Stuck Like Glue Explained

Stuck Like Glue
Cover:Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue cd single.png
Type:single
Artist:Sugarland
Album:The Incredible Machine
Released:July 26, 2010
Length:4:07 (Album/Single Version)
3:26 (Radio Edit)
Label:Mercury Nashville
Prev Title:Joey
Prev Year:2009
Next Title:Little Miss
Next Year:2010

"Stuck Like Glue" is a song by American country music duo Sugarland. Written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush, Kevin Griffin and Shy Carter, it was released on July 26, 2010 as the first single from Sugarland's album The Incredible Machine, released October 19, 2010.[1] "Stuck Like Glue" debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 7, 2010, and debuted at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 the following week. It went on to sell 2,629,000 digital copies by May 2013.[2]

Content

The song is in the key of D-flat major, using a main pattern of D5-A5-Gsus2 on the verses.[3] The narrator sings that she and her lover are "stuck like glue".

Some stations have edited out the song's reggae bridge and/or a portion near the end in which Nettles' backing vocals are Auto-Tuned.[4]

Critical reception

Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up. His review called the song "oddball" and "interesting," praising Jennifer Nettles's vocal stylings as well as the production.[5]

Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an "A" rating, and said "I could write a few paragraphs about why I love this song, but what’s the point...All I have to say about “Stuck Like Glue” is this: Listening to it makes me very happy."[6]

Music video

The music video was released on August 6, 2010 on VEVO, directed by Declan Whitebloom. The video portrays an alternative interpretation of the lyrics. The video opens with the narrator, driving up to the house of her ex-lover (played by Ryan McPartlin), whom she obviously stalks. Her ex-lover ends up calling the police, and she gets arrested, and appears in a mugshot room with other criminals. After being released, she goes to the house of the ex-lover, and kidnaps him by putting a sack over his head and driving him to a warehouse with many pictures & paintings of him there. She drugs him, and proceeds to feed him a cake with his face on it. At the end, she takes his phone and sees an incoming call from "Kim" (actress Brooke Hutton), who is shown to be an attractive young woman on picture caller ID, and the video ends as she punches him for it. As of January 2023, the music video has received more than 56 million views on YouTube.[7]

Live performances

Sugarland promoted the song multiple times, being a regular part of the setlist of their The Incredible Machine tour. The song was also performed live in American Idol and at the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway.[8] [9] After their five-years hiatus, the duo keeps singing the song at the 2018 version of the festival and the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.[10] [11] [12]

Chart performance

"Stuck Like Glue" debuted at No. 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 7, 2010. One week later, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20. It also debuted at No. 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of August 14, 2010.[13] It became the 11th most downloaded country music song of all time by April 2011,[14] and it was the best-selling song by a country duo until it was surpassed by Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" in April 2013. To date, this is Sugarland's final Top 10 hit.[15]

The single entered the UK Top 100 at number 74 on February 13, 2011.[16] It debuted at No. 30 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for the week of March 26, 2011.

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)Position
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 81
US Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 30

Release history

DateRegion
July 26, 2010United States
January 31, 2011United Kingdom
June 25, 2011Netherlands

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CMT : News : Sugarland Announce New Single, The Incredible Machine Album Release . https://web.archive.org/web/20100701180314/http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1642517/sugarland-announce-new-single-the-incredible-machine-album-release.jhtml . dead . July 1, 2010 . . 2010-07-27.
  2. News: Week Ending May 5, 2013. Songs: Macklemore Pulls A Gaga . Paul Grein . Yahoo Music (Chart Watch) . May 8, 2013 . May 16, 2013 .
  3. Web site: Stuck Like Glue sheet music. Musicnotes.com. 28 November 2011.
  4. Web site: Sugarland Defend Their Musical 'Breakdown'. Richardson. Gayle. 2 August 2010. The Boot. 9 August 2010.
  5. Web site: Sugarland – "Stuck Like Glue" . Blake . Boldt . engine145.com . 2010-07-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141210051303/http://www.engine145.com/sugarland-stuck-like-glue/ . 2014-12-10 . dead .
  6. Web site: Sugarland – "Stuck Like Glue" . Kevin . Coyne. 11 August 2010 . countryuniverse.net. 2010-09-03.
  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iDPw_qjhtM Sugarland - Stuck Like Glue (Official Video) - YouTube
  8. See Sugarland Sing 'Stay,' 'Stuck Like Glue' With 'Idol' Hopefuls. Rolling Stone. 2018-04-23.
  9. http://www.soundslikenashville.ca/news/sugarland-to-perform-at-nobel-peace-prize-concert/ Sugarland to Perform at Nobel Peace Prize Concert Sounds Like Nashville
  10. 2018 Country to Country Festival: 10 Best Things We Saw in the U.K.. Rolling Stone. 2018-04-23.
  11. Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas & Sugarland to Perform in Times Square for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Billboard. 2018-04-23.
  12. Web site: Sugarland Setlist at Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve 2018. setlist.fm. 2018-04-23.
  13. Eminem and Rihanna Lie 'Still' Atop Hot 100. Pietroluongo. Silvio. Billboard. 5 August 2010. 6 August 2010.
  14. Web site: Grein . Paul . Chart Watch Extra: Lady A Makes Country History | Chart Watch - Yahoo! Music . New.music.yahoo.com . 2011-04-07 . 2011-11-27.
  15. News: Week Ending April 14, 2013. Songs: PSY Gallops Back . Paul Grein . Yahoo Music (Chart Watch). April 17, 2013 . April 18, 2013 .
  16. Web site: Official UK Singles Top 100 - 26th November 2011 . Official Charts . 2011-11-27.
  17. Web site: Hot 100 Songs - Year-End 2010 . Billboard . April 24, 2018.
  18. Web site: Country Songs - Year-End 2010 . Billboard . April 24, 2018.