Kacey Musgraves – Blowin’ Smoke

Kacey Musgraves – Blowin’ Smoke

Released as the second single from her debut major-label album Same Trailer Different Park in April 2013, “Blowin’ Smoke” showcases Kacey Musgraves’ sharp storytelling and grounded approach to country music. Written alongside Shane McAnally and Luke Laird, the track is a gritty yet playful look at the lives of small-town waitresses stuck in monotonous jobs, swapping big dreams and even bigger talk, but rarely acting on them.

Musgraves explained the inspiration to Radio.com: “We were just sitting there trying to picture these waitresses just sitting around talking about people and smoking and waiting on customers to come in.” The song’s central character, Brenda, is a fictional waitress created for the narrative. Musgraves noted with a smile, “We always like to put characters in the song like Brenda, ol’ Brenda. Well, Brenda she’s given up smokes, but now she’s eating cake a lot.”

The track blends country-rock with bluesy rhythms and opens with authentic diner ambiance. To achieve this, co-writer Luke Laird recorded real sounds at a Waffle House, capturing plates clattering and waitresses calling out orders. Musgraves said the goal was to make sure “what the listener is hearing lines up with the greasy spoon diner I’m singing about.”

Critics praised “Blowin’ Smoke” for its vivid realism. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country remarked that the detailed atmosphere makes listeners feel like they’re sitting in the diner themselves. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock highlighted its honesty, noting it stood apart from more polished, formula-driven country singles of the era.

The music video, directed by Honey (whose credits include work with Kings of Leon and Kesha), was filmed in Los Angeles in April 2013. Set in a diner, it mirrors the song’s themes as Musgraves and fellow waitresses slog through a day of waiting tables, gossiping, and dreaming of a better life.

Chart debuts:

• #56 on Billboard Country Airplay (week of April 13, 2013)
• #48 on Billboard Hot Country Songs (week of April 27, 2013)
• #10 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under Hot 100 (week of June 22, 2013)

“Blowin’ Smoke” – Single by Kacey Musgraves from the album Same Trailer Different Park, released on April 1, 2013.
Songwriters Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves.