Watermelon Moonshine
"Watermelon Moonshine" is a song recorded by American country music singer Lainey Wilson. It was released in May 2023 as the second single from her second studio album, Bell Bottom Country.[1] It was written by Wilson, Josh Kear, and Jordan Schmidt, and was produced by Jay Joyce.[2]
"Watermelon Moonshine"
Background and content[edit]
Lyrically, "Watermelon Moonshine" is a nostalgic description of a young and reckless love and has been compared to Deana Carter's signature hit "Strawberry Wine" from 1996.[3] On the song, Wilson said "this song embodies what country music means to me, creating a timeless story that will resonate with people for generations to come. This song is about the crazy, young, nostalgic love we all hope to experience".[4]
The track was first released on August 12, 2022 as a promotional single alongside the announcement of Bell Bottom Country.[5]
Music video[edit]
The music video was directed by Alexa King Stone and Stephen Kinigopoulos and premiered on July 11, 2023.[6] It stars Rachel Lynn Matthews and Sam Sherrod, who act out the storyline of the song, depicting the unfolding of a young love, while scenes of Wilson performing the song in a field are interspersed as she narrates the story.[7]
A visualizer for the song premiered on August 12, 2022, before its release as a single.[8]
Chart performance[edit]
"Watermelon Moonshine" pulled in 63 first-week adds at country radio[9] and debuted at number 55 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated June 3, 2023.[10] It later reached number one in October on that chart, making it Wilson's third chart-topper, as well as the first chart-topper by a solo female artist since Wilson's own "Things a Man Oughta Know" two years prior.[11] It also spent two additional weeks at number one on the chart, making it only the third multi-week chart-topper by a solo female in the 2020s, after "The Bones" by Maren Morris and "The Good Ones" by Gabby Barrett.[12]