Drink a Beer
| "Drink a Beer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Luke Bryan | ||||
| from the album Crash My Party | ||||
| Released | November 11, 2013 | |||
| Format | Music download | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:23 | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Writer(s) |
Jim Beavers Chris Stapleton | |||
| Producer(s) | Jeff Stevens | |||
| Luke Bryan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Drink a Beer" is a song written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton, and recorded by American country music singer Luke Bryan. It was released in November 2013 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Crash My Party. Bryan has described "Drink a Beer" as "the coolest sad song ever" and, despite not having a hand in writing it, connects with the story after having lost both of his siblings.[1] He dedicated his performance of the song at the CMA Awards on November 6, 2013 to his late siblings Chris and Kelly.[1]
Content
The song is a country ballad about the unexpected loss of someone close. It tells the story of a character who honors the recent passing of a loved one by watching the sunset on the edge of a pier and drinking a beer, which they normally would have done together.[2]
"Drink a Beer" takes a relatively unique approach to the theme of loss by addressing the "very raw, real emotion" that immediately follows the loss of a loved one rather than focusing on how a person copes in the long term or plans to move on and rebuild.[3] Like Lee Brice's "I Drive Your Truck," critics and fans have noted that the subject matter of "Drink a Beer" is striking in its contrast to the party connotations of its title.[3]
Critical reception
The song was well received by music critics, who praised the unprecedented vulnerability in Bryan's delivery. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country described the track as "poignant" and demonstrative of Bryan's ability to connect with an audience,[4] while Christina Vinson of Taste of Country deemed "Drink a Beer" musically "fantastic" and lyrically "extremely touching".[1] Roughstock editor Matt Bjorke indicated Bryan's impassioned vocals giving "an air of authenticity to the lyrics" as the reason for the song's effectiveness, and gave the song a four-and-a-half star ranking.[3] Bjorke also compared it favorably to Miranda Lambert's hit "Over You" in suggesting the song has "the kind of powerful impact" to warrant nods for "Single of the Year" or "Song of the Year".[3]
In HitFix′s review of Crash My Party, Melinda Newman labelled "Drink a Beer" the strongest track on the album (grading it an A-) while praising the "spare" production and noting that the song "doesn't try to be a tearjerker" and is more effective as a result.[5]
Music video
The music video was directed by Paul Miller and premiered in December 2013.[6]
Chart & commercial performance
"Drink a Beer" debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated November 16, 2013.[7] It debuted at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated November 23, 2013.[8] It debuted at number 79 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart dated November 23, 2013.[9] It debuted at number 97 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated November 23, 2013.[10] As of February 5, 2014, "Drink a Beer" has sold 696,000 copies in the United States.[11]
| Chart (2013–2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[ 1] | 34 |
| Canada Country (Billboard)[ 1] | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[ 1] | 33 |
| US Country Airplay (Billboard)[ 1] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[ 1] | 1 |
| Preceded by "Stay" by Florida Georgia Line |
Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one single January 25–February 15, 2014 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" by The Band Perry |
Billboard Canada Country number-one single February 8-15, 2014 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by "Whatever She's Got" by David Nail |
Billboard Country Airplay number-one single February 15, 2014 |
Succeeded by incumbent |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vinson, Christina. "Luke Bryan Raises a Beer to His Late Siblings With ‘Drink a Beer’ at 2013 CMAs". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ↑ Wolff, Kurt. "Luke Bryan On New Single ‘Drink A Beer’: ‘It’s One of the Coolest Sad Songs I’ve Ever Heard’". Radio.com. CBS Radio. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bjorke, Matt. "Single Review: Luke Bryan - Drink a Beer". Roughtstock. Cheri Media. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ↑ Dukes, Billy. "Luke Bryan, 'Drink a Beer' – ToC Critic’s Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
- ↑ Newman, Melinda. "Luke Bryan's 'Crash My Party': Track-by-Track Album Review". Hitfix. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Luke Bryan : Drink a Beer". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Country Airplay". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Hot Country Songs". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=The Billboard Hot 100". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.roughstock.com/blog/country-chart-news-the-top-30-digital-singles-feb-5-2014-hunter-hayes-1-tim-mcgraw-eric-church-debut-top-10-scotty-cassadee-news
| ||||||||||||||||||||