You Sound Good to Me

"You Sound Good to Me"
Single by Lucy Hale
from the album Road Between
Released	January 7, 2014
Format	Digital download
Genre	Country
Length	3:12
Label	DMG Nashville
Writer(s)	Ashley Gorley Luke Laird Hillary Lindsey
Producer(s)	Mike Daly
Lucy Hale singles chronology
"You Sound Good to Me" (2014) "Lie a Little Better" (2014)

"You Sound Good to Me" is the song recorded by American country artist Lucy Hale. The song was written by Ashley Gorley, Luke Laird, and Hillary Lindsey, and was produced by Mike Daly. It was released to digital retailers on January 7, 2014^[1] by DMG Nashville as the first single from Hale's debut album Road Between.

The song was generally well-received by critics, praising its unique country pop sound, particularly in contrast to the teen pop of contemporary actresses-turned-singers on the Hollywood Records label. "You Sound Good to Me" peaked at numbers 21 and 47 on both the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively. It also charted at number 88 on the Hot 100. It achieved similar chart success in Canada, peaking at number 57 on the Canadian Hot 100.

An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Philip Andelman was released on January 7, 2014 and features Hale hanging out with her friends on a road trip.

Critical reception

Upon its release, "You Sound Good to Me" was met with mostly positive reviews. Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal suggested the song made Hale's future in country music look "promising", awarding the song a 4.5-star (out of 5) rating.^[1] Sam Lansky of Idolator similarly complimented the song as a strong debut that "bodes very well" for the associated album, and proposed that it could be a hit at country radio, owing to its "attitude" and "big singalong chorus".^[2] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave a glowing review, describing "You Sound Good to Me" as well-written and strongly-performed, while also highlighting Hale's "powerful" voice. "She's not another confection of some machine, Bjorke concludes, "She’s [sic] genuinely talented and “You Sound Good To Me” proves it." The blog, too, rated the song 4.5 stars out of 5.^[3] Selecting it as a "Critic's Pick", Taste of Country contributor Billy Dukes called the song "too much fun to brush aside", and noted that Hale "[shines] as a vocalist" on the track in spite of an arrangement not designed to showcase vocals.^[4]

Music video

The music video was released on January 7, 2014.^[1] Directed by Philip Andelman, the video features Hale going on a road trip with her friends and arriving at a late-night bonfire. It ends with her giving a kiss to one of her male friends.

Chart performance

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[5]	57
US Billboard Hot 100[6]	88
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[7]	47
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8]	21
US Top Heatseekers (Billboard)[9]	8
US Country Digital Songs (Billboard)[10]	4

References

1. Papadatos, Markos. "Review: Lucy Hale stuns on new country single 'You Sound Good To Me'". Digital Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
2. Lansky, Sam. "Lucy Hale Releases Debut Country Single "You Sound Good To Me": Listen". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
3. Bjorke, Matt. "Single Review: Lucy Hale - You Sound Good To Me". Roughstock. Cheri Media. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
4. Dukes, Billy. "Lucy Hale, ‘You Sound Good to Me’ – ToC Critic’s Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
5. "Lucy Hale – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Lucy Hale.
6. "Lucy Hale – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Lucy Hale.
7. "Lucy Hale – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Lucy Hale.
8. "Lucy Hale – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Lucy Hale.
9. "Heatseekers Songs". Billboard. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
10. "Billboard Country Digital Songs : January 25, 2014". Billboard (Prometheus Global Media). January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.