A Little Bit Stronger

"A Little Bit Stronger"
Single by Sara Evans
from the album Stronger and Country Strong (soundtrack)
Released September 27, 2010[1]
Format Music download
Recorded 2010
Genre Country
Length 4:18 (radio edit)
5:04 (album version)
Label RCA Nashville
Writer(s) Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey, Hillary Scott
Producer(s) Tony Brown
Certification Platinum (RIAA)
Sara Evans chronology
"Feels Just Like a Love Song"
(2009)		 "A Little Bit Stronger"
(2010)		 "My Heart Can't Tell You No"
(2011)
Country Strong chronology
"Country Strong"
(2010)		 "A Little Bit Stronger"
(2010)		 "Me and Tennessee"
(2011)

"A Little Bit Stronger" is a song written by Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey and Hillary Scott, and recorded by American country music artist Sara Evans. It was released in September 2010 and as the lead-off single from her album Stronger, which was released on March 8, 2011. The song was also included on the soundtrack for the 2010 movie Country Strong and released as the second single from the film's soundtrack album. It became Evans first single to be certified Platinum by the RIAA in June 2011.[2]

Sara Evans performed the song on April 3, 2011 during the 2011 Academy of Country Music Awards, and received a standing ovation for her performance.[3] She also performed the song on May 24, 2011, during the finale of the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars.

Content

"A Little Bit Stronger" is a mid-tempo country ballad, backed by mandolin, steel guitar, piano, and percussion. The song's female narrator describes going through her daily routine and being constantly reminded of her former love interest ("I turned on the radio / Stupid song made me think of you"). However, she copes with the pain ("I listened to it for a minute / But then I changed it"), assuring herself that each time she pushes his memory away, she gets "a little bit stronger."

Evans debuted the new single during her 2010 fanclub party on June 10, 2010. The song was co-written by Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, who also performed harmony vocals on the record.[4]

Reception

Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs up, complimenting the song's "flourishes of steel and piano" and the "authentic, organic vocal."[5] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song 4 stars out of 5, complimenting the song's lighter production and Evans' vocals, which he felt "wring every bit of emotion out of the lyrics that chronicle a woman's ability to move on after a long relationship ends."[6] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe awarded the song a C rating, stating that the song could've been better "with a stronger melody and a more refined concept." He also compared it unfavorably to her previous singles, "Fool, I'm a Woman," "Cheatin'," and "Shame About That."[7]

Other versions

The song was also recorded by Leighton Meester for the film Country Strong and is included on the soundtrack album Country Strong: More Music From the Motion Picture. Danielle Bradbery, the eventual winner of season four of The Voice, covered the song during the quarter-finals. Her version reached #31 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Music video

The music video, directed by Peter Zavadil, was shot on August 9, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee, and premiered on CMT's Big New Music Weekend on October 1, 2010.[8] In the video, Evans is shown in various locations within her spacious apartment and sitting behind the wheel of a car in the rain, appearing distraught while she performs the song. Throughout the video, scenes of her recording a video blog are included. As the video progresses, Evans makes note in her video blog that she's been getting stronger with each passing day.

The video was nominated in Female Video of the Year category at the 2011 CMT Music Awards.[9]

Chart performance

"A Little Bit Stronger" debuted at #56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 2, 2010. It also debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at #98 for the week of January 15, 2011. It became her fifth number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week dated May 14, 2011, and her first number one hit since "A Real Fine Place to Start" in October 2005.

Chart (2010–2011) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 75
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 34
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 21
Preceded by
"Live a Little"
by Kenny Chesney		 Billboard Hot Country Songs
number-one single
May 14–21, 2011 		Succeeded by
"Heart Like Mine"
by Miranda Lambert

References

  1. ↑ "Single Releases". MusicRow. 2010-09-27. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  2. ↑ Sara Evans /. "Sara Evans' Single "A Little Bit Stronger" Certified Platinum by the RIAA". Sara Evans. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Sara Evans performs "A Little Bit Stronger" at ACMs". Celebrity Circuit. April 4, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ Gallagher, Pat (2010-06-15). "Sara Evans Gets Up Close and Very Personal With Fans". The Boot. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  5. ↑ Boldt, Blake (2010-09-07). "Sara Evans - "A Little Bit Stronger"". Engine 145. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  6. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (2010-08-30). "Sara Evans - "A Little Bit Stronger"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
  7. ↑ Coyne, Kevin (2010-09-03). "Single Review: Sara Evans, "A Little Bit Stronger"". Country Universe. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
  8. ↑ Sep272010. ""CMT Big New Music Weekend" Returns With 8 World Premiere Videos-Country Music Is Love". Countrymusicislove.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  9. ↑ "2011 CMT Music Awards Nominees Revealed". Country Music Television. Retrieved June 5, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Sara Evans – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Sara Evans. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Sara Evans – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Sara Evans. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Sara Evans – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Sara Evans. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.

External links

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