Song Review – Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach”
Dierks. My man! Why hast thou forsaken us, and the day after I told a hockey site, “Dierks Bentley is very well-liked inside and outside the mainstream of country” no less. Where’s the non sober version of Jason Isbell when you need someone to proclaim “Dierks is a douchebag!” on social media?
Look folks, everything’s going to be just fine. “Somewhere on a Beach” is as godawful as it sounds on paper, but this is classic bait-and-switch Dierks. This is Dierks trying to be all things to all people. This is “Drunk on a Plane #2.” Dierks has been doing this his entire career, and when his new album comes out, it will still be one of the better ones released in mainstream country all year I bet. But for now, he needs a bullet on the radio so he takes a bitter pill, swallows hard, a puts out a dumbass beach song. Eat your heart out Kenny Chesney.
Not even a mean, echo-filled guitar tone driving “Somewhere on a Beach” could graduate this effort to anywhere near redeemable. It’s just bad. Real bad. It’s so bad, it’s hard to know where to start unraveling the badness, but let’s start by bemoaning this new trend in pop country songs to troll ex-lovers by bragging about how you’ve moved on. Isn’t navigating the madness of human love hard enough without some asshole saying “Nanny nanny boo boo” to you when all you’re trying to do is mend a broken heart? We got this same thing from Luke Bryan’s new ear screw with Karen Fairchild “Home Alone Tonight.” It’s all about going out and having a good time, and then rubbing it in you ex-lover’s face. What the hell is this, freaking high school? Get over yourselves. And all of these songs are centered around people’s stupid-ass phones.
What separates “Somewhere on a Beach” from all of the other Dierks Bentley sellout singles is the emergence of the rounded off vowels and dropped S’s that accompany the effort to instill a song with the metro Ebonic hipness indicative of Sam Hunt, which of course goes part and parcel with the narration of douchebag behavior.
My favorite line of the song is when Dierks states, “She got a body.”
Well I’m so happy Dierks that your new lover has found a mortal coil to possess, lest she be stuck between the spiritual and material world for eternity, resigned to perpetrating unverified natural phenomena in an attempt to get the living to acknowledge her presence like a poltergeist.
“Somewhere on a Beach” is just a big shit sandwich, and all Dierks Bentley apologists are going to have to take a bite. Yeah yeah, wasn’t Up On The Ridge an awesome album, and weren’t a bunch of cuts from Riser inspiring, and isn’t it refreshing to see Dierks can laugh at himself with his Douglas Douglason & Hot Country Knights gimmick. But none of this will make this monstrosity go away.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:28 pm
Yep, he’s one of those few artists in country music where you can look at his first singles and tell it was made for the masses while the rest of the album dives deeper. I think that is what a lot of country artists forget actually. You can have the single for the masses, but go deeper and bring some depth to your album. Don’t just do a variation of your single 10 times. I’m looking at you FL-GA Line.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:28 pm
I think 1/10 was generous. Beyond dreadful.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:38 pm
I’m not going to listen to it. Drunk on a Plane #2 is all I need to know.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:44 pm
I just watched his performance on Ellen and i was extremely shocked at what i was hearing. I know the rest of the album is probably good but this song is something i never thought he would record.
January 19, 2016 @ 6:59 pm
I think its sort of unwarranted to insinuate talking in slang means you have to be a douchebag but the more important point is that Dierks clearly doesn’t in the first place. The whole 2nd paragraph is spot on. I get why songs like this get reviewed as far as relevancy and readers Trig but I wish you would leave poor Dierks alone and unleash on Chris Lane and Locash lol. They are public enemies #1 and 2 right now as far as I’m concerned and I will keep saying it until we crucify them for their transgressions lol. The most painful stuff I’ve ever heard on the radio.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:06 pm
I disagree that this is “Drunk on a Plane” #2. “Drunk on a Plane” was at least humorous and had a story line, albeit simple and lighthearted. And, before that, “5-1-5-0” was at least a rousing country number. By contrast, this new single is complete garbage, unlike anything Dierks has ever done before. I am very disappointed.
January 19, 2016 @ 8:40 pm
Count me disappointed too. I never thought he could put out a worse song than Sideways. Guess I was wrong. This so disheartening. Up On The Ridge is one of my favorite albums.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:20 pm
Yeah, this song is bad. I pretty much echo Trigger’s thoughts that the album will have a couple good songs on it and be overall solid aside from the 3-4 obvious radio filler.
My guess is that any chances of Dierks releasing a “meaningful” first single were gone after “Bourbon in Kentucky” bombed on the charts last year and “Riser” struggled to impact radio in 2015.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:21 pm
Okay he counts Jack Ingram, Randy Rogers and Cody Canada as influences and what does he turn out?
I couldn’t even last 36 fucking seconds on this song, probably a lot shorter than what I dealt with on “Donkey”.
I swear if I wasn’t on the Autism Spectrum right now I would so find a way of getting a Music Business Degree and make an effort to fix the bullshit like this in Nashville.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:00 pm
Eh, I have no doubt that Ingram, Canada and Rogers are all influences on him. Same way Sam Bush is. I think at this point we have to accept that fact that (sadly) the lines between “good” Music Row artists and bad Music Row artists is more blurred than it ever has been. It seems to be a race to the bottom, with the good artists like Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Joe Nichols, etc. all playing the mainstream radio game and churning out crap in the process. They talk a good game about wanting to embrace their musical roots and write and record deeper material, but when faced with the prospect of risking the lifestyle and money that comes with being a “hit” Country artist it’s too much for them to pass up and they record whatever crap makes their label heads happy.
It’s sad, but the flipside is that if Dierks went ahead and put out a “serious” song that you and I and everyone else at this website loved, but it didn’t impact Country radio like Capitol Records wanted he might be stuck in a Josh Turner situation.
Increasingly it sucks for both the fans and the artists, artists seem to have less and less musical freedom and fans are forced with hoping crap singles like this do well enough at radio that the album is pushed out the door and maybe….just maybe there will be a handful of good songs that producers and executives havent tampered with much to make it worth it for long time fans.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:54 pm
I made it a whole six seconds into the song and then swiftly kicked my own ass for making my ears suffer so long.
January 19, 2016 @ 7:56 pm
but yet if he puts out a Chris Stapleton type song tomorrow you’ll forgive him…
January 19, 2016 @ 8:01 pm
I didn’t like it … or did I? NO! sh-sh-SHA!
January 19, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
Complete shit sandwich.
For the life of me I can’t figure out how many pop country songs can sound identical to one another.
The only thing Trigger fucked up here was giving this song a 1/10. It’s a 0/10.
January 19, 2016 @ 8:14 pm
What is with the shit-ton of spelling errors in the article? I just heard this worthless song on the way home on an iHeart station, i had no words. I thought it was Eric Church because of the background music, and then when he started singing and pseudo rapping I thought it was Jake Owen. Just another classless, ignorant song about (in other words) taking a shit on your ex’s like Old Dominon’s “Break Up With Him” and Luke Bryan’s “Home Alone Tonight”. Garbage. Not to mention, the production is over-processed, it sounds like 3 songs playing at once. I expected so much more from Dierks..
January 19, 2016 @ 9:05 pm
I’m not seeing any spelling errors in the article.
January 20, 2016 @ 12:24 am
Yeah because you fixed it after i left that comment
January 20, 2016 @ 9:33 am
I fixed “it”? I thought there was a “shit ton”? Hey, this is a one-man operation, and no matter how versed you are in grammar and spelling, checking your own work is going to result in some errors, especially with the amount of copy I create. I always appreciate when readers let me know about misspells or mis-speaks. But overall, I think I do a pretty good job.
January 20, 2016 @ 2:26 pm
I actually enjoy the occasional error. Don’t listen to him. I come here for the substance, not the form. I say keep up the great work, you have turned my on to so much great music, if i have to wade through the occasional spelling error i will survive!
January 20, 2016 @ 7:35 pm
Trigger, way to get bent out of shape over a comment I left to make you aware of an error so you could fix it, helping your own cause. No need to get angry. After all, i have donated to you many times. I make a simple comment and instead get attacked over literally nothing. Some really immature people out there…
January 20, 2016 @ 8:58 pm
Summer Jam,
I didn’t have a problem with you pointing out grammatical errors. What I had a problem with you saying is there were a “shit ton” of errors when by your own later estimation, there was only one.
This is not a big deal at all. I always appreciate your perspective here on this site, and value your contributions.
January 20, 2016 @ 10:38 pm
Sorry Trigger, but that is just the way I talk. It was nothing against you whatsoever. I have an over-dramatic way with words. Trust me i mean no harm…
January 20, 2016 @ 10:08 am
What is with the shit-ton of grammatical errors in the comment?
January 20, 2016 @ 12:04 pm
Weak comeback, “Coop”.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:58 pm
Maybe because your first claim in your comment was just as “weak,” as well as being “ignorant.” Also, it was “filled” with grammar “errors.” So, I was pointing out the “log in your eye,” so to speak.
January 20, 2016 @ 7:33 pm
I wasn’t being ignorant. I was pointing out to Trigger that there were errors so he could fix them. But i forgot, in this day and age when you try to help anyone out or point something out for good cause, you will get attacked and beaten into the ground. Have a nice f’in day sir!
January 20, 2016 @ 7:49 pm
whats with the “quote” on “quotes”.
January 21, 2016 @ 1:17 am
I wanna play this game! Here’s my attempt at a comeback:
http://youtu.be/jtHcCMWUHSI
January 19, 2016 @ 8:50 pm
I’m surprised there was no breakdown of the somewhere on a beach/somewhere, on a bitch play on words.
If the guitar line is as aggressive and dominant in the recorded version, I’ll be able to tolerate the song, but when I saw he had no acoustic guitar on him during the Ellen performance, I knew we were immediately headed for disaster.
If this is what it costs for him to get quality cuts out to as big of a market as possible, then good on him for understanding that, but if this was an honest attempt of any kind, he needs to look in a mirror.
The new album is called “black.” The metro-bro suits are “black.” I’m flat out scared right now. He’s too good to be releasing an entire album of drivel, but I’m afraid we’re headed that direction. If that happens to be the case, he should sell his Dad’s truck.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:12 pm
To be fair to Dierks, he said this is a relationship album that takes its name from his wife’s maiden name (Black).
January 19, 2016 @ 9:39 pm
I’d forgotten about that. That calms my worries somewhat, but if Dierks Bentley ever sells out entirely, I might just sell my old records of his. He has shown time and time again that he can write tasteful radio hits, so I have no idea how this piece of trash came about.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:09 pm
Agreed. Not sure if I’d call it a great album, but I play 2006’s Long Trip Alone with decent regularity. That album is solid country rock all around.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:14 pm
He should copy a Jason Isbell song.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:37 pm
That song was not good at all I expect more from Dierks. Why did he release this bad song I hope don’t sellout like the other artist last 2 years. (Eli Young Band, Gary Allan, Jake Owen, and Zac Brow Band Oh yeah Scotty McCreery too). 2 guns down indeed I agree with you Trig. I tolerate “Drunk on the Plane” but not this song.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:48 pm
Above all else, my response to hearing this was “Why?”
Our first sign of new Bentley material came a week ago when it was revealed the title of his forthcoming album would be “Black”: adding that it would be “a relationship album” that consists of “songs that explore the shadows and edges of the heart.”
So far so good.
Then we get this.
How can we expect this to be relevant to the concept tying “Black” together as a whole? It just smacks as an aimless throwaway clinically designed for nothing other than instant radio gratification.
But here’s the thing: I simply can”™t understand why Dierks Bentley even felt the need to resort to THIS degree of base pandering. I know some didn”™t like “Drunk On A Plane” from his previous album, but even that track had some nuanced, emotional expressiveness and clever lyrical details. And no other singles from “Riser” pandered to the lowest common denominator and he still got a couple other chart-toppers off of them. Bentley is in a position where he doesn’t need to stoop this low to be relevant, period.
*
But what infuriates me most about this, is that it”™s really no better than Luke Bryan/Karen Fairchild”™s current hit “Home Alone Tonight” in terms of its subject matter: amounting to little more than scornfully flipping the bird at an ex and bragging about all the revenge sex he”™s getting whilst at the beach.
I can”™t get my head around this theme speaking to “real life”. That it”™s even a thing. What a complete waste of time, energy and purpose”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦let alone one to center a song around. Why did Bentley feel he HAD to have this sort of track represented in his singles catalog? That’s NOT exploring the shadows and edges of the heart. That amounts to nothing more than the most cliched, puerile, reptilian form of behavior with respect to adult relationships. He’s BETTER THAN THIS.
I by no means wasn”™t expecting the follow-up to the darker one-two punch that was “Say You Do” and “Riser” to be yet another pensive ballad-y track. I get you need to court radio with a lighter offering here and there, and wouldn”™t have even minded if it was something in the more-nuanced-for-a-silly-song league of “Drunk On A Plane”, “Tip It On Back” or”¦”¦”¦”¦..hell”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦”¦..even something with the energy of “5-1-5-0”. Instead, we get this uninspired, developmentally arrested middle-finger-to-ex brag-fest masquerading as a beach song: by far his worst single since at least “Sideways” (if not all time).
I’m thinking a Strong 1 to Light 2 out of 10 for this.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:16 pm
“Bentley is in a position where he doesn”™t need to stoop this low to be relevant, period.”
“He”™s BETTER THAN THIS.”
Hell, that’s pretty much the problem with the rest of the good guys gone metro from 2015. I could see Easton Corbin and Eric Paslay lacking the clout to make music the way they (presumably) want to, but do you think Joe Nichols, Zac Brown or Gary-Freaking-Allan didn’t have a choice in the matter? Perhaps, but I doubt it. Somebody definitely has somebody by the balls, but I wonder just how much persuasion some of them needed (with ol’ Zac, I doubt it was very little).
January 21, 2016 @ 12:46 am
There’s something more mind-boggling about Bentley bending and breaking, though, compared to the other names you’ve mentioned.
Unlike Corbin, Paslay and Nichols, Bentley is big enough to be considered an A-artist in spite of middling sales. He is in a position where he has the clout to send material of at least relative substance to the top of the singles chart including “I Hold On”.
In contrast, those three names are cited would have to be considered B-artists at best. Easton Corbin is in the twilight hours of his mainstream career with pathetic record sales and “Yup” flaming out beneath the Top Thirty. He’s probably a C-artist now. Eric Paslay remains a relative newcomer who has proven he can deliver quality material, yet is kind of two-faced in delivering shamelessly horrendous lead singles to anchor his albums on. Thus, he’s not in a position of privilege like Bentley is in. And Joe Nichols is a veteran of the format who has proven resilient in continuing to rebound and collect chart hits, but is otherwise just kind of there and lacks relevancy in the broader scheme of things. Plus, “Freaks Like Me” is greatly struggling in only managing to reach #46 so far in its fourteenth week on the chart.
Bentley, in contrast, has the privilege and name recognition to call more of the shots that countless other recording artists would kill to do. I’m not saying he has full autonomy or anything, but he definitely has more creative freedom and clout. And so when Bentley insists on stooping this low, I’m going to call him out even more vociferously.
January 19, 2016 @ 9:56 pm
Am I the only one that’s hated his singles so much I’ve never given a single album of his a chance? Then again, it’s not my job to listen to entire albums of shit, so..
January 19, 2016 @ 10:10 pm
You’ve been missing out, then.
Among A to high-B list acts in mainstream country/”country” music, Dierks Bentley easily has among the best batting averages when it comes to quality album tracks. Much of his material has this warm, understated, intimate air of relatability permeating it. One could accuse him of his share of things, but recording filler is something he seldom ever does. He clearly emotionally invests himself in deeper cuts no less, and I’d highly recommend you give his full-length efforts a try.
Cuts like “Wish It Would Break”, “Whiskey Tears”, “Modern Day Drifter”, “Prodigal Son’s Prayer”, “The Heaven I’m Headed To”, “Here On Earth”, “Rovin’ Gambler”, “Damn These Dreams”………………..that’s just a handful there. But aside from the more underwhelming albums of “Feel That Fire” and half of “Home”, Bentley has been head and shoulders above the majority of his peers in the mainstream and knows good songs.
January 20, 2016 @ 6:07 am
Agreed, Dierks had such a good track record until he released this disaster of a single. His first few albums are so deadly, true country music to say the least. Up On The Ridge was a fantastic album as well. I find a solid number of his tracks are consistently on my iPod playlists.
My standard go-to Dierks lineup probably consists of songs like “That Don’t Make It Easy”, “Lot Of Leavin”, “Domestic, Light, And Cold”, “Whiskey Tears”, “Free And Easy”, “Fiddlin’ Around”, “I Bought The Shoes”, etc.
January 20, 2016 @ 10:23 am
While I understand the strategy of giving radio what it wants and then trying to make up for it with decent album cuts, what artists need to bear in mind is that the singles, not the albums, are what they will ultimately be remembered for. I can’t imagine why he would want this piece of garbage in his body of work.
January 20, 2016 @ 12:51 pm
I loved Riser, but I think it had a fair amount of filler. that said, it had a lot of great material. Bourbon in Kentucky is so good that the fact that no one else appreciates it makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
January 20, 2016 @ 9:02 pm
I appreciate it!! I love it, in fact. But I could be on cazy pills too! 🙂
January 21, 2016 @ 10:36 am
Well, I will say this. If the songs being heavily promoted for an album are songs that I can’t stand, I will not consider buying the album. I understand that the notion of releasing an accessible single, but if they cross the border into raging sellout territory, then screw it, I’m out. If I’m missing out on some deep album cuts, then so be it. As it is, I probably buy too many albums to begin with, given the amount of time I have to listen to them.
January 19, 2016 @ 10:32 pm
No this is God awful! The lyrics are horrible & he is Sam Hunting singing this crappy song. I loved Riser but b/c it was a dud at radio we get this….No just no!
January 19, 2016 @ 10:38 pm
Why does Deirks get a pass on this awful song? The lyrics are embarrassing!
January 19, 2016 @ 10:41 pm
A pass?
“It”™s just bad. Real bad. It”™s so bad, it”™s hard to know where to start unraveling the badness”
January 19, 2016 @ 11:32 pm
Correct Nikki. Trigger and all the others, “well maybe the rest of the record will have something. maybe his next album will get back to blah, blah, blah…”
January 20, 2016 @ 9:35 am
I can’t speak for anyone else, but as soon as I say, “Dierks new album will suck cover to cover” without hearing it, than my credibility as a fair and impartial critic goes out the window. There’s a track record here, and the track record is that Dierks releases a stupid first single, and then makes up for it in the album. We can’t assume that’s what is going to happen here, and I think I proved with this review that I’m perfectly willing to turn the poison pen on anyone. But we have to hear the album first.
January 20, 2016 @ 10:26 pm
I’ll buy this cd anyway.
January 20, 2016 @ 4:36 am
Spring break college bait music
January 20, 2016 @ 5:24 am
Not a masochist, so I refrain from listening to trainwrecks.
I did finally hear that (unrelated) Jesus and Jones crap on the radio, though. Ugh!
January 20, 2016 @ 7:38 am
Nanny nanny boo boo. Shit sandwich. Hey how come all these artists weren’t dropping “Chris Stapleton” in tweets and interviews before that awards show? No shame man. “Oh yeah I knew it all along. He’s a friend of mine”. Every singer should have to sit down in front of Guy Clark and sing their single before it goes to radio. How embarrassing would it be to these guys to have to look that man in the eye and play a turd? If you walk away from Mr. Clark without a boot print on your ass, then the single goes to radio. If you get an ass kick, the single goes in the shit tank. Two ass kicks (one on each cheek) means you are suspended from writing/singing/recording for one year and/or upon Mr. Clark’s approval. Want to stop all this crap and see some new direction? Abolish cowriting in Nashville for one year. Let some singular opinions and individuality be a hard long cleansing rain that washes out this stagnant gully full of turds. We need a good turd gully washer.
January 20, 2016 @ 9:29 am
I like your Guy Clark litmus test plan, but it’s predicated upon the idea that these new artists even have any idea who Guy Clark is. Dierks does, I’m sure. Florida Georgia Line’s knowledge of classic country doesn’t go past Alabama’s Greatest Hits.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:21 pm
Yeah, and that’s only because Scott Borchetta came into the studio one day with a CD and said “Hey guys, you’ve named-dropped Hank and Haggard a little too much. Ever heard of this band?” I can only imagine their reaction if Hank Jr. was wandering around the Big Machine premises.
January 23, 2016 @ 11:01 am
On a similar note I watched a rerun of John Prine on the Marty Stuart show. He played a few songs I hadn’t heard before. That man writes so well. Actually both of them do. Makes the rest of this stuff look so inexplicably bad. Like a different species wrote it.
January 20, 2016 @ 7:40 am
Letting go is hard, but I would recommend Dierks apologists get the process started, The line of compromise has shifted to capitulation. Even if the rest of the album was loaded with “Up on the Ridge”-style tracks, they would be guilty by association and compromised by this track’s inclusion. For the record, I’ve enjoyed a little DB (especially first two albums), but this guy’s live show leaves a lot to be desired and his voice is very rough without a lot of studio magic. Celebrate the old, mourn the loss and move on.
January 20, 2016 @ 9:23 am
I agree that “Somewhere on a Beach” is so bad it will impinge on other good songs. But I’ll wait to hear the rest of the album before throwing dirt on Dierks’ grave.
January 21, 2016 @ 7:23 am
Weak
January 20, 2016 @ 7:50 am
Good lord. He should have passed on this and let Uncle Kracker have it. It would fit his catalog well. I can deal with a lame single because I get it. I know how the game is played, but he’s really pushing it with something like this
January 20, 2016 @ 9:02 am
I love Dierks Bentley, but this song sucks. It seems more in line with the bullshit on his god-awful “Country And Cold Cans” EP from around the time “Home” came out than a song he would put on a legit album.
I’ve been a Dierks fan since pretty much the beginning. I got his self-titled debut when it came out (I missed out on his independently released “Don’t Leave Me In Love”, which I’ve since listened to and which is very good.) Being a fan this long, I’ve learned to not turn and run when a shitty song comes out from Dierks. We’ll just have to see how the rest of “Black” fares.
January 20, 2016 @ 9:21 am
Sorry Dierks…but I’m not interested in hearing the rest of the album tracks you wrote with the corporate radio cock out of your mouth. Nice approach to stay in the shit game, but you lose artistic integrity and fans of quality music.
This is like seeing a bad aspect of someone’s personality that you just can’t overcome to stay friends.
D – icks
I – in mouth
E – equals
R – radio
K – kill
S – songs
January 20, 2016 @ 9:58 am
I think Dierks is one of the high points in mainstream country. Sure he has had few bad songs but all of the greats do. Dierks is one of the few current artists who still respects what country music is about (all elements of it). He is has done duets with everyone rfom Del McCoury, Holly Williams, Jamey Johnson, and yes even some of the villains like Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley. Dierks is a great ambassador for country music. He is the one artist that can bridge the gap between what is called country music and what is really country music.
January 20, 2016 @ 10:14 am
another sellout (hopefully not)
January 20, 2016 @ 10:16 am
I like it. Catchy little tune, nice little groove. That’s all I really need from music.
January 20, 2016 @ 12:27 pm
I know this is kind of a stupid thing to pick at; especially considering the song itself; but what is up with that single cover? It looks like it’s from 1995.
January 20, 2016 @ 12:32 pm
I feel like we actually give Dierks too much benefit of the doubt sometimes lately. I have been a long time lover of Dierks Bentley’s overall output. But I really feel like he’s heading in a direction that is more than just a couple of excusable radio-friendly singles. And I hope I’m wrong! But I’m not sure why his crap music is more forgivable. For me it’s less forgivable, because he so clearly knows the difference. his better angels should be shouting that shit down!
January 20, 2016 @ 2:14 pm
Concur with this 100%. I listened to Dierks regularly up until every release after “Up on the Ridge.” That was the last album I bought.
January 20, 2016 @ 1:02 pm
Ok, first ..Trigger, why must I scroll all the way to the bottom of the damned page to make a comment? Seriously?! I’m doing this from my cell! I don’t own a computer!
Second, just the opening music was bad enough! That sounds nothing like a beach song, and I didn’t even want to hear the lyrics! And I love Kenny Chesney’s beach songs! At least he’s believable, since he actually lives on a beach, and is always seen on a beach (really, Kenny, i adore you, but it’s getting old!).
January 20, 2016 @ 1:33 pm
Ugh. I was really hoping Dierks would prove me wrong and drop something decent as his next single, but I called this back in September. The good guys jumping ship just isn’t a surprise anymore after Gary Allan and Zac Brown. Dierks is even wearing a freaking greaser/biker jacket to look more douchey!
January 20, 2016 @ 2:11 pm
Yes, my prediction since his last concert I went to in July was that he’s selling out more than we’d expect. I really hope I’m wrong too and was waiting to really pass judgement until his next release. this is not easing my fear.
January 20, 2016 @ 3:26 pm
Yep. You actually told that story about the crowd not enjoying “Up On the Ridge” and wanting “Drunk On a Plane” instead in the same article (as I recall). It might have even been a response to a comment of mine, I can’t remember.
January 20, 2016 @ 2:35 pm
Coming from a Dierks fan, I agree that this song is horrible. I was more disappointed in the instrumentation and production than anything else
January 20, 2016 @ 2:41 pm
I predict the album will still be great. Sure, this song clearly sucks. So what, make a mixed playlist of the good to great songs on the album interspersed with the many other good to great songs from his prior albums. Then just forget this song exists. i think he has shown consistently that his releases will be filled with good stuff. So he threw a bone to his corporate masters, big deal. He undoubtedly knows this song is shit, he clearly knows his country music and clearly loves it. If this shit sandwich lets him put out another bluegrass album like Up on the Ridge or do more great songs like Riser and Bourban in Kentucky, then good for him and good for us as listeners.
I always remember reading an interview with john Cusack, where he said he knowingly makes 2 hollywood turds to finance a great movie like Grosse Point Blank and high Fidelity. I skip the hollywood drivel and just see his good flicks. I think musicians these days are often stuck doing the same thing unfortunately.
…and to all you doubters, i am not ready to bet against Gary Allen yet either. Yes, that last song was one horrible song, but his albums are all consistently solid. i doubt he is going to put out a total stink bomb after 10 great albums. He has my support until he drops a end to end turd.
January 20, 2016 @ 3:28 pm
These days it’s looking like he’s struggling to put out any type of album at all. Record label politics are getting in the way.
January 20, 2016 @ 2:46 pm
I’m not going to listen to it. I’ll by his new album and listen to it then, but I’m done with country radio. If I hate it, I’ll just skip over it.
It sucks. I hate that radio only plays songs like this. I was listening to Eric Church’s masterful “Mistress Named Music” and all I kept thinking was no radio DJ would play it.
Thankfully, I can download my favorite albums, which includes Riser, to my phone and listen to them in the car.
January 20, 2016 @ 3:27 pm
I’m really hoping this is just an example of a song that is required by the label and not the direction that his music is taking.
January 20, 2016 @ 4:25 pm
It boggles my mind that an artist who records songs like Damn These Dreams, Distant Shore, Modern Day Drifter, Gonna Get There Someday, Thinking of You, the entire Up on the Ridge CD, etc. can then go onto put out something as ridiculous as this song. I watched him on Ellen and it was just…uncomfortable.
Does it irk anyone else when a 40 year-old, by all accounts happily-married man and father of 3 puts singles like this? Doesn’t make any sense.
I am a big Dierks fan, have all of his albums and actually really enjoyed the Sounds of Summer tour last August, but man…this is bad. Ugh!
**Disclosure – I will still buy the CD**
January 20, 2016 @ 4:55 pm
I love Dierks music, but this is awful. Too overproduced for my taste, and too much trying to fit in to the “trend” that is going on in country music right now. My favorite songs from Dierks has to be Up On The Ridge and What Was I Thinkin? I did, however, like Drunk On A Plane. But, it seems like Dierks should be asking himself right now(as far as having this going to radio), “What Was I Thinking?”
January 20, 2016 @ 5:43 pm
All the Dierks propping up wasted! This is so bad. I saw it on ITunes and knew trigger was going to burn it. I am a Dierks fan, but this some Chesney paisley shit. Repeat a past hit at its finest….yuck:( …. Weird song choice for a guy his age too…. Man…. I guess I can keep dreaming for an awesome “don’t leave me in love” remake ( good song from first album)
January 20, 2016 @ 5:54 pm
not a bad as “Donkey”
January 20, 2016 @ 5:57 pm
He’s 40 years old (same age as me) he should be singing better songs than this.
January 20, 2016 @ 11:44 pm
Amen Pete …..and its not like there aren’t WAY better songs looking for a home .
January 20, 2016 @ 6:35 pm
I honestly don’t blame him at all. In my opinion, I would say that the album is going to be great if Capitol records let him release it. I am actually hoping that this single does awesome so that his album can be released as soon as possible. If this single fails then we might not even get to hear his album at all. The thing that pisses me off is that it is completely obvious that he would never have recorded this song had it not been up to capitol records and the fate of his next album release relies on this shitty single. I feel bad for him actually.
January 21, 2016 @ 10:18 am
That’s an interesting conundrum. Do we have to buy the shitty radio ready pop crap the record labels force our favorite artists to put out, just to ensure they get to put out the rest of the album? I suspect the rest of the album will be like all his other releases, 3 or 4 great songs, 3 or 4 good songs, and few more turds designed for radio. Same goes for Gary Allen, do i need to buy Hangover Tonight, his worst song ever, just so i can get another Get Off On The Pain?. I guess i can download this particular shit sandwich on iTunes to help Dierks get the hit he needs, then immediately delete it from my library so it does not leach into and infect my other music. It seems like extortion in a way, but if that’s the cost i need to pay to get new music from Dierks and Gary, i am on my way to iTunes now. Everyone here should follow my theory. Lets make these two jokes of a song number 1, just to send a message to Dierks and Gary and the record label that the rest of the album better the real deal. Although i guess that seems self defeating, supporting crap pop music to try to save country music?
January 21, 2016 @ 10:35 am
I’d be more inclined to go to iTunes and individually download the worthwhile tracks from the album — leaving this one and any others like it behind.
January 21, 2016 @ 12:28 pm
I will of course buy the good tracks, but my approach could start a grass roots movement that focuses a lot of attention on what these labels are doing to these artists. i am interested in seeing what Trigger thinks.
January 21, 2016 @ 10:40 am
Finishing the thought, if everyone on this website were to buy these two songs in the next week, but then post comments on iTunes in the comment section that 1. we bought the songs under protest, 2. that the songs suck and are not representative of the artist, 3. were probably forced on the artist by the label, 4. that the direction labels and radio are taking country music sucks, but 5. we each know these artists record good songs as album tracks and we don’t want their releases held hostage if the single fails. I think we might actually cause enough of a stir to get some attention. i think we should attribute the movement to Trigger and SCM, but only with Triggers approval of course. We can call the movement Occupy the Charts! We would create a movement that would be so unorthodox in its approach, i suspect it would get valuable publicity. lets hear from others here. who wants to make a statement? you say you want to save country music, put your money where your mouth is, its only $2. how funny and newsworthy would it be for us to push these two shit bag songs to number 1 under protest! C’mon team, lets get some attention out there, who is with me!?!?!
January 21, 2016 @ 12:46 pm
It’s an interesting idea Marky, and there’s folks with a lot more public muscle than me like Bobby Bones who’ve tried these things before. There was a movement a few weeks back to get a Joey + Rory song to #1 that floundered after putting forth a valiant effort.
I kind of of philosophically opposed to doing bits on the charts. I think it takes away from them as a true measurement of public sentiment.
January 21, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
I understand, but my interest would not be in influencing the chart position of the song, it sucks and deserves to flounder. My interest is in seeing if we could get enough people to buy and write “our” messages about why they are buying that we create a stir. how many people follow your site? assuming a few thousand and assuming 25% play my little game, 500 purchases over just a few days coupled with our odd message might be enough to focus a spotlight on the movement and thus the underlying issue. …but maybe i am just an idealist!
January 21, 2016 @ 3:19 pm
You would be blown away by the amount of people who read this site, but you would also be blown away at how little effectiveness my Svengali flute has at leading the masses when it involves them even taking out one red penny from their pockets. Now if it was back in the MySpace days, I could have raised an army. I applaud your faith in me, but I think I’ll keep my powder dry for a more important call to action. 🙂
January 20, 2016 @ 11:43 pm
Uneven albums are a given with DB . His boyish looks and head full of curls got him some attention from the ladies early on . Musically he is ALWAYS grasping ….or should I say ‘ gasping ‘ , as his vocals leave MUCH to be desired …MUCH ! Yeah ….like most ” artists’ he’s stumbled upon the odd OK tune but mostly he’s cruisin on fumes at this point . As someone said above ‘ Drunk On A Plane ‘ was pretty much his ‘ Truck Yeah ‘ and when you could really feel the desperation . You just can’t be all things to all people AND maintain a position of integrity .
Thanks for the warning , Trigger . I won’t bother listening .
January 21, 2016 @ 1:17 pm
Saw Dirks live.. He was alright.
He totally lost me with Drunk on A Plane.
It wasn’t the song per se (Wife sings it sometimes.LOL) , but the time he played it on TV and had all the girl dancers as stewardess
It was so F’in cheesy.
This song is bad.. Just bad,
But that is country radio..98% of it sux.
January 21, 2016 @ 1:42 pm
We always forget that Dierks’ first song was ” What Was I Thinkin'”- a song that I still avoid at all times. I lump that with ” 5-1-5-0″ “Sideways” and now this song. I agree that he will bring us an album with far more substance than this song. I am still a fan- he is the best male singer out there in mainstream country- and I will wait and see what he does next. Any artist that can produce ” Up On The Ridge” – which I listen to every month-has my support. And I will remind people that not every song by Dolly, Loretta, the two Georges, Hank, Roger or Willie was a masterpiece or worthy of them. He is better than Aldean or Bryan or FGL or any of the other talentless males out there. So I will cut him a break. People thought Justin Timberlake was excellent on the CMAs but his song has less to offer than this one.
January 21, 2016 @ 1:48 pm
I live in a world where 100% of my friends listen and actually like what they hear on country radio these days, they swoon over FGL and Luke Bryan. I have always liked Dierks songs that don’t reach radio, but of course, my friends with terrible taste proceeded to send me links to this song saying “how much they loved it”. When I shoot back a text with the reply “are your ears not bleeding?” I get the ever too common “you just don’t like it because everyone else likes it”. I’m in my early twenties and surrounded by a ton of tone deaf people. (also very concerned that someone his age is singing these lyrics)
January 21, 2016 @ 5:44 pm
Great song, love it.
January 24, 2016 @ 12:56 pm
Flat as a flounder.
January 26, 2016 @ 4:44 am
Some of those lyrics are cringe-worthy: “She got a body, she’s naughty.” That’s just awful. I don’t know how anyone could sing that without embarrassing themselves.