Follow Your Arrow

"Follow Your Arrow"
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Same Trailer Different Park
Released October 21, 2013 (2013-10-21)
Format Digital download
Genre Country
Length 3:21
Label Mercury Nashville
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Blowin' Smoke"
(2013)		 "Follow Your Arrow"
(2013)		 "Keep It to Yourself"
(2014)

"Follow Your Arrow" is a song recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The song is featured on her major label debut album, Same Trailer Different Park. It was released on October 21, 2013 as the album's third single.[1] It was written by Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. It was named Song Of The Year at the 2014 CMA Awards.

Content

Suggesting that any given choice will elicit criticism from others, the narrator states that one's best course is to remain true to oneself ("follow your arrow").

The song is in the key of F major with a main chord pattern of F-Dm-B♭-Gm-C and a vocal range of F3-C5. It is in a 4/4 time signature with a moderate tempo.[2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Honey and Kacey Musgraves and premiered in December 2013.[3]

Live performances

Musgraves performed the song on November 6 at the 2013 Country Music Association Awards. On January 26, Musgraves performed the song at the 56th annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.[4]

Critical reception

Billboard listed "Follow Your Arrow" at number 2 on their list of 20 Best Songs of 2013, saying that "you didn't have to be a hardcore country fan to boogie along to Kacey Musgraves' exuberant call to make lots of noise and kiss lots of boys – or lots of girls, if that's something you're into."[5] At the 2013 Country Music Awards, they censored the famous line "Roll up a joint" because they deemed it too controversial for primetime television.[6] "Follow Your Arrow" received mixed reviews due to some of the song's controversial lyrics. Some called the country tune "an attack on Christians", while others called it a "sign of [a] shift in country music" due to the song's positive reference to homosexuality.[7]

Chart performance

"Follow Your Arrow" debuted at number 56 on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week of November 2, 2013.[8] It also debuted at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 23, 2013 and at number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of February 15, 2014. In the week of February 15, 2014, the song also jumped from number 26 to number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, giving Musgraves her first top ten single as a recording artist on that chart. As of June 2014, the song has sold 471,000 digital copies in the US.[9]

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 50
Canada Country (Billboard)[11] 42
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 60
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[13] 43
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 90

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ http://www.musicrow.com/calendars-2/single-releases/
  2. ↑ "'Follow Your Arrow' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  3. ↑ "CMT : Videos : Kacey Musgraves : Follow Your Arrow". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Charms Grammys With "Follow Your Arrow" and Two Wins: She Takes Home Country Album of the Year and Best Country Song Honors". CMT. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ "20 Best Songs of 2013: Critics' Picks". December 18, 2013. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Censors Mute Kacey Musgraves During 2013 CMAs Performance of ‘Follow Your Arrow’: Critics' Picks". December 18, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves' 'Follow Your Arrow' latest sign of shifts in country music: Critics' Picks". December 18, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Chart Highlights: Avril Lavigne Tells Husband Chad Kroeger, 'Let Me Go'; Kacey Musgraves' 'Arrow' Lands On Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (June 19, 2014). "Country Chart News: The Top 30 Digital Singles For June 19, 2014". Roughstock.
  10. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Kacey Musgraves.
  11. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Kacey Musgraves.
  12. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Kacey Musgraves.
  13. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Kacey Musgraves.
  14. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kacey Musgraves.
  15. ↑ "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  16. ↑ "American single certifications – Kacey Musgraves – Follow Your Arrow". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 21, 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
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