Stunning harmonies, imaginative storytelling, alluring vocals, top-notch instrumentation and a gritty storyline create an interesting musical palette for the listener on the the Girls Next Door new single “When the Water’s Down”. This amazing new single is the reemergence of the group of original members Cindy Nixon Psanos, Diane Williams Austin, Tammy Stephens Smith and Doris King Merritt after life intervened in their climb to stardom.
Country music has long prided itself on brilliant storytelling set to music. “When the Water’s Down” is a prime example of how a perfectly crafted song, coupled with precisely the right voices, can bring a story to life in the most entertaining way possible. “We loved this song from the moment we heard it. It's a story of a ‘guilty’ southern town known for its sins," shares the Girls Next Door.
However, in the end, no matter how hard people try to cover their wrongdoing, things usually rise to the top in the end. Using the analogy, ‘you never know what shows up when the water's down,’ the song tells of all the secrets that surface in a river when the water's down during a drought. The song features each member of Girls Next Door individually during the verses, culminating in a rousing chorus of harmony.
“When the Water’s Down” was penned by TW Hale and Leslie Satcher. It was produced by TW Hale and Tom Harding of H2 Productions in Brentwood, Tennessee. Harding also served as Engineer. The song was recorded at Ronnie’s Place Studios in Nashville and The Gym Floor in Franklin, Tennessee.
“As a songwriter, it’s always a little scary when an artist cuts one of your songs,” revealed TW Hale. “But in this case, Girls Next Door knocked ‘When the Water’s Down’ out of the park. They not only stayed true to the style of the song as it was written, but added some of their ‘special sauce’ to make it their own. And it is wonderful! Thanks so much for giving this song a glorious set of wings!”
Vocal quartet Girls Next Door, came onto the country music scene strong during the mid-80s. Cindy, Diane, Doris and Tammy knew one another while performing in the live shows at Opryland Music Park. The idea of this group was sparked by producer Tommy West. West hailed from the days of Manhattan Transfer and mentioned to Doris his dream to produce a female vocal group. The rest is history. West was brought on as the head of A & R at the new Nashville label, MTM Records, and he brought Girls Next Door with him.
Right out of the gate, the group scored a #14 hit on the charts with their first single, "Love Will Get You Through Times of No Money, Better Than Money Will Get You Through Times of No Love." They followed that single with the top 10 single, "Slowboat to China" which reached #8 on the charts. All in all, Girls Next Door charted 9 songs in their nearly 10 years together. They released two albums on MTM Records with West, and one on Atlantic Records with producer Nelson Larkin.
During Girls Next Door’s touring days, they traveled extensively with The Oak Ridge Boys, The Statler Brothers and Lee Greenwood. They also performed with The Judds, Randy Travis, Exile, Loretta Lynn and Sawyer Brown to name a few. If you ask the girls, they will tell you their favorite events were with the legendary George Jones at The Kennedy Center and with the Oak Ridge Boys at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Television appearances include The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, and TNN shows – Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, On Stage, Hee Haw and Video Country. The girls have also made several appearances on the storied Grand Ole Opry stage.
In 1991, Girls Next Door performed for the last time on Nashville Now with Ralph Emery. It was bittersweet, but these girls had no problem prioritizing family. Being with their husbands, children and parents was where their hearts were. There were several brief reunions over the years, but nothing seemed to stick. It wasn’t the right time. There were aging parents, teenagers, and Doris and Diane are both cancer survivors. Faith is an important component of their lives, and they knew things would come together in God’s timing, and it appears that NOW is God’s timing.
After 30 years, Girls Next Door is back with a new album titled "Girls Next Door 2.0 - NOW or NEVER", produced by H2 Productions, TW Hale and Tom Harding. With their singles released to all digital streaming platforms, “What’s This Thing You’ve Got About Leaving”, and “When the Water’s Down”, you will recognize their sound as if they never left. Each girl is featured on this album, but they all also come together with those tight, bright vocal harmonies you know and love. In their 2.0 version, they are lively, fun, confident and entertaining. Welcome back, so glad to be able to indulge in their new releases anticipate so much more from Girls Next Door.