The song is her first solo topper in eight years.
When Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick, and Natalie Hemby wrote “Bluebird” just over 18 months ago, they had no idea that the uplifting song about looking into the light, even in the darkest moments, would provide a balm during a global pandemic. And Lambert certainly didn’t expect it would become her first solo number 1 in. BillboardCountry Airplay’s list since 2012’s “Over You”.
“We could never have known that right now the message of hope in this song is exactly what we need to hear, including myself,” says Lambert. Billboard of the song produced by Jay Joyce that tops the list dated August 1. “So I am very grateful. I think the timing was definitely a part of his success. “
Almost 16 years have passed since Lambert first appeared on the list with “Me and Charlie talking” and, she admits, she and the radio have had “our ups and downs.” But she adds that she is overwhelmingly grateful for the support of radio during her career and that with her latest topper, “I am so thankful that after all these years, I still have a place.”
Were you worried that you may no longer have a spot at # 1 as a solo artist after your last two # 1s were duets with Keith Urban in “We Were Us” and “Drowns The Whiskey” with Jason Aldean?
I did not worry, because I have built a career. A hit is not necessarily a position on the chart. The reason I have had the long career I have had is because I have not relied on the leaderboards for successes, like “Little Red Wagon” for example, it was somewhere low on the list[e[e[e[eEditor’s Note: Ranked # 18 on Country Airplay]and it’s one of my best songs, you know? But it feels good to know that I still have it (laughs)
I had resolved that if there was no place for me, then The weight of these wings I think that’s when I really started to accept it because I had a song like “Tin Man” and it didn’t do anything on the charts. So I thought, “Well, maybe this is my new course. I’ll just bring out what I love and what I believe in. “But I will definitely say that when on tour, being successful, like a top 5, changes the way the crowd sings. It changes the way your show is. And always I can say it.
That should make it even more difficult not to be on the road right now and not to hear the audience sing “Bluebird” with you.
That’s a downside right now – it’s song number 1 and I can’t share it with them. I miss the fans and share this moment with them, but when [touring] Come back, I know it will still be there. I can’t wait to hear the crowd sing. That is something I am really looking forward to.
You wrote it three days after you married Brendan Mcloughlin. How was that session with Luke and Natalie?
I gave the beans to the two I married because I had kept it a secret. So that same day that we were writing that song, I’m about to burst: “I have to tell you a secret!” Luke sent us a group text message. We are always in a thread. And sent those lines [from Charles Bukowski’s poem “The Bluebird.”] He was like, “Maybe there’s something in this. He really spoke to me. Did he speak to all of you? I said,” Absolutely. “So we went that day knowing we were going to write” Bluebird “or find out if we could.
You know, those are some big letters to try to build, so we wanted to make sure we did a good job of it. Writing with them is always fun. Sometimes it is difficult and when it gets difficult it is when we know that we are about to get something good. When your skin starts to crawl because you can’t think about it and you want to leave the room is when something comes.
So as a writer, have you learned to overcome that discomfort?
Yes why so soon [we] We are all talking about what kind of jobs we are going to do since we can no longer write songs[[[[laughs]clearly something magical comes out of someone’s mouth and then we return to normal. Or we take a pink break. That also helps.
Did you know it was special after you finished writing it?
Yes, we knew at the time that it was really a great song, something different.
You even took the album title, Wildcard, from a song line, which generally means that the song has a special meaning. How did that decision come about?
We borrowed from some amazing writers for this song, because we had Charles Bukowski’s poem and I had a joker tattooed on my arm in October 2018, a joker on my sleeve. I got it in part because I covered a song on my second album that was an Emmylou Harris song [written by Carlene Routh and Susanna Clark] called “Easy from now on”.
One of my favorite lines is: “When morning comes and it’s time for me to go / Don’t worry about me, I have a wild card up my sleeve,” and it always resonates with me. I got the tattoo before writing “Bluebird” obviously to remind me of being the queen of your own heart and you know you can get something out if you need to get out of the situation. And then when we were writing this song, it seemed like it totally fit the message.
How are you going to celebrate hitting No. 1?
I’m probably going to be on my porch with Natalie and Luke and maybe my manager and a very small group and have a little porch to hang out and celebrate. You know, it’s a big problem.
