The Little Girl
Encyclopedia
"The Little Girl" is a song written by Harley Allen
and recorded by American country music
artist John Michael Montgomery
. The song features harmony vocals by bluegrass musicians Alison Krauss
and Dan Tyminski
, both members of Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was released in August 2000 as the lead single from the album Brand New Me
. The song became Montgomery's seventh and final No. 1 hit on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks
chart, and his first chart-topper since 1995's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
". The song also reached No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
. The website Snopes.com states that the legend itself is unverifiable, and would have otherwise passed into obscurity had it not been for songwriter Harley Allen who, after receiving a copy of the story from his brother, wrote the song in under fifteen minutes.
father and drug-addled mother. The couple regularly fought in front of her (usually with her hiding in fear behind the living room couch), showed her no attention or affection, and were not interested in religion.
One night, the fight escalated to a horrific outcome—the girl (while again hiding behind the couch) would witness the murder-suicide
of her parents (Dad killed Mom, then himself). This resulted in "some people from the city
" taking the girl to another home, one completely different from her prior one – this home featured a compassionate family who regularly attended church.
On the girl's first visit to church, while in Sunday School
, she noticed on the wall a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross. She commented that she did not know who the man was, but knew that he had to have come down from the cross—as she recognized the man as the one who comforted her while she witnessed her parents' violent deaths.
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that "every element flows seamlessly together, from the understated production and the tendered melody to Montgomery's carefully measured performance."
country chart in late 2000, holding the position for three weeks. It was Montgomery's seventh number-one hit and first since "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
" in 1995. The song also reached number one on the RPM
country singles chart in Canada, and was that publication's last country number-one hit as RPM closed in November 2000.
Harley Allen
Harley Lee Allen was an American bluegrass and country singer and songwriter.-Early life:He was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of the bluegrass performer Red Allen.-Film career:...
and recorded by American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery is an American country music artist. He has produced more than thirty singles on the Billboard country charts, including two of Billboard’s Number One country singles of the year: "I Swear" and "Sold "...
. The song features harmony vocals by bluegrass musicians Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
and Dan Tyminski
Dan Tyminski
Daniel John "Dan" Tyminski is a bluegrass composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist. He is a member of the band Alison Krauss and Union Station and has released two solo albums, Carry Me Across the Mountain , on the Doobie Shea Records label, and Wheels , on the Rounder Records label.He is best...
, both members of Alison Krauss and Union Station. It was released in August 2000 as the lead single from the album Brand New Me
Brand New Me
Brand New Me is the seventh studio album released by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. His last album for the Atlantic label, it features the Number One single "The Little Girl" as well as "Even Then" and "That's What I Like About You", both of which failed to make Top...
. The song became Montgomery's seventh and final No. 1 hit on the Billboard
Billboard (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 Singles & Tracks
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, and his first chart-topper since 1995's "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
"Sold " is a the title of a song written by Richard Fagan and Robb Royer and recorded by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. It was released in May 1995 as the second single from his 1995 self-titled album. It hit number-one on the country charts in the United States and Canada...
". The song also reached No. 35 on 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...
.
Background and writing
The song is based on an urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
. The website Snopes.com states that the legend itself is unverifiable, and would have otherwise passed into obscurity had it not been for songwriter Harley Allen who, after receiving a copy of the story from his brother, wrote the song in under fifteen minutes.
Content
"The Little Girl" tells of an unnamed young girl born to an alcoholicAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
father and drug-addled mother. The couple regularly fought in front of her (usually with her hiding in fear behind the living room couch), showed her no attention or affection, and were not interested in religion.
One night, the fight escalated to a horrific outcome—the girl (while again hiding behind the couch) would witness the murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
of her parents (Dad killed Mom, then himself). This resulted in "some people from the city
Child Protective Services
Child Protective Services is the name of a governmental agency in many states of the United States that responds to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as "Department of Children & Family Services"...
" taking the girl to another home, one completely different from her prior one – this home featured a compassionate family who regularly attended church.
On the girl's first visit to church, while in Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
, she noticed on the wall a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross. She commented that she did not know who the man was, but knew that he had to have come down from the cross—as she recognized the man as the one who comforted her while she witnessed her parents' violent deaths.
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor, of 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...
magazine reviewed the song favorably saying that "every element flows seamlessly together, from the understated production and the tendered melody to Montgomery's carefully measured performance."
Chart positions
"The Little Girl" reached number one 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...
country chart in late 2000, holding the position for three weeks. It was Montgomery's seventh number-one hit and first since "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
"Sold " is a the title of a song written by Richard Fagan and Robb Royer and recorded by American country music artist John Michael Montgomery. It was released in May 1995 as the second single from his 1995 self-titled album. It hit number-one on the country charts in the United States and Canada...
" in 1995. The song also reached number one on the RPM
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
country singles chart in Canada, and was that publication's last country number-one hit as RPM closed in November 2000.
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 35 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |