When Miranda Lambert sings about her “Little Red Wagon” she insists she’s not making a bawdy double-entendre. After the country superstar debuted a video for the song last week, NYmag.com ran a piece about it by Maggie Lange with the headline, “Is This 2015’s Most Alarming Euphemism for a Vagina?” “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” says Lambert. “That’s the kind of people that I wish didn’t listen to my music, because they clearly don’t get it.”
Behind the music “There’s not that many women in country right now and I know there’s a lot of up and coming girls that are on their way, but I think it’s important that the ones of us that are where I am … mention them and help them get farther,” she says. Country girls sticking together Lambert is devoted to this cause in more ways than just covering other women. She often takes a screenshot of her phone when she’s listening to a song she’s really into and posts it on Instagram with the #girlsincountrymusic hashtag.“We have to stick together and lift each other up and promote each other,” she says. On Blake Shelton “We ask each other’s opinion, but mostly we’re just supportive of each other,” she says. “He’s one of my biggest fans, and that’s so cool. He’s always supportive and has really positive things to say. I’m always like, ‘How was it? How was I singing?’ He always gives me whatever advice I need. He doesn’t hold back either, with whatever criticism, and I do the same for him, but mostly we’re just proud of each other.” If you go:Miranda Lambert in concert
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Like a number of the tracks on Lambert’s most recent album, “Platinum,” she did not write the song. “Little Red Wagon” began life as an Army cadence and in 2012 Oklahoma-based singer Audra Mae put a more fleshed out version of the song on her album with The Almighty Sound. And when Lambert recorded it, she even invited Mae to sing with her.
“On this record, I wrote about half of the songs,” she says, “and it just so happens that I did record a lot of female writers too, and that wasn’t necessarily on purpose, but I’m just a fan of women in country music and women in music in general.”
Miranda Lambert is married to fellow country singer Blake Shelton, who is also known for his work as a judge on “The Voice.” Where it might seem like a challenge to be in a relationship with somebody who’s in the same line of work as you are, imagine if that person also makes a living on the side offering criticism to other people in that line of work. Not so, says Lambert.
March 27
Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
2301 Boardwalk, Atlantic City
$35-$85, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
March 28
Madison Square Garden
7th Ave & 32nd Street
$49-$89, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
April 10
DCU Center
50 Foster St., Worcester
$38-$53, 800-745-3000
www.ticketmaster.com
Miranda Lambert: On the ‘Wagon’
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
