International Harvester (song)

"International Harvester"
Single by Craig Morgan
from the album Little Bit of Life
Released September 17, 2007
Format CD Single
Genre Country
Length 3:51
Label Broken Bow
Writer(s) Shane Minor
Danny Myrick
Jeffrey Steele
Producer Craig Morgan
Keith Stegall
Craig Morgan singles chronology
"Tough"
(2007)
"International Harvester"
(2007)
"Love Remembers"
(2008)

"International Harvester" is the title of a country music song written by Jeffrey Steele, Shane Minor, and Danny Myrick (formerly a member of the band Western Flyer). The song was recorded by American singer Craig Morgan on his album Little Bit of Life, which was released in 2006 on Broken Bow Records. Released in late 2007, "International Harvester" was that album's third and final single, as well as his final release for Broken Bow.

Contents

Content

The song is a moderate up-tempo backed largely by fiddle and banjo.[1] The lyric, written in first person, describes a farmer who is driving an International Harvester-branded combine on a highway. Because of the vehicle's slow speed, he is causing a slowdown in traffic on the road and angering drivers,[2] thus leading to the farmer's defense of his own actions.

Music Video

On May 17, 2008 the music video for "International Harvester" was filmed in Wichita, Kansas during the Wichita River Festival. It was directed by Dallas Henry. They had scouted various cities and chose Wichita, specifically the main intersection of Broadway and 1st Street, with a focus on the Orpheum Theatre. To produce this video, they hired 10 people locally and 25 actors from a local talent agency to assist production.

Reception

The song received a "thumbs up" review from The 9513 reviewer Matt C., who called it a "successful 'slice of life' song" because the writers "confine[d] themselves to a manageble theme and paint[ed] a charming picture".[1] He also said that Morgan's Southern twang was a natural fit for the lyrical content, despite expressing uncertainty that listeners would be able to identify with the song's farmer character (as opposed to identifying with those stuck in traffic behind him).[1] Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a B rating. He says Morgan "sings it with enthusiasm and the hook is solid." [3]

"Trick My Tractor"

In association with this song, Morgan ran a contest on his website entitled "Trick My Tractor". This contest, which ran from December 2007 to January 2008, asked for fans to submit pictures of their "tricked out" tractors, lawn mowers, or similar lawn maintenance equipment to his website.[2]

Charts

Chart (2007-2008) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 67
US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 10

References