“Some Girls Do”
Sawyer Brown
Written by Mark Miller
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
May 23, 1992
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
May 8, 1992
The Sawyer Brown comeback continues.
The Road to No. 1
After The Dirt Road produced Sawyer Brown’s first No. 1 in years with the title track, the label kept momentum going with the final single from the project, “Some Girls Do.”
The No. 1
This is what the bro country dudes are always going for but failing miserably at it.
“Some Girls Do” is a genuine celebration of a certain country lifestyle, recognizing it’s not for everyone, but for those who love it, it’s pretty darn great.
“I ain’t first class but I ain’t white trash,” Miller sings credibly, “I’m wild and a little crazy, too. Some girls don’t like boys like me, but some girls do.”
That winning chorus is buffered by a charming storyline, as the uptown girl “turns up her nose” at Miller’s rundown car, much to the amusement of the girl he’s actually courting:
“From the corner of my eye I saw you, and you laughed. From the corner of my eye, I saw you and you laughed. You were sittin’ on the swing on your front porch, paintin’ your nails like you were bored and you yelled, ‘She was sure impressed with you!'”
It paints such a clear picture of a small town relationship, written and sung with self-deprecating wit and country pride.
The Road From No. 1
Sawyer Brown followed “Some Girls Do” with the two best singles of their career, both featured on their next album. The first single and title track, “Cafe on the Corner,” went top five. The second went all the way to No. 1. We’ll cover it in early 1993.
“Some Girls Do” gets an A.
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Love this song. Hadn’t heard it in years until American aquarium recently put out a cover of it recently. So good and it hits that balance between sincerity and cheese perfectly
I’ve always enjoyed this song. It’s so catchy and fun.
I’ve always loved this song. It’s a great one for singing along with!
Notice how Diffie, Tippin, and Sawyer Brown could put out fun music that wasn’t parody or patronizing. It was just fun because it was sincere and real while still not taking itself to seriously. And just as important as the up-beat energy of the records were the songs’ story lines and narrative details. “Ain’t Nothing Wrong with the Radio” and “Some Girls Do” were not just list-songs. They both capably painted a purposeful picture, and set a scene, with relatable characters.
This song is tied to another Minnesota memory for me. My high school buddy who was most definitely NOT a country fan unexpectedly latched on to this song and would blast it in his Honda Civic when it would come on the radio.
Just another testament to the reach and pull of music from this era.
I agree with most all of these comments! This is definitely a fine example on how fun songs about small town living and country pride can be done right. The characters in this song are actually likeable, relatable, and come across as real people, unlike the stereotypical, one dimensional characters in most modern bro-country/metro bro-country songs. Not to mention, it’s just so darn catchy, and I love the guitar playing and banjo in the background. I always got a chuckle out of Mark Miller’s playful speaking of the line “Like boys like me!” at the very end, as well.
This was actually another one of my favorite songs back in early ’92 when we were staying in my dad’s house in Fredericksburg, VA. I especially remember always enjoying it every time the video came on CMT, and telling my step dad I really liked this song. Not too long after that, he bought Sawyer Brown’s The Dirt Road album on cd while we were in K-Mart one day, making that another one of the earliest cd’s in our collection. :) I would continue to enjoy this song whenever it came on as a recurrent throughout the rest of the decade and then some, and it’s yet another song I’ve never gotten tired of hearing, nor has it lost its charm after all this time.
Speaking of the video, I still love it, as well! It’s such a hoot, especially the very end of it, lol. I also love the as always energetic Mark Miller with his mullet and that John Deere hat! :)
Too bad “Cafe On The Corner” didn’t also go to number one. That’s most definitely one of their very best songs, and I absolutely love that one, too! That’s one I remember hearing often after we had moved into our new house. :)
…perhaps not one for the discerning “cosmo” or “gq” reader, but great fun for the rest of us.