Lainey Wilson Celebrates ‘Wildflowers and Wild Horses’ and ‘4x4xU’ At Double No.1 Party

After wrapping the European leg of her Whirlwind World Tour, Lainey Wilson returned to the states and took a moment to celebrate the chart-topping success of her seventh and eighth No. 1 singles, “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” and “4x4xU,” during a special event hosted by BMI late last week.

Wilson and her team chose the historic Bradley’s Barn in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., as the perfect setting to celebrate her No. 1 singles. Nearly 200 guests gathered at the iconic venue for the afternoon event, where the atmosphere felt like a close-knit family reunion. Hugs, handshakes, and friendly conversation filled the room as attendees made their way into the celebration.

Heartfelt speeches were made and commemorative plaques were presented in honor of the two chart-toppers.  

Prior to the official party, Wilson and her co-writers reflected on the making of the songs and their journey to country radio success. 

“4x4xU”

With one of her “4x4xU” co-writers, Jon Decious, by her side (as co-writer Aaron Raitiere couldn’t attend), Wilson shared that they wrote the song in just 40 minutes after finishing another track, “Ring Finger,” from her Whirlwind album. 

Decious mentioned that he often brainstorms song titles and had this one ready to go. When Wilson expressed a desire to write a “funny song,” he suggested the idea. 

“In my experience, not that I have much experience, but the funny songwriter is the broke songwriter. So I was like, ‘well, what about this here?’ And so you just jump on the tail of Lainey Wilson’s airplane, and you write ‘4x4xU’,” he said with a laugh. 

Wilson recalled feeling an instant connection to the idea and decided she was all-in. 

“As soon as he said the hook, it was almost like we were all on the same page about what kind of song it needed to be. It needed to be one of ’em kind, anthemic, soaring type melodies, I guess you could say,” she added.  

The song came together quickly and wound up becoming an anthem for Wilson during a somewhat challenging time of her life. 

“This was during a time of my life that was constantly changing and during that time of my life, I felt like it was really important for me to really hold on to the things that were helping me keep my feet planted on the ground and that was keeping my people close,” she explained. “And that’s what ‘4X4XU’ is really about. It’s about keeping your people close and understanding the importance of the simple things in life and how important those moments are.”

The No.1 celebration happened to fall just hours after “4x4xU” was nominated for two ACM Awards: Song Of The Year and Visual Media Of The Year.

Wilson, who earned a total of seven nominations in six separate categories, expressed her excitement for her co-writers and shared how she loves seeing her friends succeed.   

“I get very excited for my songwriting buddies. This is Jon’s very first No. 1 song and his first time being nominated for an ACM. You know how it is when you write songs with people, and you get to know ’em, you start becoming really good friends. So, every time I see that they’ve got a win, it just like hypes me up and makes me feel like it’s my first time ever getting nominated for something when it’s their first time,” she said with a smile. 

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“Wildflowers and Wild Horses”

Next, Wilson was joined by Trannie Anderson and Paul Sikes to share the story behind “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” They revealed that Anderson came into this songwriting session with the first two verses already written. 

“I knew I loved the melody, loved the space in it, because modern music is so word heavy all the time, so it just felt special to have that space and a story was about to unfold,” Anderson shared. “And then Paul Sikes over here, he’s one of the best guitarists in Nashville, in my opinion, started doing that bluegrass picky thing. And then suddenly we were writing Lainey’s autobiography… five generations… I mean, a lot of those lyrics are very true to her story.”

Little did Wilson know just how accurately the lyrics would reflect her own life.

“And speaking to the lyrics, being true to my story without even knowing it, I had sent this song to my mama knowing it was pretty special immediately, and she’s like, ‘this is my favorite song you’ve ever written.’ And she said, ‘it reminds me of my family.’ And she ended up telling me, which is a fact I did not know, that my great grandfather, her grandfather, caught one of the very last wild horses in Louisiana and farmed with it for years,” she revealed. “He also met my grandma while he was riding his horse into town and put her on the back, and they rode off into the sunset. So, really, I am from a family of ‘Wildflowers and Wild Horses’ and didn’t even know it.” 

The song came together during an uncertain period of time: November 2020. Sikes recalled writing the song amid “a crazy year for everybody.”

“To get to come together, and that was our first time writing,” he said, referring to Wilson. “Trannie and I have known each other quite a while, writing songs together. And I will say it’s just fun to get to do this with your friends and people that you care about, that you want to see win. That’s really, the more I do this, the more important that is to me. It was fun getting to have written this in a weird year and have a bright spot in that.”

As someone who consistently makes country music history, Wilson chose to celebrate these No.1 songs at Bradley’s Barn, a legendary recording studio. What started out as a horse barn, Bradley’s Barn was transformed into a recording studio by Country Music Hall of Famer Owen Bradley. Country music greats like Merle Haggard, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, and more have recorded there, making it a true piece of country music history. Today, Owen’s great-grandchildren, John and Lillian Grace Bradley, have revitalized the historic space, offering live music and events while preserving its storied legacy.

“You got to hear the stories of this place, the history that has happened in here and on certain instruments in this room. There’s just a feeling to it and I just wanted it to be something different,” Wilson told attendees. 

The double No.1 party took place ahead of the launch of the U.S. leg of Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind World Tour, which is set to launch this summer after a slew of festival appearances.