Pray for You
Encyclopedia
"Pray for You" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer Jaron Lowenstein, credited to Jaron and the Long Road to Love
. It is Lowenstein's first solo single
release, following three singles in the duo Evan and Jaron
. The song is included on Jaron's debut album, Getting Dressed in the Dark.
The song is nominated for Single by New/Breakthrough Artist at the first-annual 2010 American Country Awards.
Jaron told Technorati
that the song "wasn't started or pushed by some major label or organization. I would love to take the credit for its success, but honestly this is something fans want and they are the ones calling radio to have them play it."
gave a positive review in USA Today
. In his review Mansfield called the song "a twisted novelty that combines country's fondness for spiritual themes and relational revenge."
s. The first was directed by Hank Friedmann and aired on January 4, 2010. A second, issued on April 8, 2010 under the direction of Mark Klasfeld, includes a guest appearance from actress Jamie Pressly. The first music video is about a man who gets revenge on his ex-lover over a voodoo web site. The second music video is about a man who lives with this woman who abuses him in multiple ways.
Hot Country Songs
chart for the week ending December 5, 2009, and peaked at #13. On the chart dated for the week ending April 10, 2010, "Pray for You" entered the Billboard Hot 100
at #87, and has since peaked at #34, providing the singer with his second Top 40 pop hit (he achieved his first as part of Evan and Jaron).
Jaron and the Long Road to Love
Jaron David Lowenstein is an American singer who formerly recorded with his identical twin brother, Evan, in the musical duo Evan and Jaron. As Jaron and the Long Road to Love, he released his debut single, "Pray for You," to country radio in November 2009...
. It is Lowenstein's first solo single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
release, following three singles in the duo Evan and Jaron
Evan and Jaron
Evan Mitchell Lowenstein and Jaron David Lowenstein are American musicians and identical twin brothers who performed as Evan and Jaron. Evan and Jaron have recorded three studio albums and charted three singles on the Pop Songs charts...
. The song is included on Jaron's debut album, Getting Dressed in the Dark.
The song is nominated for Single by New/Breakthrough Artist at the first-annual 2010 American Country Awards.
Content
In "Pray for You," the narrator is told to pray for those who have wronged him, so he prays for unfavorable events on his former lover (e.g. "I pray your brakes go out running down a hill").Jaron told Technorati
Technorati
Technorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...
that the song "wasn't started or pushed by some major label or organization. I would love to take the credit for its success, but honestly this is something fans want and they are the ones calling radio to have them play it."
Critical reception
The song has been met with positive reviews. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock called the lyrics "clever" and thought that it was "unique enough lyrically" to be a hit. Jim Malec of The 9513 gave it a thumbs-up, with his review saying that it "demonstrates a delightful disdain for mainstream protocol–the song is sinister, and that’s a wonderful respite among a seemingly never-ending pipeline of songs that heavy-handedly tell us how to live and what to believe." Brian MansfieldBrian Mansfield
Brian Mansfield is an American writer and journalist. A longtime music writer and critic for USA Today, Mansfield is also the writer/producer of syndicated weekly radio program America's Opry Weekend for American radio network Dial Global Radio Networks and author and co-author of a number of books...
gave a positive review in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. In his review Mansfield called the song "a twisted novelty that combines country's fondness for spiritual themes and relational revenge."
Music video
The song has had two music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s. The first was directed by Hank Friedmann and aired on January 4, 2010. A second, issued on April 8, 2010 under the direction of Mark Klasfeld, includes a guest appearance from actress Jamie Pressly. The first music video is about a man who gets revenge on his ex-lover over a voodoo web site. The second music video is about a man who lives with this woman who abuses him in multiple ways.
Chart performance
"Pray for You" debuted at #58 on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the week ending December 5, 2009, and peaked at #13. On the chart dated for the week ending April 10, 2010, "Pray for You" entered the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
at #87, and has since peaked at #34, providing the singer with his second Top 40 pop hit (he achieved his first as part of Evan and Jaron).
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|