The Weight of These Wings

In an August 2016 interview with Billboard, Lambert stated she had been working on the album for a year, which included writing and recording. She admitted she was nervous about her new music since she had mostly stayed quiet while writing it.{{cite magazine|last=Willman|first=Chris|title=Miranda Lambert Is 'Nervous as Hell' But 'Willing to Be Vulnerable' on Post-Divorce Single 'Vice|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7460879/miranda-lambert-vice-new-single-interview|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=October 17, 2016|date=August 2, 2016}} Songwriter Luke Dick was one of the musicians who worked on the album. He co-wrote "Highway Vagabond" with Natalie Hemby and Shane McAnally. He found the line "I want to go somewhere nobody knows; and I want to know somewhere that nobody goes" while waiting at a deli and not willing to mix with other people. This became a road song with the word "vagabond" at the center, with a production sounding like country Siouxsie and the Banshees.{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/country/features/eric-church-miranda-lambert-songwriter-on-hits-strippers-w459324 |title=Eric Church, Miranda Songwriter Talks Hits, Sunglasses and Strippers |work=Rolling Stone |first=Joseph |last=Hudak |date=6 January 2016 |accessdate=6 January 2016}}

The album's content is about her divorce with Blake Shelton and her subsequent relationship with Anderson East.{{cite web|last1=Dukes|first1=Billy|title=Miranda Lambert, 'The Weight of These Wings': Everything You Need to Know|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/miranda-lambert-weight-of-these-wings/|website=Taste of Country|publisher=Taste of Country Network|accessdate=October 17, 2016|date=October 11, 2016}}

The album was released on November 18, 2016, through RCA Records Nashville.

"Vice" was released as the album's lead single on July 18, 2016. In its first week it sold 64,000 copies and debuted (and peaked) at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.{{cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/311432/Miranda+Lambert/chart?f=357 |title=Miranda Lambert - Chart history {{!}} Billboard |website=www.billboard.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623043544/http://www.billboard.com/artist/311432/miranda+lambert/chart?f=357 |archive-date=2015-06-23}} It ultimately reached a peak of number 11 on the Country Airplay chart. As of March 2017, the song has sold 508,000 copies in the United States.{{cite news |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2017/03/41521-top-30-digital-singles-sales-report-march-6-2017 |title=Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: March 6, 2017 |first= Matt |last=Bjorke |date= March 6, 2017 |work=Roughstock }}

"We Should Be Friends" was released as the second single on December 12, 2016.{{cite web|title=Miranda Lambert – We Should Be Friends (Album)|date=15 November 2016|url=http://daily.plaympe.com/miranda-lambert-we-should-be-friends-album-2/|publisher=PlayMPE|accessdate=November 18, 2016}} It was a Top 30 hit on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.

"Tin Man" was released as the third single on April 3, 2017,{{cite web|title=Miranda Lambert - Tin Man|date=3 April 2017|url=http://daily.plaympe.com/miranda-lambert-tin-man/|publisher=Daily Play MPE|accessdate=April 10, 2017}} immediately following Lambert's acoustic performance of the song on 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards. It peaked in the Top 20 of the Hot Country Songs chart, and the Top 30 of the Country Airplay chart.

"Keeper of the Flame" was released as the fourth single on April 16, 2018.{{cite news|last1=Casey|first1=Jim|title=Listen to Miranda Lambert's Burning New Single, "Keeper of the Flame"|url=http://www.wbwn.com/2018/03/20/listen-to-miranda-lamberts-burning-new-single-keeper-of-the-flame-2/|accessdate=21 March 2018|work=WBWN|date=20 March 2018}}

{{Album ratings

| ADM = 7.8/10{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/8409/Miranda-Lambert-The-Weight-of-These-Wings.aspx|title=The Weight of These Wings by Miranda Lambert reviews|work=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=October 19, 2019}}

| MC = 81/100{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/the-weight-of-these-wings/miranda-lambert|title=Reviews for The Weight of These Wings by Miranda Lambert|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=December 22, 2016}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite news|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-weight-of-these-wings-mw0002991450|work=AllMusic|publisher=All Media Network|accessdate=November 17, 2019}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2Score = A−{{cite web|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|title=Miranda Lambert's 'The Weight of These Wings': EW review|url=https://www.ew.com/article/2016/11/18/miranda-lambert-weight-these-wings-ew-review/|work=Entertainment Weekly|date=November 18, 2016|accessdate=September 10, 2018}}

| rev3 = Exclaim!

| rev3Score = 7/10{{cite news|last=Easton|first=Anthony|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/miranda_lambert-the_weight_of_these_wings|work=Exclaim!|date=November 16, 2016|accessdate=November 17, 2016}}

| rev4 = The Guardian

| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Simpson|first=Dave|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings review – beautifully crafted country music rollercoaster|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/17/miranda-lambert-the-weight-of-these-wings-review-beautifully-crafted-country-music-rollercoaster|work=The Guardian|date=November 17, 2016|accessdate=November 17, 2016}}

| rev5 = Newsday

| rev5Score = A{{cite news|last=Gamboa|first=Glenn|title='The Weight of These Wings' review: Miranda Lambert aims high|url=https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/the-weight-of-these-wings-review-miranda-lambert-aims-high-1.12631544|work=Newsday|date=November 17, 2016|accessdate=April 11, 2019}}

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6Score = 7.8/10{{cite web|last=Sodomsky|first=Sam|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22680-the-weight-of-these-wings/|work=Pitchfork|date=December 6, 2016|accessdate=December 28, 2016}}

| rev7 = PopMatters

| rev7Score = 8/10{{cite web|last=Paul|first=John|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/miranda-lambert-the-weight-of-these-wings/|work=PopMatters|date=December 7, 2016|accessdate=January 11, 2017}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Hermes|first=Will|author-link=Will Hermes|title=Review: Miranda Lambert's 'Wings' Aims for Two Discs of Timeless Songs|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/review-miranda-lambert-the-weight-of-these-wings-w450845|work=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|date=November 17, 2016|accessdate=November 17, 2016}}

| rev9 = Spectrum Culture

| rev9Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Beaudoin|first=Jedd|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings|url=https://spectrumculture.com/2016/11/29/miranda-lambert-weight-wings/|work=Spectrum Culture|date=November 29, 2016|accessdate=April 11, 2019}}

| rev10 = Vice

| rev10Score = B+{{cite web|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|title=Country Livin' with Miranda Lambert, Margaret Glaspy, and More: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_ca/article/8qgve4/country-livin-with-miranda-lambert-margaret-glaspy-and-more-expert-witness-with-robert-christgau|work=Vice|date=December 10, 2016|accessdate=September 10, 2018}}

}}

The Weight of These Wings received widespread acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 81 out of 100, which indicates "universal acclaim" based on 11 reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic rated the album at five out of five and in his review stated "It may have mainstream songs, but The Weight of These Wings isn't produced like a country-pop album, so it demands attention and rewards close listening." Paul Grein of HITS Daily Double predicted the album to be in contention for Album of the Year at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite news|last=Grein|first=Paul|title=GREIN ON GRAMMYS, TAKE 1: ALBUM OF THE YEAR|url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=307198|accessdate=June 27, 2017|work=Hits Daily Double|date=June 27, 2017}}

The Weight of These Wings won the award for Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards. It marks Lambert's fifth consecutive album to win the award, a record for any artist or group.{{cite web|author=Grein, Paul|title=10 FACTS ABOUT THE ACM AWARD WINNERS THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW|work=Hits|url=http://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=305749|date=April 3, 2017|accessdate=April 3, 2017}}

All tracks produced by Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, and Glenn Worf.{{cite web|last1=Nicholson|first1=Jessica|title=Track Listing, Songwriters Revealed For Miranda Lambert Double Album|url=http://www.musicrow.com/2016/10/track-listing-songwriters-revealed-for-miranda-lambert-double-album/|website=musicrow.com|accessdate=October 17, 2016}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Disc 1 – {{nobold|The Nerve}}

| total_length = 46:00

| title1 = Runnin' Just in Case

| writer1 = {{hlist|Miranda Lambert|Gwen Sebastian}}

| length1 = 4:33

| title2 = Highway Vagabond

| writer2 = {{hlist|Natalie Hemby|Luke Dick|Shane McAnally}}

| length2 = 3:53

| title3 = Ugly Lights

| writer3 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Liz Rose}}

| length3 = 3:01

| title4 = You Wouldn't Know Me

| writer4 = Shake Russell

| length4 = 3:19

| title5 = We Should Be Friends

| writer5 = Lambert

| length5 = 2:50

| title6 = Pink Sunglasses

| writer6 = {{hlist|Rodney Clawson|Dick|Hemby}}

| length6 = 4:06

| title7 = Getaway Driver

| writer7 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Anderson East}}

| length7 = 3:53

| title8 = Vice

| writer8 = {{hlist|Lambert|McAnally|Josh Osborne}}

| length8 = 4:00

| title9 = Smoking Jacket

| writer9 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Lucie Silvas}}

| length9 = 4:54

| title10 = Pushin' Time

| note10 =

| writer10 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Foy Vance}}

| length10 = 3:33

| title11 = Covered Wagon

| writer11 = Danny O'Keefe

| length11 = 4:08

| title12 = Use My Heart

| writer12 = {{hlist|Lambert|Ashley Monroe|Waylon Payne}}

| length12 = 3:50

|all_writing=|title13=|length13=|title14=|length14=|title15=|length15=|title16=|length16=|title17=|length17=|title18=|length18=|title19=|length19=|title20=|length20=}}

{{Track listing

| total_length = 48:01

| headline = Disc 2 – {{nobold|The Heart}}

| title1 = Tin Man

| writer1 = {{hlist|Lambert|Jack Ingram|Jon Randall}}

| length1 = 4:19

| title2 = Good Ol' Days

| writer2 = {{hlist|Lambert|Brent Cobb|Adam Hood}}

| length2 = 3:18

| title3 = Things That Break

| writer3 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Jessi Alexander}}

| length3 = 3:47

| title4 = For the Birds

| writer4 = {{hlist|Lambert|Aaron Raitere}}

| length4 = 3:46

| title5 = Well-Rested

| writer5 = {{hlist|Lambert|Raitere|East}}

| length5 = 4:39

| title6 = Tomboy

| writer6 = {{hlist|Lambert|Raitere|Hemby}}

| length6 = 4:01

| title7 = To Learn Her

| writer7 = {{hlist|Lambert|Monroe|Payne}}

| length7 = 3:47

| title8 = Keeper of the Flame

| writer8 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Rose}}

| length8 = 3:59

| title9 = Bad Boy

| writer9 = {{hlist|Lambert|Mando Saenz}}

| length9 = 4:40

| title10 = Six Degrees of Separation

| writer10 = {{hlist|Lambert|Hemby|Nicolle Galyon}}

| length10 = 3:09

| title11 = Dear Old Sun

| writer11 = {{hlist|Lambert|Sebastian|Terri Jo Box}}

| length11 = 4:56

| title12 = I've Got Wheels

| writer12 = {{hlist|Lambert|Sebastian|Scotty Wray}}

| length12 = 3:40

}}

Credits adapted from AllMusic.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-weight-of-these-wings-mw0002991450/credits|title=The Weight of These Wings - Miranda Lambert – Credits|work=AllMusic|accessdate=November 22, 2016}}

Vocals

{{div col}}

• Chris Coleman – background vocals
• Madi Diaz – background vocals
• Anderson East – backing vocals on "Getaway Driver" and "Pushin' Time"
• Miranda Lambert – lead vocals
• Frank Liddell – background vocals
• Annalise Liddell – background vocals
• Eric Masse – background vocals
• Aaron Raitiere – background vocals
• Luke Reynolds – background vocals
• Frank Rische – background vocals
• Lillie Mae Rische – background vocals
• Gwen Sebastian – background vocals
• Lucie Silvas – background vocals
• Glenn Worf – background vocals

{{div col end}}

Musicians

{{div col}}

• Chris Carmichael – strings, string arrangements
• Matt Chamberlain – drums, percussion
• Chris Coleman – electric guitar, drums, violin, percussion, synthesizer, trumpet
• Spencer Cullum – steel guitar, lap steel guitar
• Louis Newman – timpani
• Lex Price – bass guitar, acoustic guitar
• Luke Reynolds – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, synthesizer
• Frank Carter Rische – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
• Glenn Worf – bass guitar, electric guitar, piano
• Scotty Wray – electric guitar

{{div col end}}

Production and imagery

{{div col}}

• Daniela Federici – photography
• Tracy Baskette Fleaner – creative direction and design
• Becky Fluke – photography
• Brittany Hamlin – production coordination
• Tiffany Gifford – styling
• Johnny Iavoy – photography
• Moani Lee – make-up
• Eric Masse – production
• Annalise Liddell – engineering assistance
• Frank Liddell – production
• Gavin Lurssen – mastering
• Chris Taylor – assistant, recording, mixing
• Glenn Worf – production

{{div col end}}

The Weight of These Wings debuted at number one on the Billboard Country Albums chart and number three on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart, moving 133,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release.{{cite web|last=Houghton|first=Cillea|title=Miranda Lambert Soars to Top of Charts With 'The Weight of These Wings'|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/miranda-lambert-weight-of-these-wings-chart-debut/|website=Taste of Country|publisher=Taste of Country Network|accessdate=November 28, 2016|date=November 28, 2016}} It sold 122,000 copies, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming activity and track sales. It is Lambert's fifth straight album to debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200, following Platinum (number one, 2014), Four the Record (number three, 2011), Revolution (number eight, 2009) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (number six, 2007). In its second week of release, the album moved 36,000 units and fell to number nine.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7597375/the-weeknd-starboy-billboard-200-no-1|title=The Weeknd's 'Starboy' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Third-Biggest Debut of 2016|work=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=December 4, 2016|accessdate=December 4, 2016}}

Following the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards on April 2, 2017, where Lambert won multiple awards and performed "Tin Man", the album moved 31,000 units, including 23,000 in pure sales, and jumped from number 192 to number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7760242/billboard-200-drake-more-life-billion-streams|title=Billboard 200 Chart Moves: Drake's 'More Life' Tracks Surpass 1 Billion U.S. Streams|work=Billboard|publisher=Prometheus Global Media|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=April 13, 2017|accessdate=April 14, 2017}} The album was certified Platinum on July 10, 2017, and it has sold 438,600 copies in the US as of August 2018.{{cite news |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2018/08/43253-top-10-country-albums-august-14-2018 |title=The Top 10 Country Albums: August 14, 2018 |first= Matt |last= Bjorke |date= August 15, 2018 |work=Roughstock |accessdate=August 15, 2018}}

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Miranda Lambert|title=The Weight of These Wings|award=Gold|access-date=July 30, 2018|type=album|relyear=2016|certyear=2018}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Miranda Lambert|title=The Weight of These Wings|relyear=2016|certyear=2017|award=Platinum|type=album|accessdate=July 13, 2017|salesamount=438,600|salesref=|refname=RIAA}}

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

Source: Amazon.com{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Weight-These-Wings-Miranda-Lambert/dp/B01M7R05R1|title=Miranda Lambert: The Weight of These Wings: Music|asin=B01M7R05R1|accessdate=November 22, 2016}}

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Miranda Lambert}}

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Category:2016 albums

Category:Albums produced by Frank Liddell

Category:Miranda Lambert albums

Category:RCA Records albums