"Banjo" is a song written by

Neil Thrasher Joe Neil Thrasher Jr. (born July 13, 1965) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1995 and 1997, he and Kelly Shiver comprised the duo Thrasher Shiver, which recorded a studio album for Asylum Records in 1996 and charted ...

Wendell Mobley Wendell Lee Mobley (born in Celina, Ohio) is an American country music songwriter. He has written No. 1 hits for Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney. He began playing in local bands before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he found a job playing ...

, and Tony Martin and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

group

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

. It was released in January 2012 as the first single from their eighth studio album, '' Changed''. Rascal Flatts also performed the song live with

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

at the

Academy of Country Music Awards The Academy of Country Music Awards, also known as the ACM Awards, were first held in 1966, honoring the industry's accomplishments during the previous year. It was the first country music awards program held by a major organization. The academy ...

in 2012.

Content

"Banjo" is an up-tempo song in which the narrator invites his lover to escape with him to a faraway place that "ain't on the map". He tells her to "go-go-go / 'Til hehear a banjo."

and

, both of whom have written several singles for Rascal Flatts, told ''Taste of Country'' that the line "'til you hear a banjo" came when Rascal Flatts' lead singer

Gary LeVox Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console l ...

was giving the two directions to his farm. Although they did not write the song at the farm, Mobley and Thrasher presented the idea to Tony Martin. The next time Mobley went to LeVox's farm, he presented LeVox with a demonstration recording of the song, and LeVox said that he would cut the song "right now".

Critical reception

The song has received mixed reviews from critics. Rating it three-and-a-half stars out of five, Matt Bjorke thought that the band sounded "refreshed" and that the song itself was "well-produced". The song received an identical rating from Billy Dukes of ''Taste of Country'', who criticized the song's lyrics, but said that it "should be enjoyed for what's on the surface". Noah Eaton of ''Country Universe'' gave the song a "C+" grade, saying that LeVox "actually sounds like he's enjoying the ride here", but criticizing the production for its "stereotypical stadium-rock histrionics" in the last verse. Ben Foster of ''The 1-to-10 Country Music Review'' gave it five stars out of 10, saying, "the song will more than likely supply the group with another chart hit, and a high-volume set opener for their live shows."

Chart performance

"Banjo" debuted at number 37 on the U.S. ''

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charts for the week of January 28, 2012, and became the group's 12th number-one hit, for the week of May 12, 2012.

Year-end charts

Certifications

Parody

* American parody artist Cledus T. Judd released a parody of "Banjo" titled "Tebow" on his 2012 album ''

Parodyziac!! ''Parodyziac!!'' is the eleventh and final studio album by American parody musician Cledus T. Judd. The album was released on October 16, 2012 as his first for Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Critical reception Chuck Dauphin of ''Music News Nash ...

''.

References

{{authority control 2012 singles 2012 songs Rascal Flatts songs Songs written by Tony Martin (songwriter) Songs written by Neil Thrasher Songs written by Wendell Mobley Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Big Machine Records singles Music videos directed by Shaun Silva Songs about musical instruments