Drink a Beer

"Drink a Beer" is a song written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton and recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released in November 2013 as the third single from his fourth studio album, Crash My Party (2013), and became his seventh number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in February 2014.[1] Bryan has described "Drink a Beer" as "the coolest sad song ever" and notes he connects with the story after having lost both of his siblings.[2]

"Drink a Beer"
Single by Luke Bryan
from the album Crash My Party
ReleasedNovember 11, 2013 (2013-11-11)
Recorded2013
GenreCountry
Length3:23
LabelCapitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jeff Stevens
Luke Bryan singles chronology
"That's My Kind of Night"
(2013)		 "Drink a Beer"
(2013)		 "This Is How We Roll"
(2014)

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.[3]

"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.[4] 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.[4]

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,[5] while Christina Vinson of Taste of Country deemed "Drink a Beer" musically "fantastic" and lyrically "extremely touching".[2] 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.[4] 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".[4]

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.[6]

Commercial performance

"Drink a Beer" debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated of November 16, 2013.[1] It debuted at number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated of November 23, 2013.[7] It debuted at number 79 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart dated of November 23, 2013.[8] It debuted at number 97 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated of November 23, 2013.[9] The song reached its one million sales mark in the United States in April 2014.[10] As of August 2015, it has sold 1,447,000 copies in the U.S.[11]

Music video

The music video (which is Bryan's performance of the song at the 2013 CMA Awards) was directed by Paul Miller and premiered in December 2013.[12]

Live performances

Bryan performed "Drink a Beer" at the CMA Awards on November 6, 2013. The performance was dedicated to his late siblings Chris and Kelly.[2]

Lady Antebellum performed an emotional rendition of the song alongside co-writer Chris Stapleton as a tribute at the 2014 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, after Bryan was forced to cancel his scheduled performance following the passing of his brother-in-law, Lee. The performance was considered one of the best moments of the show.[13]

Cover versions

The song was covered by Jessica Meuse on the thirteenth season of American Idol during "Rush Week," with varying reactions from the judges.

Charts and certifications

References
  1. "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Country Airplay". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  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.
  3. 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. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  4. Bjorke, Matt. "Single Review: Luke Bryan - Drink a Beer". Roughstock. Cheri Media. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  5. Dukes, Billy. "Luke Bryan, 'Drink a Beer' – ToC Critic's Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Townsquare Media. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  6. Newman, Melinda. "Luke Bryan's 'Crash My Party': Track-by-Track Album Review". Hitfix. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  7. "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Hot Country Songs". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  8. "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=The Billboard Hot 100". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  9. "Billboard Chart Search: Artist=Luke Bryan / Title=Drink a Beer / Chart=Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  10. Grein, Paul (April 16, 2014). "Chart Watch: "Happy" tops 4M". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!.
  11. Matt Bjorke (August 18, 2015). "The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: August 18, 2015".
  12. "CMT : Videos : Luke Bryan : Drink a Beer". Country Music Television. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
  13. Schillac, Sophie (4 December 2014). "See Lady Antebellum Cover 'Drink a Beer' After Luke Bryan's Devastating Loss". Entertainment Tonight. CBS Television Distribution. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  14. "Luke Bryan Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "Luke Bryan Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  16. "Luke Bryan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. "Luke Bryan Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  18. "Luke Bryan Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  19. "Best of 2014: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  20. "Best of 2014: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  21. "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  22. "Canadian single certifications – Luke Bryan – Drink a Beer". Music Canada. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  23. "American single certifications – Luke Bryan – Drink a Beer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 3, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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