Little Red Wagon (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Little Red Wagon

| cover = LittleRedWagon.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Miranda Lambert

| album = Platinum

| released = January 12, 2015

| recorded = 2013–14

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Country rock

| length = 3:24

| label = RCA Nashville

| writer = {{flatlist|

}}

| producer = {{flatlist|

}}

| prev_title = Somethin' Bad

| prev_year = 2014

| next_title = Smokin' and Drinkin'

| next_year = 2015

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|TQK0d72Jom8|"Little Red Wagon"}}

| type = single

| header = Music videos

}}

}}

"Little Red Wagon" is a song written by Audra Mae and Joe Ginsberg, and originally recorded by Mae on her 2012 album Audra Mae and the Almighty Sound. It was covered by Miranda Lambert on her fifth studio album Platinum, and was released as its third single in January 2015.

The titular line of the song, "You can't ride in my little red wagon, the front seat's broken and the axle's dragging" is a reference to a popular call and response song in American children's camps.{{Cite web |last=Yannucci |first=Lisa |title=Little Red Wagon - American Children's Songs - The USA - Mama Lisa's World: Children's Songs and Rhymes from Around the World |url=https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2425 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201170326/https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=2425 |archive-date=December 1, 2022 |access-date=December 31, 2023 |website=Mama Lisa's World}} The song's origins are difficult to trace, and there are many variations, but the song at least dates back to the 1970s.

Recording

Lambert said that she first heard of the song when John Eddie, with whom she had been touring at the time, recommended that she listen to an Audra Mae album. Upon hearing the song, Lambert wanted to record it, and asked Mae for permission to do so.{{cite web|url=http://blog.gactv.com/blog/2014/12/18/miranda-lambert-releases-little-red-wagon/|title=Miranda Lambert Releases "Little Red Wagon"|last=Wyland|first=Sarah|date=18 December 2014|work=Great American Country|accessdate=7 January 2015}}

Critical reception

Giving it a B+, Jon Freeman of Country Weekly wrote that "it's still fun to hear her back in spitfire mode". He praised the "strong use of dynamics" in the production, but thought that the lyrics were "on the silly side of cheeky".{{cite journal|last=Freeman|first=Jon|date=16 March 2015|title=Reviews: Miranda Lambert - 'Little Red Wagon'|journal=Country Weekly|volume=22|issue=11|page=66|issn=1074-3235}}

Commercial performance

"Little Red Wagon" debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week dated January 10, 2015. It also debuted at number 49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 23, 2014, several months before being released as a single. The song peaked at No. 5 on Hot Country Songs chart for chart dated March 28, 2015, and No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week. As of July 2015, the song has sold 432,000 downloads in the US.{{cite news|url=http://roughstock.com/news/2015/07/36601-top-30-digital-country-singles-july-28-2015 |title=The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: July 28, 2015|author= Matt Bjorke |date= July 28, 2015 }}

Music video

The music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy and premiered on March 11, 2015.{{cite news|last1=Vinson|first1=Christina|title=Miranda Lambert Debuts 'Little Red Wagon' Music Video|url=http://theboot.com/miranda-lambert-little-red-wagon-video/|accessdate=March 12, 2015|work=The Boot|date=March 11, 2015}} In the video, Lambert is shown checking into a remote motel surrounded by desert. She is shown walking her pet dog, lounging beside the pool, and sitting on one of the motel beds while the motel's housekeeper and receptionist are seen dancing while on the job. The video ends with Lambert leaving in her airstream brandishing a belt that reads 'Mrs. Shelton,' a reference to her marriage with Blake Shelton.

Chart performance

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable"

! Chart (2015)

! Peak
position

{{singlechart|Canada|56|artist=Miranda Lambert}}
{{singlechart|Billboardcanadacountry|22|artist=Miranda Lambert}}
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|55|artist=Miranda Lambert}}
{{singlechart|Billboardcountryairplay|16|artist=Miranda Lambert}}
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|5|artist=Miranda Lambert}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable"
scope="col"|Chart (2015)

!scope="col"|Position

US Country Airplay (Billboard){{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/files/pdfs/country_update_1214.pdf|title=Billboard Country Update for December 14, 2015|page=7|date=December 14, 2015|work=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|accessdate=December 15, 2015}}

| align="center" | 77

US Hot Country Songs (Billboard){{Cite web | url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2015/hot-country-songs | title=Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs | work=Billboard | publisher=Prometheus Global Media | date=2015 | accessdate=December 9, 2015}}

| align="center" | 60

Certifications

{{certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United States|artist=Miranda Lambert|title=Little Red Wagon|award=Platinum|certyear=2020|relyear=2014|access-date=August 12, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true | nosales=true}}

References