Famous in a Small Town
Encyclopedia
"Famous in a Small Town" is the title of a song written by Travis Howard and co-written and recorded by American
country
artist Miranda Lambert
. It was released as the second single from her second studio album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
. It was Lambert's second Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
in 2008.
The song was ranked number 40 on The 9513's 50 Best Country Songs of 2007.
backed with acoustic guitar. The narrator describes the simplicities of living in a small town, where everyone knows each other and no one needs to have their face in a magazine to be famous. Thus, everybody dies "famous in a small town."
. The video features Lambert singing in a town square in Lebanon, Tennessee
mixed with scenes from Shelbyville, Tennessee
. The video's depicts people's everyday lives in a small town, including a diner and high school; all of these scenes are shot in black and white. Lambert is also seen playing her guitar and singing on a red carpet with camera flashes, neon signs, and her band, to contrast with the small town image, and is shot in color rather than black and white. This is her second video to be shot in both black and white and in color, after "New Strings" in 2006. In Lambert's own words, "Famous in a Small Town is really, (really) how it was growing up in Lindale."
The music video reached the top spot of CMT
's Top Twenty Countdown
for the week of August 16, 2007.
chart for the week of April 7, 2007. After 33 weeks on the chart, it peaked at number 14 on November 17, 2007.
dialect (called Op 'n dorp is iederiene 'n beroemdheid) was written and recorded by Dutch singer Daniël Lohues and included on his 2010 album Allennig IV.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
. It was released as the second single from her second studio album, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Upon its release, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend received general acclaim from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".Stephen Thomas...
. It was Lambert's second Top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female...
in 2008.
The song was ranked number 40 on The 9513's 50 Best Country Songs of 2007.
Content
"Famous in a Small Town" is a mid-tempo song in the key of B majorB major
In music theory, B major is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps....
backed with acoustic guitar. The narrator describes the simplicities of living in a small town, where everyone knows each other and no one needs to have their face in a magazine to be famous. Thus, everybody dies "famous in a small town."
Music video
A music video was released for the song, directed by Trey FanjoyTrey Fanjoy
Trey Fanjoy is a country music and pop music video director. Fanjoy has directed over 150 major label music videos. Her videos have appeared on CMT, VH-1, GAC, The Nashville Network, CMT Canada, and MTV.-Music videos:...
. The video features Lambert singing in a town square in Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
mixed with scenes from Shelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a local population of 16,105 residents at the 2000 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819...
. The video's depicts people's everyday lives in a small town, including a diner and high school; all of these scenes are shot in black and white. Lambert is also seen playing her guitar and singing on a red carpet with camera flashes, neon signs, and her band, to contrast with the small town image, and is shot in color rather than black and white. This is her second video to be shot in both black and white and in color, after "New Strings" in 2006. In Lambert's own words, "Famous in a Small Town is really, (really) how it was growing up in Lindale."
The music video reached the top spot of CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
's Top Twenty Countdown
Top Twenty Countdown
Top 20 Countdown is a show on CMT.The show counts down the biggest videos in country music and was originally hosted by Lance Smith. Top Twenty Countdown airs every Friday at 11:00 a.m. and reruns on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Besides showing the biggest videos, Lance also shows...
for the week of August 16, 2007.
Chart performance
"Famous in a Small Town" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the week of April 7, 2007. After 33 weeks on the chart, it peaked at number 14 on November 17, 2007.
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|
Cover version
An acoustic cover version with lyrics in DrentsDrents
Drèents is a collective term for the dialects spoken in Drenthe, a province of the Netherlands. The dialects, which are still spoken by half the population of Drenthe, are Dutch Low Saxon variants.-Dialects of Drèents:All Drenthe dialects are classified as Dutch Low Saxon...
dialect (called Op 'n dorp is iederiene 'n beroemdheid) was written and recorded by Dutch singer Daniël Lohues and included on his 2010 album Allennig IV.