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The Bumper of My SUV

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Wikipedia article




'"The Bumper of My SUV"' is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Chely Wright. It was released in November 2004 as the third single from her album 'The Metropolitan Hotel'. The song garnered attention when it was first played for troops while Wright was visiting Iraq.

Background and writing



The song was inspired by an actual incident, according to Wright.[http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=31105 "Bumper of My SUV" Singer Signs Autographs at Henderson Hall] She told 'Billboard' magazine that in mid-2003, she was driving in Nashville when a motorist in a minivan behind her noticed the Marine Corps sticker on the artist's bumper. Wright's brother is a Marine who sent her the sticker before he shipped off to Iraq. Wright said that the woman began honking, swerving and flicking her lights. "I look in the rear view, and she's flipping me the bird, hard, I thought I cut her off, because I'm a really bad driver." She went on to say that when the woman finally pulled up next to her and motioned for her to roll down her window she screamed "Your war is wrong. You're a baby killer." She went home and immediately wrote the song.'Billboard', December 18, 2004

Content



Written entirely by Wright, the song is a ballad, accompanied almost exclusively by piano. Its lyrics are a first-person account of a woman who is driving her SUV. She is given the finger by another driver, because she (the singer) has "a bright red sticker for the U.S. Marines / on the bumper of [her] SUV". The singer then defends her sticker, stating that her family served in the Marines.[http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/12/63065885.shtml Campaign of deception used to push patriotic song up charts] Wright has stated that she did not intend for the song to be pro-war.[http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1497634/20050301/wright_chely.jhtml?headlines=true CMT.com : News : Chely Wright's Candid and Reflective New Album] In addition, she has stated that she recorded the song begrudgingly, and did not intend for it to be a single.

Wright's fan club





While the song was climbing the charts, it was discovered that members of Wright's fan club were contacting radio stations nationwide, requesting increased airplay for the song to help it climb the charts.[http://www.tennessean.com/business/archives/04/12/63123828.shtml?Element_ID=63123828 Fan club pros say Wright's went too far] These fan club members had posed as family or friends of military members when making their requests.[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4236867 Country Single's Radio Requests Deemed Deceptive] After discovering the actions of her fan club's members, Wright fired the club's leader, with whom she had been friends since 1996.[http://www.cmt.com/artists/news/1495086/20041220/wright_chely.jhtml CMT.com : Chely Wright : Chely Wright Dismisses Fan Club President]

Re-release



Signed to Dualtone Records at the time, Wright released "The Bumper of My SUV" in November 2004 as the second single from her album 'The Metropolitan Hotel'. The song soon became the second fastest-selling single on the 'Billboard' country sales charts at the time, and reached a peak of #35 on the U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts.

Critical reception



Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in his review of 'The Metropolitan Hotel', described the song as follows: "[T]he cloying 'The Bumper of My S.U.V.' is well-intentioned but is one of the more awkward Iraqi war songs but those missteps only enhance the feeling that this album is a personal work for Wright, and that she's willing to make mistakes along the way."

'The Onion' reviews this song as follows: "As far as jingoistic songs go, Chely Wright's "The Bumper Of My SUV" is pretty tame, essentially an examination of blue-red relations. Still, it's pretty hilarious: A woman in a mini-van gives Wright the finger, and Wright assumes it's because she has a U.S. Marines bumper sticker on her SUV. Hey Chely, maybe it's because you're taking up two lanes or wasting what's left of the earth's petroleum. Who knew that pro-America country singerswith especially overwrought Southern accentshated minivans and private school?"

Music video



The music video features her performance of the song on the Grand Ole Opry intercut with footage shot during her visits with troops in Iraq.

Chart performance



Original version



Re-release



References



Category:2004 singles

Category:Chely Wright songs

Category:Songs written by Chely Wright

Category:Works about the United States Marine Corps

Category:Dualtone Records singles

Category:2004 songs

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