Dirt Road Anthem
Encyclopedia
"Dirt Road Anthem" is the title of a song written by American country music
artists Colt Ford
and Brantley Gilbert
(who also wrote Aldean's hit "My Kinda Party
"), both of whom recorded their own versions of the song. Jason Aldean
re-recorded the song for his 2010 album My Kinda Party
, and released it as the third single from the album in April 2011. The song debuted as a single as Aldean's previous single, "Don't You Wanna Stay
", was currently at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart.
Country rapper Colt Ford originally recorded the song for his 2008 album Ride Through the Country
, with Brantley Gilbert singing vocals on the chorus. Gilbert later recorded a revisited version of the song for his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven
.
According to The Boot, Aldean's publicist teased about the song, suggesting Aldean listened to "a little Snoop Dogg in his time"; regarding the song, Aldean said he did not consider "Dirt Road Anthem" a rap song. He continued by saying, "...if I was to do anything like that, it's not going to be like Kanye West
-style or anything."
, Aldean performed the song with guest rapper Ludacris
, who joined Aldean onstage after the second chorus to perform his own hip hop
-style second verse. On picking Ludacris for the collaboration, Aldean said, "...even though our music is totally different, our roots are the same. We both know about hot Georgia summers and cooling off with a six pack or two. It wasn't that much of a stretch." A remixed studio version featuring Ludacris was released for digital download through iTunes
on June 9, 2011.
, premiered June 13, 2011 on CMT
. The video was entirely shot in black-and-white, portraying Aldean driving a Ram
truck through the countryside and stopping at a clearance where he reminisces of his teenage years of partying with friends around a campfire.
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave "Dirt Road Anthem" a 4.5 star rating, saying "Jason Aldean knows he’s not a rapper and this isn’t a style of music that he’ll continuously do...but as for a new song with a different sound, it certainly works."
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a D rating, using heavy sarcasm to acknowledge that the song's content followed tired, formulaic patterns often used in other country music songs.
chart for the chart week dated February 5, 2011, as an album cut from unsolicited airplay. "Dirt Road Anthem" had reached a peak of number 49 before being released as a single in April 2011. The song later became Aldean's sixth number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart the week of July 30, 2011. It also debuted at number 68 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of April 23, 2011. It has since become his first Top Ten hit on that chart, and the highest-charting single of his career. It also debuted at number 92 on the Canadian Hot 100
chart for the week of May 28, 2011.
As of September 2011, the song has sold over 2,000,000 downloads in the US alone. It's the first song by a male solo country artist to achieve this feat.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artists Colt Ford
Colt Ford
Jason Farris Brown known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country music artist and former professional golfer. He has released three albums via his own Average Joe's label, and has charted four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts...
and Brantley Gilbert
Brantley Gilbert
Brantley Gilbert is an American country rock music singer-songwriter. He has released two albums, both on the Average Joe's Entertainment Group label. His songs have also been recorded by Colt Ford and Jason Aldean. In February 2011, he left Average Joe's label to join Valory Music Group, where he...
(who also wrote Aldean's hit "My Kinda Party
My Kinda Party (song)
"My Kinda Party" is a song written and originally recorded by country-southern rock singer-songwriter Brantley Gilbert from his 2009 album Modern Day Prodigal Son...
"), both of whom recorded their own versions of the song. Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams is an American country music singer, known professionally as Jason Aldean. Since 2005, Aldean has recorded for Broken Bow Records, an independent record label for which he has released four albums and twelve singles...
re-recorded the song for his 2010 album My Kinda Party
My Kinda Party
Michael McCall with the Associated Press lauded Aldean for his "fresh sound" on the album saying he "stands at the forefront of a movement combining country themes with hard-rock chords"...
, and released it as the third single from the album in April 2011. The song debuted as a single as Aldean's previous single, "Don't You Wanna Stay
Don't You Wanna Stay
"Don't You Wanna Stay" is a song performed by American country singer Jason Aldean featuring Kelly Clarkson from Aldean's 2010 album, My Kinda Party. It was written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins and Jason Sellers...
", was currently at the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart.
Content
"Dirt Road Anthem" is a mid-tempo song, styled as country rap. The song expresses country pride, southern values, and remembering good times from the past.Country rapper Colt Ford originally recorded the song for his 2008 album Ride Through the Country
Ride Through the Country
Ride Through the Country is the debut album released by country rap artist Colt Ford. It was released on December 2, 2008 on the independent Average Joe's label...
, with Brantley Gilbert singing vocals on the chorus. Gilbert later recorded a revisited version of the song for his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven
Halfway to Heaven (album)
Halfway to Heaven is the second studio album by Brantley Gilbert. Produced by The Atom Brothers, it was originally released on March 16, 2010 via Average Joe's Entertainment....
.
According to The Boot, Aldean's publicist teased about the song, suggesting Aldean listened to "a little Snoop Dogg in his time"; regarding the song, Aldean said he did not consider "Dirt Road Anthem" a rap song. He continued by saying, "...if I was to do anything like that, it's not going to be like Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
-style or anything."
Live performance
At the 2011 CMT Music AwardsCMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on CMT. Voting takes place on CMT's website, CMT.com.-History:...
, Aldean performed the song with guest rapper Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
, who joined Aldean onstage after the second chorus to perform his own hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
-style second verse. On picking Ludacris for the collaboration, Aldean said, "...even though our music is totally different, our roots are the same. We both know about hot Georgia summers and cooling off with a six pack or two. It wasn't that much of a stretch." A remixed studio version featuring Ludacris was released for digital download through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on June 9, 2011.
Music video
The music video for "Dirt Road Anthem", directed by Deaton-Flanigen ProductionsDeaton-Flanigen Productions
Deaton-Flanigen Productions is a music video directing duo composed of Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field of country music...
, premiered June 13, 2011 on CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
. The video was entirely shot in black-and-white, portraying Aldean driving a Ram
Ram Trucks
Ram Trucks is a United States-based brand of light to mid-weight pickup trucks established in 2009 as a division of Chrysler Group LLC.-Background:...
truck through the countryside and stopping at a clearance where he reminisces of his teenage years of partying with friends around a campfire.
Critical reception
"Dirt Road Anthem" has received overall mixed reception from critics.Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave "Dirt Road Anthem" a 4.5 star rating, saying "Jason Aldean knows he’s not a rapper and this isn’t a style of music that he’ll continuously do...but as for a new song with a different sound, it certainly works."
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a D rating, using heavy sarcasm to acknowledge that the song's content followed tired, formulaic patterns often used in other country music songs.
Chart performance
The song debuted at number 57 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for the chart week dated February 5, 2011, as an album cut from unsolicited airplay. "Dirt Road Anthem" had reached a peak of number 49 before being released as a single in April 2011. The song later became Aldean's sixth number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart the week of July 30, 2011. It also debuted at number 68 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of April 23, 2011. It has since become his first Top Ten hit on that chart, and the highest-charting single of his career. It also debuted at number 92 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart for the week of May 28, 2011.
As of September 2011, the song has sold over 2,000,000 downloads in the US alone. It's the first song by a male solo country artist to achieve this feat.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2× Platinum |