"All Kinds of Kinds" is a song recorded by American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
artist
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...
. It was released in June 2013 as the fifth and final single from Lambert's album ''
Four the Record
''Four the Record'' is the fourth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Miranda Lambert. It was released on November 1, 2011, by RCA Records Nashville. This was her first studio album to be released from that label after a c ...
''. As of October 9, 2013, the single had sold 100,000 copies in the United States. It was written by Phillip Coleman and
Don Henry Don Henry or Donald Henry can refer to:
* Don Henry (environmentalist), Australian environmentalist
* Don Henry (musician), American musician
* Don Henry, American murder victim in the death of Don Henry and Kevin Ives
Around 4:00am on August 2 ...
.
Content
"All Kinds of Kinds" is a mid-tempo country song in which the lyrics state that "ever since the beginning, to keep the world spinning, it takes all kinds of kinds." The lyrics refer to different characters such as "a dog-faced boy, a cross-dressing congressman and a can’t-help-herself pharmacist," and a final verse addressing the narrator herself. It features a backing vocal from
Stoney LaRue
Stoney LaRue (born Stoney Larue Phillips in 1977) is an American Texas Country/ Red Dirt artist.
Life and career
Born in Taft, Texas, LaRue was raised in Yanush/Buffalo Valley, Oklahoma where he still visits regularly and began playing country m ...
.
It is in the key of
C major
C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and ...
and a 3/4
time signature
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
, with a main chord pattern of C-F/C-C-G/C-C.
Critical reception
The song received acclaim from music critics. Taste of Country's Billy Dukes praised the song, giving it five-out-of-five stars and calling it an album highlight. He called the release "daring" because the content "is as far from country Main Street as you can get." However, Dukes spoke favorably of the song's "meaningful and impacting message" and its difference in sound.
Giving it an "A", Jon Freeman of ''
Country Weekly
''Nash Country Weekly'' was an American lifestyle weekly magazine about country artists and their music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site ''Nash Country Daily''.
Overvie ...
''said that "it's a wacky menagerie, but… it's also a very timely message considering how beset we are with terrible news of bullying and intolerance at this point in history." He praised Lambert's vocals, and described the song as a "jubilant waltz".
Music video
The music video was directed by Bluford Sanders and premiered in August 2013. It features live footage of Miranda Lambert performing the song mixed with scenes of various people holding up whiteboards on which they have written messages as to what kind of person they are.
Chart performance
"All Kinds of Kinds" debuted at number 57 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 ...
chart for the week ending July 6, 2013. It also debuted at number 47 on the U.S. ''Billboard''
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 from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart for the week ending August 3, 2013. It also debuted at number 97 on the U.S. ''Billboard''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart for the week of October 26, 2013. It also debuted at number 94 on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
chart for the week of November 30, 2013. As of November 13, 2013, "All Kinds of Kinds" has sold 160,000 copies in the United States.
Year-end charts
References
{{authority control
2013 singles
Miranda Lambert songs
RCA Records Nashville singles
Songs written by Don Henry (musician)
Song recordings produced by Frank Liddell
2011 songs