The Story Behind Carrie Underwood’s Comedic Holiday Anthem, ‘Stretchy Pants’
Underwood said she had the “best time” writing this song with Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano.
Carrie Underwood; Photo by Jeff Johnson
Carrie Underwood is generally known for her powerful recordings of gospel hymns, revengeful breakup anthems, and velvety ballads. However back in November of 2021, she showed fans a side to her creativity that they have never seen before with the unveiling of her hilarious holiday tune, “Stretchy Pants.”
After teasing the new song on social media, fans were quick to preorder and pre-save the tune as they eagerly anticipated the original November 5 arrival date. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go as planned as it was suddenly removed from all streaming services. Dozens of Underwood’s listeners shared their dismay over the missing track, but it wasn’t long before it was back and available for streaming.
To this day, “Stretchy Pants,” which was penned by Underwood with Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano, remains a fun staple in many holiday playlists as it offers the perfect combination of dance-worthy beats and family-friendly lyrics. Underwood may be a strong spokesperson for the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, but for this song, she found herself taking advantage of the much-needed balance in life and celebrating the chance to indulge in endless sweets and delicious feasts while spending the holidays with your family.
“People know that I am a champion for a healthy lifestyle, but a big part of that is balance. There are times to be disciplined, and then there are times when we need to eat and drink and be merry and enjoy ourselves with family and friends,” Underwood previously shared of the track. “When Hillary, Chris, and I were writing some more serious Christmas songs, one day we took a fun detour and just had the best time writing this song.”
The Hilarious Tune Came To Life In An Animated Music Video
The release was accompanied by a lighthearted animated video directed and produced by Andrew Seth Cohen and Ryan Kieffer of Confidential Creative. The video was created especially for the song as it illustrates a family sitting around a table together, ready to fill their stomachs. To prepare for a night of eating, they ditch their skinny jeans and leggings for their stretchy pants, allowing them to go back for seconds and even thirds.
“Time to celebrate the season, haven’t eaten all day / My tummy is growling ’cause I’ve been saving up space / I’ve got my place at the table, can’t fit no more on my plate / I’ve got my fork in my hand ready to stuff my face,” the Oklahoma native sings on the opening verse.
As the song continues, Underwood makes sure to shoutout some of the most traditional foods of the season like turkey, potatoes and various casserole dishes, before she delivers the remainder of the chorus, “I got my stretchy pants on (Stretchy pants) / I got my stretchy pants on (Stretchy, strеtchy) / Spandex and Lycra, you better work it for mе / ‘Cause I’m about to expand this band of elasticity / I got my stretchy pants on (Stretchy pants) / I got my stretchy pants on (Stretchy, stretchy).”
Giving Back To The Community
Not only does this song offer a fun soundtrack to any holiday gathering, but it also gives back to the community through the website stretchypantssong.com. With this site, a portion of the proceeds from streaming and downloads of “Stretchy Pants” are donated to The Store, the Nashville-based organization that was co-founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley and offers year-round free grocery shopping for families and individuals who qualify. The mission of the store is to “empower those seeking self-sufficiency in a manner that fosters hope.” More information on The Store can be found HERE.
“We knew it would bring a lot of fun and joy to people, but I also wanted to do something good with it that would help people,” Underwood continued. “I immediately thought about Brad and Kim’s charity, The Store, and how we could use this song to help them and their mission to bring joy to folks that need it, especially during the holiday season. Everybody should be able to afford feasts for the holidays, and everybody should have the opportunity to break out those stretchy pants!”
Carrie Underwood’s First-Ever Full-Length Christmas Album, My Gift
The release of “Stretchy Pants” came hot on the heels of Underwood’s special edition of her first full-length holiday album, My Gift. The original version of the 2020 chart-topping project delivers a mix of holiday classics that honor the spiritual sentiment of Christmas and several originals, including the seven-time GRAMMY-Award winner’s collaboration with John Legend, “Hallelujah.”
The special edition, which was released the following year, features three additional tracks: “Favorite Time Of Year” and “All Is Well,” both produced by Greg Wells, and “Let There Be Peace/Something In The Water (LIVE From HBO Max’s MY GIFT: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood).”
Produced and arranged by Greg Wells, My Gift, held its position at the top of the Christian album chart for 11 weeks following its release and later nabbed the No. 1 spot on the Country album charts in the UK and Canada upon its debut. Throughout the entire 2020 holiday season, the album remained in the Top 5 on the Billboard Holiday album chart, reaching as high as No. 5 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200.
Written by
Madeleine O’Connell
Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.