"Road Less Traveled" 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, ...

singer

Lauren Alaina Lauren Alaina Kristine Suddeth (born November 8, 1994) is an American singer and songwriter from Rossville, Georgia. She was the runner-up on the tenth season of ''American Idol.'' Her debut studio album, ''Wildflower,'' was released on Octobe ...

for her 2015 self-titled EP. Alaina co-wrote the song with

Jesse Frasure Jesse Vernon Frasure (born September 18, 1981), also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. Biography A Detroit native, Frasure (DJ Telemitry), now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his wif ...

and

Meghan Trainor Meghan Elizabeth Trainor (born December 22, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter and television personality. She rose to prominence after signing with Epic Records in 2014 and releasing her debut single "All About That Bass", which reached ...

. It was released to

country radio Country radio refers to radio stations that play country music. Most country radio stations are commercial radio stations. Most country radio stations usually play only music which has been officially released to country radio by record labels. The ...

through

Mercury Nashville Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records N ...

and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

on June 27, 2016, as the EP's second single and officially impacted the format on July 11, 2016. The song is also included on her second studio album of the same name (2017), and serves as the record's second single. The

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

song explores the concept of staying true to one's self despite insecurities and external pressures. Upon release, the song was praised by critics for its "anthemic" nature as well as Alaina's confidence. "Road Less Traveled" debuted at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart, and has since become Alaina's first number one single. It also charted at numbers 8 and 67 on both the

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 ...

and

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 ...

charts respectively. The song has sold 203,000 copies in the United States as of May 2017. It also charted in Canada, reaching number 3 on the

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart. An accompanying music video for the song was directed by

Chris Hicky Chris Hicky is a writer/director from Forrest City, Arkansas, United States, best known for directing many of Keith Urban's videos. Hicky has also directed videos for many other artists in the country music genre, including Dierks Bentley, Madd ...

. The song won Alaina a CMT Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year in 2017.

Background and recording

"Road Less Traveled" was written in 2013 by

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. At the time, Alaina was dealing with the divorce of her parents,

bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...

and her father going to rehab for

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. She wanted to write an uplifting song that could inspire others going through similar struggles. Trainor was also experiencing insecurities about her figure at the time, telling ''Billboard'' in 2014 that she wanted to tell herself and others to "love yourself more". A discussion involving the

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

poem "

The Road Not Taken "The Road Not Taken" is a narrative poem by Robert Frost, first published in the August 1915 issue of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', and later published as the first poem in the collection '' Mountain Interval'' of 1916. Its central theme is th ...

" led the co-writers to land on "Road Less Traveled" as their title. They then wrote the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and the

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, "take the road less traveled on," first, which is extremely similar to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

's "

Take My Breath Away "Take My Breath Away" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the 1986 film ''Top Gun'', performed by American new wave band Berlin. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best ...

." The

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

was recorded using entirely programmed instrumentation.

Busbee Michael James Ryan Busbee (June 18, 1976 – September 29, 2019), known professionally as Busbee, was an American songwriter, record producer, publisher, record label executive, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work in both po ...

, who serves as the record's producer, sought to blend the synthesized instruments with authentic ones to create a soundscape that is radio-friendly but in tune with the song's message. Vocals were recorded in the summer of 2014. Alaina underwent vocal surgery on August 12, 2014 and re-recorded the lead vocals on the song after her recovery. Her vocal range expanded after her surgery with Alaina hitting a big note during the song's

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that she struggled to reach prior.

Composition

"Road Less Traveled" is a

song which runs for a duration of three minutes and thirty-six seconds. It begins with a

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

played in a "pinging" lick accompanied by hand clapping and an "insistent"

kick drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

. Musically, the track follows a "

four-on-the-floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4). ...

" beat accentuated by two banjos and a

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

"twisting" around a "spacey"

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

line. Producer

busbee Michael James Ryan Busbee (June 18, 1976 – September 29, 2019), known professionally as Busbee, was an American songwriter, record producer, publisher, record label executive, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his work in both po ...

aimed to blend authentic instrumentation with synthetic sounds for a blend of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

and pop styles. Lyrically, the song is about "feeling good in your own skin" and speaks to a journey of self-acceptance. The titular lyrics were inspired by the popular

poem, "

", in which the narrator chooses a "road less traveled" at a fork in the road. Self-image is addressed in the first verse with references to dress sizes and Alaina imploring the listener not to "let the world decide what's beautiful," alluding to Alaina's own previous struggles with body image. Other lyrics emphasize the importance of staying true to yourself, or "march ngto the rhythm of a different drum" and "just own ngit". Critics have labelled the song an "anthem" for its empowering message comparing it to

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

's "

This One's for the Girls "This One's for the Girls" is a song written by Chris Lindsey, Hillary Lindsey, and Aimee Mayo and recorded by American country music singer Martina McBride. It was released in June 2003 as the first single from McBride’s album '' Martina''. The ...

" and co-writer Meghan Trainor's "

All About That Bass "All About That Bass" is the debut single of American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor, released on June 30, 2014, through Epic Records. The song was included on Trainor's debut extended play (EP) ''Title (EP), Title'' (2014) and her debut Title ( ...

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' wrote that Alaina "has never sounded more confident" in his "Critic's Pick" review of the single. In particular, Dukes praised the singer's approach to the "anthemic" and "uplifting" message. In a review of the EP, Jason Scott of ''PopDust'' complimented the "undeniable" songwriting on "Road Less Traveled" and deemed the track "one of her most alluring performances ever".

Commercial performance

"Road Less Traveled" debuted at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Country Airplay chart dated September 3, 2016. The following week, the song experienced a significant gain in airplay and audience, due in part to Alaina's selection as the

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...

"On the Verge" artist, which guarantees airplay on the brand's affiliated stations. As a result, the song jumped to 28 on the chart dated September 10, 2016, thereby tying "Road Less Traveled" with 2012's " Georgia Peaches" as Alaina's highest-charting song. It has since reached a peak position of number 1, making it her highest-charting single to date and first number one. The song has sold an estimated 220,000 copies in the US as of July 2017. In Canada, the song debuted at number 50 on the

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

airplay chart dated October 15, 2016, earning Alaina her first entry on the chart.

Live performances

Alaina appeared on ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was ...

'' on September 8, 2016, to perform the song in its television debut. She also performed the song at the 2017 CMT Awards.

Music video and movie

The music video was directed by

and premiered in October 2016. The video won her Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2017 CMT Music Awards. In May 2017, Lauren released a new trailer for the film ''Road Less Traveled'' based on the song. It features the songs "Road Less Traveled,"" Doin' Fine," "My Kinda People," "Painting Pillows," "Holding the Other," and "Queen of Hearts."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Certifications

References

External links

Lyrics of the song
at

Google Play Music Google Play Music is a discontinued music and podcast streaming service and an online music locker operated by Google as part of its Google Play line of services. The service was announced on May 10, 2011; after a six-month, invitation-only be ...

{{Lauren Alaina 2015 songs 2016 singles Interscope Records singles Lauren Alaina songs Music videos directed by Chris Hicky 19 Recordings singles Songs written by Jesse Frasure Songs written by Meghan Trainor Universal Music Group singles Song recordings produced by busbee Songs written by Lauren Alaina Songs about eating disorders Mercury Nashville singles