The song is in the key of D-flat major, using a main pattern of D5-A5-Gsus2 on the verses. The narrator sings that she and her lover are "stuck like glue". Some stations have edited out the song's reggae bridge and/or a portion near the end in which Nettles' backing vocals are Auto-Tuned.
Critical reception
Blake Boldt of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up. His review called the song "oddball" and "interesting," praising Jennifer Nettles's vocal stylings as well as the production. Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an "A" rating, and said "I could write a few paragraphs about why I love this song, but what’s the point...All I have to say about “Stuck Like Glue” is this: Listening to it makes me very happy."
Music video
The music video was released on August 6 2010 on VEVO, directed by Declan Whitebloom. The video portrays an alternative interpretation of the lyrics. The video opens with the narrator, driving up to the house of her ex-lover, whom she obviously stalks. Her ex-lover ends up calling the police, and she gets arrested, and appears in a mugshot room with other criminals. After being released, she goes to the house of the ex-lover, and kidnaps him by putting a sack over his head and driving him to a warehouse with many pictures & paintings of him there. She drugs him, and proceeds to feed him a cake with his face on it. At the end, she takes his phone and sees an incoming call from "Kim", who is shown to be an attractive young woman on picture caller ID, and the video ends as she punches him for it. As of April 2018, the music video has received more than 40 million views on YouTube.
Live Performances
Sugarland promoted the song multiple times, being a regular part of the setlist of their tour "The Incredible Machine Tour". The song was also performed live in American Idol and at the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. After their five-years hiatus, the duo keeps singing the song at the 2018 version of the festival and the Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
Chart performance
"Stuck Like Glue" debuted at No. 44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 7, 2010. One week later, it debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20. It also debuted at No. 53 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of August 14, 2010. It became the 11th most downloaded country music song of all time by April 2011, and it was the best-selling song by a country duo until it was surpassed by Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" in April 2013. The single entered the UK Top 100 at number 74 on February 13, 2011. It debuted at No. 30 on the U.S. BillboardAdult Contemporary chart for the week of March 26, 2011.
