Drunk Americans

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"Drunk Americans"
Single by Toby Keith
from the album 35 MPH Town
ReleasedOctober 14, 2014 (2014-10-14)
GenreCountry
Length3:20
LabelShow Dog-Universal Music
Songwriter(s)Brandy Clark
Bob DiPiero
Shane McAnally
Producer(s)Toby Keith
Toby Keith singles chronology
"Shut Up and Hold On"
(2013)
"Drunk Americans"
(2014)
"35 MPH Town"
(2015)

"Drunk Americans" is a song written by Brandy Clark, Bob DiPiero and Shane McAnally and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in October 2014 as the first single from his album 35 MPH Town.

Content[edit]

The song celebrates social unity among American people of various backgrounds who all participate in drinking alcohol. Brandy Clark, one of the song's three writers, told Rolling Stone that "We wanted to write it sort of like a modern day 'Piano Man'... It's like 'When we're in here drinking, who cares what we are outside of this?'"[1]

Edits[edit]

The version released to most radio stations replaces the line "We just raise up our glass, we don't give a rat's ass" from the chorus with "[…]we don't care, we don't ask" from the first and final chorus. and "[…]we don't judge, we don't laugh" from the second chorus.

Critical reception[edit]

Taste of Country reviewed the single favorably, saying that "The woozy waltz adds a hint of inclusive social commentary to allow it to stand out from the rest."[2]

Music video[edit]

The music video was directed by Michael Salomon and premiered in November 2014.[3]

Chart performance[edit]

On the Country Airplay chart dated for November 1, 2014, "Drunk Americans" debuted at number 31. The song was the week's highest debut, and the most added song to country radio playlists that week.[4] The song sold 15,000 downloads in its first week of release.[5][6] It was Keith's first top 30 hit in his life.

Weekly charts[edit]

Weekly chart performance for "Drunk Americans"
Chart (2014–2015) Peak
position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[7] 27
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 33

Year-end charts[edit]

Year-end chart performance for "Drunk Americans"
Chart (2015) Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[9] 99

References[edit]

  1. ^ Rodman, Sarah (14 October 2014). "Brandy Clark opens up about writing Toby Keith's new single". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  2. ^ "Toby Keith, 'Drunk Americans' [Listen]". Taste of Country. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  3. ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 25, 2014). "Toby Keith Toasts ALL Americans In New Video". Roughstock. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  4. ^ Jessen, Wade (20 October 2014). "A dozen No. 1s for Aldean; Keith's 'Drunk Americans' debuts" (PDF). Billboard Country Update. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  5. ^ Matt Bjorke (October 22, 2014). "The Top 30 Digital Singles: October 22, 2014". Roughstock.
  6. ^ "Top 30 Digital Singles - October 22- 2014 - Google Sheets". Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Toby Keith Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Billboard Country Update for December 14, 2015" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 14, 2015. p. 7. Retrieved December 15, 2015.