"Blowin' Smoke" is a song co-written 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 ...

singer

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 20 ...

, featured on her major label debut album, ''

Same Trailer Different Park ''Same Trailer Different Park'' is the debut studio album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on March 19, 2013, through Mercury Nashville. Musgraves co-wrote all 12 tracks and co-produced the album with Luke Laird and Sha ...

''. It was released April 1, 2013, as the album's second single. It was written and produced by Musgraves,

Luke Laird Luke Robert Laird (born May 4, 1978 in Hartstown, Pennsylvania) is an American country music songwriter and producer. He has written over 20 number one ''Billboard'' singles, including Carrie Underwood's " So Small", " Temporary Home", and ...

, and

Shane McAnally Shane Lamar McAnally (born October 12, 1974) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. He debuted as a singer in 1999 with his Shane McAnally (album), self-titled album on Curb Records. This project produced three sing ...

. As of July 10, 2013, the single has sold 135,000 copies in the United States.

Content

The song is about a waitress who is "down on her luck" and aspires to do better, but is "just blowin' smoke". The title is a double meaning, referencing the fact that the waitress is smoking a cigarette while also playing on the term "blowing smoke", which Musgraves refers to as meaning "talking shit". The song opens and closes with the ambient noise of a

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restaurant, recorded by co-writer and co-producer

Critical reception

Billy Dukes at Taste of Country said "every element of 'Blowin' Smoke' works together to fill in gaps in a listener’s mind, especially one who’s never behind the bar or in front of a line cook, nervously tapping on a steel counter while their table’s food is prepared. The peculiarity of subject matter may prevent this single from being a chart-topper, but one gets the feeling that’s not the singer’s measure of success anyway". Matt Bjorke at Roughstock said the song "features an interesting story about how we all say we're gonna do things and change our lives but we end up not doing it. It's honest and real, unlike so much of Today's music". Daryl Addison at

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says "Kacey sings with more than a hint of her character’s jealous contempt, ''we’re all out here talkin’ trash, makin’ bets, lips wrapped ’round our cigarettes,'' when a fellow waitress follows her heart to Vegas.

Music video

The music video was directed by Honey and premiered on CMT and

in May 2013.

Chart performance

"Blowin' Smoke" debuted at number 56 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

's''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

chart for the week of April 13, 2013. It also debuted at number 48 on ''Billboard's''

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart for the week of April 27, 2013. It also debuted at number 10 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

chart for the week of June 22, 2013.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Songs about tobacco 2013 singles Kacey Musgraves songs Mercury Nashville singles Songs written by Luke Laird Songs written by Shane McAnally 2013 songs Songs written by Kacey Musgraves Song recordings produced by Luke Laird Song recordings produced by Shane McAnally