‘Only Prettier’ Co-Writer Natalie Hemby on the Line She Wrote That Impressed Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert released the song “Only Prettier” on her 2009 album Revolution. It was later released as a single in 2010. The country singer co-wrote “Only Prettier” with songwriter Natalie Hemby. In an interview with The Boot, Hemby shared how the song “Only Prettier” was made.
Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby wrote ‘Only Prettier’ together
In 2016, The Boot published an anecdote by Hemby detailing the creation of “Only Prettier.” Hemby revealed that “Only Prettier” was written in a writing session with multiple songs.
“We wrote this song the same day we wrote ‘White Liar;’ we wrote four songs that day. Miranda’s time is crazy and precious, so I knew when she came over that I was going to bombard her … ‘What about this idea? What about this idea?'” Hemby said.
According to Hemby, she came up with the first two lyrics of the song, which kickstarted the creation of “Only Prettier.”
“I gave her the first two lines: ‘Well, I’ve been saved by the grace of Southern charm/ I’ve got a mouth like a sailor, and yours is more like a Hallmark card.’ I’ll never forget the look on her face: Her eyes lit up like, ‘Oh my God … I love that!’ It was priceless seeing her face,” said the songwriter.
What Natalie Hemby thinks of Miranda Lambert’s song ‘Only Prettier’
According to The Boot, Hemby thinks that “Only Prettier” could have easily been a “misstep” for Lambert’s career.
“Sometimes when you write these tongue-in-cheek songs, they are just inches away from one misstep to turning into a hokey song. We wanted it to be clever. Miranda wrote some of the clever lines like ‘Well, I’ll keep drinkin’, and you’ll keep gettin’ skinnier.’ That was all Miranda!” Hemby said.
She continued, “Don’t we all have that snippy side? … ‘Bless your heart, you have such an ugly baby!’ [Laughs] I think it’s a Southern belle thing! The song is kind of a smack in the face, but you don’t realize it. It’s like, wait … did you just insult me? [Laughs] What girl hasn’t been through that kind of situation where you have to get along with somebody you don’t like?”
Because “Only Prettier” was written prior to the creation of Revolution, it was unclear if the song was going to end up on the album, much less as a popular single.
“‘Only Prettier’ is one of my favorite songs on the record. I’m so glad that they made it a single. I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out. I knew the girls would like it, but to see how everyone has embraced it is just amazing.” Hemby said.
What is ‘Only Prettier’ about?
In “Only Prettier,” Lambert sings about a woman she has an antagonistic view of. However, as she sings, she realizes that she and the other woman have things in common and compliments the other woman in a backhanded way.
“If you just smile and behave, you could always get your way/ It’s a universal plan that’ll get you where you can in all societies/ So lets shake hands and reach across those party lines/ You got your friends just like I got mine/ We might think a little differently/ But we got a lot in common, you will see/ We’re just like you, only prettier,” Lambert sings in the song.
Following its release, “Only Prettier” broke into the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
