How Lainey Wilson's Biggest Songs Have Become Country Essentials
Lainey Wilson has hits on hits on hits.
Country sweetheart Lainey Wilson stole the show at the 2024 People's Choice Awards by performing not one but four hit songs in a mashed-up medley that shows just how deep her catalogue is. For the show, Wilson chose her songs "Country's Cool Again," "Things a Man Oughta Know," "Heart Like a Truck," and "Watermelon Moonshine."
Wilson has been releasing music for a decade but has reached a new level of fame in the past year. Her songs have become new country classics, thanks to their catchiness and lyrics that feel both raw and relatable.
What to know about four of Lainey Wilson's biggest songs
"Once you get a taste, you'll lick the spoon. Learn every word to 'The Dance' and 'Neon Moon,'" Wilson sings on her 2024 single "Country's Cool Again," referencing the style's recent resurgence in popular culture. "The Dance" is a song by Garth Brooks, and "Neon Moon" is by duo Brooks & Dunn (different Brooks).
"Things a Man Oughta Know" is from Wilson's 2021 album Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'. “I wrote this song with Jonathon Singleton and Jason Nix," Wilson told Digital Journal. "We really spoke about all the things that we thought a man oughta know. The list was way too long so we condensed that list. We discussed my childhood and the things that my parents taught me growing up. This song is really about having good character.”
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2022's "Heart Like a Truck" became a viral hit, with so many listeners relating to its what-doesn't-kill-you-makes-you-stronger theme. “‘Heart Like a Truck’ is a song about finding freedom and strength, and not being scared of the scars and the dents and the bumps along the way,” Wilson told Classic Country 100.9. “At the end of the day, that’s what builds character...It’s a song about triumph.”
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"Watermelon Moonshine," like "Heart Like a Truck," is from Wilson's album Bell Bottom Country, and tells the story of a lost love. After the song became a radio hit, Wilson told Taste of Country, per American Songwriter, “Every boy I have ever dated in my lifetime thinks this song is about them...No. Do you not realize I dated other people than you?”
But ultimately, she's fine with the speculation. “Boy, if that butters your biscuit, if that makes you feel good, you’re right. I wrote it about ya.”
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