"Automatic" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in February 2014 and served as the lead single from her fifth studio album, ''

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''. Lambert co-wrote the song with

Nicolle Galyon Nicolle Anne Galyon (born July 22, 1984) is a singer, songwriter, producer, record label executive, & publishing executive from Sterling, Kansas. She has written songs for Lady A, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Florida Ge ...

and

Natalie Hemby Natalie Nicole Hemby Wrucke (born March 24, 1977) is an American country music songwriter and singer. She has written songs for Lee Ann Womack, Eli Young Band, Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Sunny Sweeney, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Kacey Mus ...

. It was nominated for two Grammy Awards for

Best Country Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guide it is design ...

and

Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...

Content

"Automatic" is a mid-tempo country song that is built around lyrics of nostalgia and remembering the days "back before everything became automatic." Written by Lambert along with Nicolle Galyon and Natalie Hemby, the lyrics reference such things as pocket watches,

payphones A payphone (alternative spelling: pay phone) is typically a coin-operated public telephone, often located in a telephone booth or in high-traffic outdoor areas, with prepayment by inserting money (usually coins) or by billing a credit or debit ...

radios Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

, and sending letters in the mail as examples of everyday things that have since been phased out by newer technology. Lambert said that the song is "about slowing down, taking a breath and remembering what it's like to live life a little more simply. It's not about going back, but reminiscing about what it was like to hang laundry on the line and wait for it to dry and my dad teaching me how to drive my '55 Chevy that I still have but don't drive nearly enough. The song brings back good memories and it reminds me to take a deep breath and to remember that getting there is half the fun." Canadian country artist

Carolyn Dawn Johnson Carolyn Dawn Johnson (born April 30, 1971) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter. Johnson co-wrote Chely Wright's 1999 single, "Single White Female," which reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in Se ...

provides harmony vocals on the song.

Music video

The music video was directed by Trey Fanjoy and premiered on March 24, 2014. In it, Lambert is shown going through a trunk in her attic full of keepsakes, pulling out things such as old letters and photographs, jewelry, and a cassette player. Meanwhile, Lambert is seen performing the song with her acoustic guitar on a porch and driving around the countryside in her '55 Chevy, taking in the rural landscape. At the 2014 CMT Music Awards, Lambert's song "Automatic" won Female Video of the Year, giving Lambert her fifth consecutive win in the category.

Awards and nominations

Academy of Country Music Awards

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Country Music Association Awards

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CMT Music Awards

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Grammy Awards

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Chart performance

"Automatic" debuted at number 26 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored b ...

chart for the chart dated February 22, 2014, making it Lambert's highest-debuting single at that time. The song has sold 473,000 copies in the U.S. as of June 2014.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2014 singles Miranda Lambert songs Songs written by Miranda Lambert RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Frank Liddell Songs written by Natalie Hemby Music videos directed by Trey Fanjoy 2014 songs Songs written by Nicolle Galyon Songs about nostalgia