When Little Big Town released “The Daughters,” they knew the message was controversial to some, although that wasn’t their intent. But they weren’t quite as prepared for the way people misunderstood the message, claiming that lines like, “I’ve heard of God the Son and God the father/ I’m still looking for a God for the daughters” meant that the four band members –– Kimberly Schlapman, Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet –– were saying there was no God for their daughters. While that sentiment couldn’t be farther from the truth, if it meant people were actually talking about the song, then they all count it a success, and a big one.
“The Daughters’ was an easy one for people to misunderstand,” Fairchild told The Tennessean. “We see the mean tweets. I mean stuff like, ‘You’re trying to say there’s no God for the daughters.’ That’s not what we’re saying. My goal is, ‘Can we just not desire to misunderstand each other?’ People are scared of things that aren’t what they’re used to. But it’s OK. ‘The Daughters’ did exactly what it needed to do. It continues this conversation of inequality.”
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“The Daughters” might have barely cracked the Top 30, but it did score a Grammy nomination, for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. The song, along with their current single, “Over Drinking,” appears on their upcoming album, Nightfall, out on Friday, Jan. 17, a record filled with both light and serious, with LBT unafraid to tackle more tough topics than just marginalized women, especially with “Problem Child.”
“It just feels timely,” Westbrook said of the message in the song. “There’s so many people who feel like they’re on the outside and disenfranchised, and kids, especially. The whole issue with bullying and all, just all the stuff that our kids have to deal with now, that’s so much more than what we did. With social media, you never get a break from it.”
“It hits me emotionally,” added Schlapman. “It makes me think of people, especially kids, who are out there suffering. They think they’re alone. They think nobody else is going through what they’re feeling. I pray this song is a gift and a sort of salvation to people because I feel like it can be a huge healer.”
Little Big Town will kick off their Nightfall Tour on Thursday, Jan. 16 at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall. Find tour dates and pre-order Nightfall at LittleBigTown.com.
Photo Credit: Getty / John Shearer
