "a good friend and his style is a lot like mine, really uptempo, fun kinda stuff."[3] Aldean said that he considered the song "romantic."[2]
Critical reception
The song received mixed reviews from critics. Karlie Justus of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up, calling it "Aldean’s best song to date" and saying that it "delivers a catchy chorus with an authentic country feeling without blatantly pandering to stereotypical farm life", although she also said, "Despite its lackadaisical appeal and imminent commercial success, 'Big Green Tractor' will likely be largely forgotten in a year."[4] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock was less favorable, saying that the melody was derivative of Jason Michael Carroll's "Livin' Our Love Song" and Craig Morgan's later releases for Broken Bow. He added, "So while 'Big Green Tractor' is likely to continue Jason Aldean's radio success, it isn't the kind of song that will inspire many fans to buy his Wide Open album."[5]
Music video
The music video for the song was released on July 25, 2009 and was directed by Ivan Dudynsky. It is footage of a live performance in February 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee. It also uses an alternate live version of the song.
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in May 2009, and entered the top 40 in its second chart week. It became his third number one on the chart week of September 5, 2009. It spent four weeks at number one, becoming the first song to spend that long at the top of the country charts since Brad Paisley's "Letter to Me" in February 2008, thus ending an eighteen-month streak in which no songs spent more than three weeks at number one.[6] It was also his highest-peaking single on the Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 18, until it was surpassed by Aldean's "Dirt Road Anthem" in 2011.
On September 2, 2009, the song received a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for 1,000,000 registered downloads.[7] It is the second single of his career to earn this certification; three others were certified gold.
As of May, 2012, according to Roughstock digital sales reporting, "Big Green Tractor" has sold 2,028,000 downloads in the United States. As a ringtone, “Big Green Tractor” became a #1 ringtone in all genres in 2009 becoming the first Country ringtone to hold that distinction and logged more than one million downloads.[8] It also had five consecutive weeks as the #1 most downloaded ringtone on Apple's iTunes in 2009.[9]
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] | 54 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[11] | 18 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] | 1 |
End of year charts
| Charts (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 75[13] |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[14] | 10 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Morton, Ken (2009-09-08). "The Power of the Pen: An Interview with David Lee Murphy". Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ a b Conaway, Alanna (2009-09-28). "Story Behind the Song: "Romantic" Tractor Revs to No. 1". Country Weekly. 16 (33): 22. ISSN 1074-3235.
- ^ Kane, Dan (2009-09-17). "Country chart topper Jason Aldean returning to Canton". Canton Rep.com. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Justus, Karlie (2009-05-29). "Jason Aldean —"Big Green Tractor"". Engine 145. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (2009-06-11). "Jason Aldean — "Big Green Tractor"". Roughstock. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ Trust, Gary (2009-09-18). "Chart Beat Wednesday: Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean, Muse". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
- ^ "Search results for Jason Aldean". Recording Industry Association of America. 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2009-06-19.
- ^ "http://gotcountryonline.com/?tag=ash-bowers". Retrieved 2012-06-25.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ According to Producer Michael Knox's bio page. "Michael Knox Bio". Retrieved 2012-06-25.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Year End Charts - Year-end songs - The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Best of 2009: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
- ^ "American single certifications – Jason Aldean – Big Green Tractor". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 10, 2014.