It's Midnight Cinderella
Encyclopedia
"It's Midnight Cinderella" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music
singer Garth Brooks
. It was released in June 1996 as the fifth single from his 1995 album Fresh Horses
. The song reached a peak of #5 on the U.S. country charts in mid-1996.
fairy tale.
In the verses, it is revealed that the female's partner has left her ("I guess your Prince Charming wasn't, after all"). The narrator, in the second verse, then describes his plan to have sex with her ("Gonna learn to love midnight inside this pumpkin shell").
of Allmusic cited the song as a standout track on Fresh Horses, calling the song "sassy" and "suggestive", and saying that it worked because Brooks "lets his guard down" on the song. Alanna Nash
of Entertainment Weekly
called it a "bordering-on-risqué fairy tale[…] that adventrously pushes the envelope of country lyrics."
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) in December 1995 after the album's release, as an album cut along with "That Ol' Wind
", "Rollin'", and then-current single "The Beaches of Cheyenne
". The song charted for several weeks as an album cut before reaching Top 40 on the chart week of July 20, 1996, and peaked at #5 on the chart week of September 7.
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...
singer Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
. It was released in June 1996 as the fifth single from his 1995 album Fresh Horses
Fresh Horses (album)
Fresh Horses is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released on November 21, 1995. Fresh Horses peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart , and #1 on the Top Country Albums chart....
. The song reached a peak of #5 on the U.S. country charts in mid-1996.
Content
"It's Midnight Cinderella" is an up-tempo where the male narrator makes passes on a female via allusions to the CinderellaCinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
fairy tale.
In the verses, it is revealed that the female's partner has left her ("I guess your Prince Charming wasn't, after all"). The narrator, in the second verse, then describes his plan to have sex with her ("Gonna learn to love midnight inside this pumpkin shell").
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic cited the song as a standout track on Fresh Horses, calling the song "sassy" and "suggestive", and saying that it worked because Brooks "lets his guard down" on the song. Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called it a "bordering-on-risqué fairy tale[…] that adventrously pushes the envelope of country lyrics."
Chart performance
"It's Midnight Cinderella" made its chart debut on BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot 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...
) in December 1995 after the album's release, as an album cut along with "That Ol' Wind
That Ol' Wind
"That Ol' Wind" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. He recorded it on his 1995 album Fresh Horses and released it as the album's sixth and final single in late 1996. The song peaked at #4 on the U.S...
", "Rollin'", and then-current single "The Beaches of Cheyenne
The Beaches of Cheyenne
"The Beaches of Cheyenne" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released in December 1995 as the third of six singles from his 1995 album Fresh Horses...
". The song charted for several weeks as an album cut before reaching Top 40 on the chart week of July 20, 1996, and peaked at #5 on the chart week of September 7.
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 5 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |