One Of Them Girls

"One Of Them Girls" — Lee Brice and the Country Slow Burn of 2020

A Different Kind of Summer Hit

The summer of 2020 was unlike any the music industry had experienced. Concerts were cancelled, radio station staffing was disrupted, and the streaming economy was running at full speed as the primary means by which people consumed music from home. Country radio, which had always been one of the more stable and format-consistent corners of the broadcast landscape, found itself playing to listeners who were spending unprecedented amounts of time indoors. Into this environment Lee Brice released "One Of Them Girls," a song that felt tailor-made for exactly the kind of summer it was: warm, unhurried, and content to take its time arriving at what it wanted to say.

Brice had established himself as one of the more reliably commercial voices in contemporary country over the preceding decade. His previous number 1 country hits had demonstrated a gift for romantic sincerity that felt genuine rather than formulaic, and "One Of Them Girls" operated in that same register. The song described the speaker's realization that the woman in his life was exactly what he wanted, phrased with the understated specificity that country music at its best manages when it's not reaching for generic emotion.

The Patient Chart Climb

"One Of Them Girls" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 13, 2020, entering at number 90. What followed was one of the longer and more patient chart runs for a country crossover in recent memory. The song moved slowly through the summer and fall, inching upward over months rather than weeks, in a manner characteristic of country radio promotion cycles, which operate on a different timeline than pop radio. The track reached its peak of number 17 on October 24, 2020, a remarkable achievement for a record that had spent nearly five months on the chart building toward that moment. Twenty-six weeks total on the Hot 100 was a testament to the depth of country radio's promotional commitment and the loyalty of its core audience.

Radio as the Engine

Country crossover success in the early 2020s still ran largely through radio, even as streaming had become the dominant force in pop. The format's promotional cycle rewarded patience, with labels and artists investing in slow-building radio campaigns that moved singles up the country chart over months before attempting Hot 100 crossover. "One Of Them Girls" followed this playbook precisely, achieving its peak Hot 100 position after first spending extensive time developing its audience on country airwaves. The result was a chart peak that represented a genuine audience relationship rather than a streaming event driven by one-time curiosity. People who liked this song had been listening to it, repeatedly, for months before it reached its highest position.

The Brice Sound and Production

The production of "One Of Them Girls" sat comfortably within the mainstream Nashville sound of its era: acoustic guitar providing the harmonic foundation, understated electric guitar accents, a rhythm section that was present but never intrusive, and a production approach that kept Brice's warm baritone at the center of everything. The track was produced by Kyle Jacobs, who had worked with Brice previously and understood how to construct an arrangement that served the song's emotional directness without overcrowding it. Nashville production at this level has a particular skill for restraint, for knowing which sonic elements to include and which to leave out, and the result here was a track that felt spacious and honest rather than slickly commercial.

The Commercial Peak and Its Meaning

A number 17 peak on the Billboard Hot 100 was the highest chart position of Lee Brice's career up to that point, and it arrived in one of the most challenging years the music industry had faced in decades. The success of "One Of Them Girls" confirmed Brice's status as one of country music's genuine crossover artists, capable of connecting with audiences beyond the format's traditional core. It was a record that found people in their living rooms and kitchens during a long strange year and gave them something warm and uncomplicated to hold onto, and that was exactly the right song for exactly the right moment.

For those who have not yet let this one settle in properly, find a quiet evening and give it the unhurried attention it was built to receive.

"One Of Them Girls" — Lee Brice's singular moment on the 2020s charts.