"Wild Child" is a song by American recording artists Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter. The song was co-written by Chesney, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne. It was released in February 2015 as the third single from the Chesney's album The Big Revival (2014). Potter had previously collaborated with Chesney for his singles "You and Tequila" and "El Cerrito Place".
In a cover story for Billboard, Chesney drew a comparison between "Wild Child" and bro country songs: âÂÂOver the last several years, it seems like anytime anybody sings about a woman, sheâÂÂs in cutoff jeans, drinking and on a tailgate â they objectify the hell out of them! [...] But IâÂÂm at a point where I want to say something different about womenâÂÂ. He told Taste of Country that he wasnâÂÂt searching for another Grace Potter duet, but when he finished writing the song, he knew it was unavoidable. âÂÂWhen you write about women, the best place to start is their spirit, and thereâÂÂs not a woman that has a better free spirit than Grace PotterâÂÂ.
"Wild Child" finds its narrator falling for a strong and independent woman, whose spirit is free and whose nature is rebel.
Giving it a B+, Bob Paxman of Country Weekly wrote that "Those who prefer party guy Kenny might find this a bit too mellow for their tastes. But give this bit of introspection a chance and you'll find some cool lyricsâ¦and a fine message."
The music video was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered on the USA Today website on February 11, 2015.
The song has sold 242,000 copies in the United States as of June 2015.