Sam Hunt Covers Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” In 2016

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“Girl Crush” By Little Big Town Dominated Country Music, And Sam Hunt Eventually Covered It

After its release on December 15, 2014, Little Big Town‘s “Girl Crush” dominated the country music world.

Besides making its way to the top of the Billboard country charts, the song also won two CMA Awards and one Grammy. In April 2016, “Girl Crush” took home yet another honor, this time the Song of the Year Award at the AIMP Awards. 

Standing for the Associate of Independent Music Publishers, the AIMP Awards held their inaugural ceremony in 2016, where “Girl Crush” was up for the Song of the Year Awar. Other nominees included Chris Stapleton‘s “Fire Away” and Keith Urban‘s “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16,” among others.

The award is given to the songwriters, and the whole ceremony is about honoring the Nashville songwriting community.

Listen To Sam Honor Little Big Town & “Girl Crush” With His Cover

Singer-songwriter Sam Hunt also had a song in the running for the Song of the Year Award…his number one hit “Take Your Time.” Although Hunt was nominated against “Girl Crush,” when it came time for him to perform, it was “Girl Crush” he sang instead of his own song.

He chose to sing “Girl Crush” that night for a special reason. The performance was part of a tribute to “Girl Crush” co-writer Hillary Lindsey, who was the recipient of the AIMP Independent Songwriter of the Year Award.

Hunt performed “Girl Crush” in an acoustic, stripped down format. He sat on a stool as he sang, and kept his eyes closed as he packed a burst of emotion into each word.

Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” will always hold a special place in our hearts, but we think Hunt did an exceptional job with his cover. You can see for yourself in the video below.