"What the Truck" is a song recorded by Canadian

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 ...

duo The Reklaws with fellow Canadian country artist Sacha. The sibling duo co-wrote the track with producer Callum Maudsley. It was included on Sacha's 2022 extended play ''We Did'', and the Reklaws' third studio album '' Good Ol' Days''.

Background and development

The Reklaws wrote the song during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Facing many lockdown restrictions, they said the song "just poured out," adding "frustrations were brewing and all we wanted to do was get out of the house". The two described the song as "fun and light". The duo shared a brief clip of the song on social media platform

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

in February 2021, initially asking fans for their opinion on whether they should finish and record the song. After garnering many views, they made another post asking fans and followers to submit their own verse. Fellow country artist Sacha, also from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, was chosen to join them on the track after making her own submission. Sacha remarked that she saw the Reklaws' TikTok post looking for a collaboration, and was writing something that she "felt might fit". Soon after posting her submission, she received a message from Jenna Walker of the Reklaws asking her to join them on the track. Jenna Walker remarked that Sacha's verse "really stood out," and that they recorded her part in one night.

Critical reception

Chad Benson of ''Today's Country 95.5'' called the track an "ideal windows rolled down, summer song". ''Amplify Music Magazine'' said the Reklaws were "heating things up" heading into summer with "What the Truck". ''Top Country'' stated that the duo "certainly made the right choice" when they selected Sacha to join them on the song. Hannah Smith of ''The Nash News'' described the song as a "fun and aggressive track," adding that it was "definitely fitting for the past years".

Accolades

Commercial performance

"What the Truck" debuted at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Canadian Digital Songs chart the week after its release. It garnered over 450,000 domestic streams in its first week, setting a record for the most domestically streamed Canadian country song in a single week. It also became the fastest Canadian country song to reach 1 Million domestic streams. The song has received immense attention on

, topping their playlist of country songs in both Canada and the United States. It was certified Gold by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

less than four months after its release, making it the fastest Canadian country song to reach gold-certification in the streaming era.

Music video

The official music video for "What the Truck" premiered on CMT on July 14, 2021. It was directed by Austin Chaffe, and features the Reklaws and Sacha singing the song either in a Dodge Ram truck, or with the truck in the background. The video was shot at a farm owned by a friend of the Reklaws, and was filmed by a small two-man crew due to

restrictions.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2021 songs The Reklaws songs Songs written by Jenna Walker Songs written by Stuart Walker (singer) Songs written by Callum Maudsley