Temporary Home
Encyclopedia
"Temporary Home" is the title of a song written by Zac Maloy, Luke Laird
and co-written and recorded by American country
artist Carrie Underwood
. It is the second official single from her third studio album, Play On, and was released to country radio the week of December 14, 2009. Before being released as a single, the song was made available to iTunes on October 20, 2009. A promotional music video for the song was released in November 2009, and an official music video followed in February 2010. In December of 2010 the song was ranked at #25 on Billboard's Top Country Songs of 2010.
. She also performed this song on Home for the Holidays, a CBS special that Faith Hill
hosted on December 23, 2009. Before her performance at Foxwoods Casino, Connecticut
, Underwood's tour bus crashed and the driver was killed. During her performance, Underwood got emotional and said "This song means so much to me..." and gave a tearful performance.
gave a positive review saying that "Hope reverberates through the scenarios as each character senses that life on Earth is but a temporary trial....Vocally, she has never sounded more heartfelt and compelling. "Temporary Home" is a powerful song that's stirring but not preachy, and Underwood's performance is sure to resonate strongly with listeners."
Country Universe gave the track an A- grade saying "It’s not the narrative that powers this song, but the depth and strength of her personal conviction. From the inclusion of neglected members of society to the intricate shades of fully-invested emotion to the telling last line –“this is our temporary home”–, the song provides a glimpse at the person behind the artist."
Roughstock has also been positive in their review saying, "In "Temporary Home," three characters all take on some interpretation of the title phrase: a literal sense for the foster child bounced from home to home, a struggling young mother in a halfway house, and a spiritual sense for the man on his deathbed. What could've easily been a mountain of glurge instead becomes simple and effective."
Jim Malec of 9513 was less enthusiastic about the song saying "It’s hard to relate to, or have much sympathy for, people who we know aren’t real. As a result, “Temporary Home” has a very dull emotional affect—we’re sad because hard times are sad, and we’re happy because we hope tomorrow will be better, but we know the whole scenario is constructed to preach a particular point of view. Between the first note and the last, not a single lyric works to reveal something about ourselves or strives to tell us a story—it’s impact is blunt, hits fast and fades quickly.". He was positive about Underwood's vocals saying, "Underwood shows off those refined chops on new single “Temporary Home”; her vocal is beautifully delicate, and the downtempo pace of the song grants a welcome reprieve for her typically bombastic production."
, and premiered on CMT
on February 4, 2010.
The video was directed by Deaton Flanigen
. In the song's music video Underwood is shown riding around town in a taxi cab. During her journey she watches a young boy with his new foster mother, and a mother trying desperately to get a job. Finally, she reaches her destination, a hospital room with an elderly man, presumably her grandfather, lying on his deathbed. Between the third verse and third chorus on the video, Underwood goes in and talks to her dying grandfather (portrayed by Brian Dennehy
) in the video and hugs him. Throughout the video, Underwood is also shown performing the song while standing among trees in the winter, with snowfall coming down behind her. Underwood said of the video,
53rd Grammy Awards
|-
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Best Female Country Vocal Performance
||
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Inspirational Music Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Inspirational Mainstream Country Song of the Year ||
2010 CMT Music Awards
|-
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" (from CMT Invitation Only) ||align="center"| CMT Performance of the Year ||
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Triple-Play Songwriter (along with "Cowboy Casanova
", "Undo It
") ||
2011 BMI
|-
| align="center"|2011 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Songwriter of the Year ||
United States: 31,000
As a confirmed single (after the release of Play On):
United States: 777,000
The song has been officially confirmed as Gold.
Luke Laird
Luke Laird is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for co-writing singles recorded by Carrie Underwood....
and co-written and recorded by American 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 Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
. It is the second official single from her third studio album, Play On, and was released to country radio the week of December 14, 2009. Before being released as a single, the song was made available to iTunes on October 20, 2009. A promotional music video for the song was released in November 2009, and an official music video followed in February 2010. In December of 2010 the song was ranked at #25 on Billboard's Top Country Songs of 2010.
Background
On November 16, 2009, Underwood performed the song on The Tonight Show with Conan O'BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
. She also performed this song on Home for the Holidays, a CBS special that Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
hosted on December 23, 2009. Before her performance at Foxwoods Casino, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Underwood's tour bus crashed and the driver was killed. During her performance, Underwood got emotional and said "This song means so much to me..." and gave a tearful performance.
Reception
Reviews of the song have been mainly positive. 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...
gave a positive review saying that "Hope reverberates through the scenarios as each character senses that life on Earth is but a temporary trial....Vocally, she has never sounded more heartfelt and compelling. "Temporary Home" is a powerful song that's stirring but not preachy, and Underwood's performance is sure to resonate strongly with listeners."
Country Universe gave the track an A- grade saying "It’s not the narrative that powers this song, but the depth and strength of her personal conviction. From the inclusion of neglected members of society to the intricate shades of fully-invested emotion to the telling last line –“this is our temporary home”–, the song provides a glimpse at the person behind the artist."
Roughstock has also been positive in their review saying, "In "Temporary Home," three characters all take on some interpretation of the title phrase: a literal sense for the foster child bounced from home to home, a struggling young mother in a halfway house, and a spiritual sense for the man on his deathbed. What could've easily been a mountain of glurge instead becomes simple and effective."
Jim Malec of 9513 was less enthusiastic about the song saying "It’s hard to relate to, or have much sympathy for, people who we know aren’t real. As a result, “Temporary Home” has a very dull emotional affect—we’re sad because hard times are sad, and we’re happy because we hope tomorrow will be better, but we know the whole scenario is constructed to preach a particular point of view. Between the first note and the last, not a single lyric works to reveal something about ourselves or strives to tell us a story—it’s impact is blunt, hits fast and fades quickly.". He was positive about Underwood's vocals saying, "Underwood shows off those refined chops on new single “Temporary Home”; her vocal is beautifully delicate, and the downtempo pace of the song grants a welcome reprieve for her typically bombastic production."
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
October 20, 2009 | Music download | Arista Nashville |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Sony Music | ||
| United States | December 14, 2009 | Airplay | Arista Nashville |
| Canada | Sony Music |
Music video
Originally, a live performance from CMT's Invitation Only, was released as a music video to promote the single. A concept music video for the song was filmed in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and premiered on 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...
on February 4, 2010.
The video was directed by Deaton Flanigen
Deaton-Flanigen Productions
Deaton-Flanigen Productions is a music video directing duo composed of Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field of country music...
. In the song's music video Underwood is shown riding around town in a taxi cab. During her journey she watches a young boy with his new foster mother, and a mother trying desperately to get a job. Finally, she reaches her destination, a hospital room with an elderly man, presumably her grandfather, lying on his deathbed. Between the third verse and third chorus on the video, Underwood goes in and talks to her dying grandfather (portrayed by Brian Dennehy
Brian Dennehy
Brian Mannion Dennehy is an American actor of film, stage and screen.-Early years:Dennehy was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Hannah and Edward Dennehy, who was a wire service editor for the Associated Press; he has two brothers, Michael and Edward. Dennehy is of Irish ancestry and was...
) in the video and hugs him. Throughout the video, Underwood is also shown performing the song while standing among trees in the winter, with snowfall coming down behind her. Underwood said of the video,
53rd Grammy Awards53rd Grammy AwardsThe 53rd annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights prior to the telecast on February 11. Nominations were...
|-| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| 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...
||
16th Inspirational Country Music Awards
|-| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Inspirational Music Video of the Year ||
|-
| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Inspirational Mainstream Country Song of the Year ||
2010 CMT Music AwardsCMT Music AwardsThe CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
|-| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" (from CMT Invitation Only) ||align="center"| CMT Performance of the Year ||
2010 CMA Triple-Play Awards
|-| align="center"|2010 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Triple-Play Songwriter (along with "Cowboy Casanova
Cowboy Casanova
"Cowboy Casanova" is a country song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Mike Elizondo, Brett James and co-written by Underwood herself. It was released on September 14, 2009 by Arista Nashville as the lead single from her third studio album, Play On...
", "Undo It
Undo It
"Undo It" is the title of a song written by Kara DioGuardi, Martin Frederiksen, Luke Laird and co-written and recorded by American country artist Carrie Underwood. It was made available to digital retailers on October 27, 2009, and was released as an official single on May 24, 2010...
") ||
2011 BMIBMIBMI may refer to:In business:* Broadcast Music, Inc., a collecting society for composers' copyrights* Baltimore Museum of Industry* BMI , British Midland International, an airline of the United Kingdom...
Awards
|-| align="center"|2011 ||align="center"| "Temporary Home" ||align="center"| Songwriter of the Year ||
Chart performance
"Temporary Home" debuted at #92 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at #66 on the Canadian Hot 100. It also debuted at #48 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on the week ending December 12, 2009, and has so far become her 12th top 10 single. On the chart week of April 10, 2010, the song became her ninth #1 single and peaked at number 34 on the U.S. Christian Songs chart.| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Songs (Billboard Billboard (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... ) |
34 |
Sales and certifications
As a promotional single (before the release of Play On):United States: 31,000
- These sales only count for the purchases of the song that were bought during the album's promotion period before it was released as an official single.
As a confirmed single (after the release of Play On):
United States: 777,000
The song has been officially confirmed as Gold.