"Stealing Cinderella" is a debut song recorded by American country music artist Chuck Wicks. It was released in September 2007 as the first single from the album Starting Now. The song was co-written by Wicks along with songwriters George Teren and Rivers Rutherford. The single produced the biggest debut for any new country artist in all of 2007, with fifty-two Billboard-monitored stations in the United States adding the song in its first official week of airplay.[1][2] Overall, the song peaked at #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
On August 25, 2007, Wicks performed the song at his Grand Ole Opry debut.[3] In October 2007, Wicks was invited by University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer to perform "Stealing Cinderella" at the wedding of Fulmer's daughter Courtney.[1]
Content
"Stealing Cinderella" is a ballad which, through allusions to the fairy tale of Cinderella, the narrator tells of a conversation with his girlfriend's father, asking for the father's permission to marry his daughter.[1][4]
Critical reception
Engine 145 reviewer Brady Vercher gave the song a "thumbs up" review. Although he thought that it was unusual to use Cinderella for a comparison (as Cinderella's father died in the fairy tale), and that the song's verses "gloss[ed] over" the allusions to the fairy tale, he nonetheless said that he could identify with the sentiment of the song's central character.[4]
Chart performance
"Stealing Cinderella" debuted at number 53 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of September 8, 2007.[5] Fifty-two of the country music stations on Billboard's panel added the song in its first official week of airplay, boosting it to number 42 that week.[2]
| Chart (2007–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 5 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 56 |
| US Billboard Pop 100 | 99 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] | 81 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 32 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ a b c "Chuck Wicks performs "Stealing Cinderella" at wedding of UT coach's daughter". Country Standard Time. 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ a b "Chuck Wicks debut single". Country Standard Time. 2007-09-17. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Chuck Wicks Kicks Off Whirlwind Weekend with Grand Ole Opry Debut". RCA Records. 2010-08-21. Archived from the original on 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
- ^ a b "Chuck Wicks - "Stealing Cinderella"". Engine 145. 2007-09-18. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ "Billboard Hot Country Songs chart listing for "Stealing Cinderella"". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2007-11-11. [dead link]
- ^ "Chuck Wicks Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chuck Wicks Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chuck Wicks Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Best of 2008: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2008. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
- ^ "American single certifications – Chuck Wicks – Stealing Cinderella". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
