See Little Big Town’s Lush ‘Girl Crush’ at the Grammys

Capping off a big night at the 58th Grammy Awards, Little Big Town performed their hit “Girl Crush” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Rather than stick with the recording’s traditional arrangement, the foursome of Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet and Kimberly Schlapman stood in diamond formation while accompanied by a full string section. Fairchild’s aching, soulful vocal lines of jealousy rang out dramatically against the swells of cello and violin that replaced the song’s signature guitar arpeggios. The audience at the Staples Center responded with one of the night’s big standing ovations.

Before the show even began, “Girl Crush” had tasted success. The song scored Little Big Town a Grammy for Best Country Group/Duo Performance and a Best Country Song award for its writers Liz Rose, Lori McKenna and Hillary Lindsey.

In 2015, “Girl Crush” set a Billboard Hot Country Songs chart record for Little Big Town when it spent 13 weeks at Number One — the longest running chart-topper by a group of three or more members. This happened in spite of an alleged controversy over lyrics that some conservative radio listeners perceived to be about a same-sex relationship. In November, the song claimed both Single and Song of the Year at the 2015 CMA Awards.