"Dirt Road Anthem" | ||||
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Single by Jason Aldean | ||||
from the album My Kinda Party | ||||
Released | April 4, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | Country rap | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | Broken Bow | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Michael Knox | |||
Jason Aldean singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Dirt Road Anthem" on YouTube |
"Dirt Road Anthem" is a country rap song written and sung by American singers Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert first (who also wrote Aldean's hit "My Kinda Party"),each of whom recorded his own version of the song. Jason Aldean covered 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 at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. On November 30,the song received a nomination at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Solo Performance. It is the best-selling song in digital history by a male country solo artist in the United States with over four million sold. [1]
"Dirt Road Anthem" is a mid-tempo country rap song. 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 ,with Brantley Gilbert singing vocals on the chorus. Gilbert later recorded a revisited version of the song for his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven with Ford on guest vocals. [2]
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." [3]
The song is written in the key of D major with a tempo of 63 beats per minute. [4]
"Dirt Road Anthem" | |
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Promotional single by Jason Aldean featuring Ludacris | |
Released | June 9,2011 |
Genre | Country rap |
Length | 3:54 |
Label | Broken Bow |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Michael Knox |
At the 2011 CMT Music Awards,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." [5] A remixed studio version featuring Ludacris was released for digital download through iTunes on June 9,2011.
"Dirt Road Anthem (Revisited)" | |
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Song by Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford | |
from the album Halfway to Heaven | |
Genre | Country rap |
Length | 4:38 |
Label | Average Joes |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Atom Brothers |
Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert released a revisited version of their original recording,featuring a third verse of rapping by Gilbert.
"Dirt Road Anthem" has received overall mixed reception from music 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." [6] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song a D grade,using heavy sarcasm to acknowledge that the song's content followed tired,formulaic patterns often used in other country songs. [7]
The music video for "Dirt Road Anthem",directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions,premiered June 13,2011 on CMT. The video was entirely shot in black-and-white,portraying Aldean driving a Ram pickup truck through the countryside and stopping at a clearance where he reminisces of his teenage years of partying with friends around a campfire. The video for "Dirt Road Anthem" was filmed around Old Hickory,Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville). The twin bridges are crossing the Cumberland River,and the factory scene,railroad beds and small town were filmed around Rayon City. Some scenes were in or near Rayon City but it is actually a part of Old Hickory. The laundromat that is driven by is in Old Hickory proper.
The song debuted at number 57 on the United States Billboard Hot Country 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. [8] The song later became Aldean's sixth number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart the week of July 30,2011. [9] It also debuted at number 68 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week of April 23,2011. It has since become his first top 10 hit on that chart,and his highest-charting single at the time. It also debuted at number 92 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of May 28,2011.
In September 2011,the song became the first for a male solo country artist to top the two million mark in digital sales. [10] By March 2014,the song has sold over four million digital downloads,making it then the seventh best-selling country song in the US,and the best-selling song by a male country solo artist in digital history. [1] [11] As of April 2014,it has sold 4,027,000 copies in the US. [12]
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
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"Dirt Road Anthem" was briefly featured in the 2016 drama-thriller film Patriots Day , directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg.
Jason Aldine Williams, known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, My Kinda Party, is certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2012 album Night Train is certified double-platinum, while his 2005 self-titled debut, 2007 album Relentless, 2009 album Wide Open, and 2014 album Old Boots, New Dirt are all certified platinum. Aldean has received five Grammy Award nominations throughout his career, twice for Best Country Album.
American country music singer Jason Aldean has released eleven studio albums, one extended play, and forty solo singles. All of his music has been released through BBR Music Group, with Michael Knox as his sole record producer.
"Big Green Tractor" is a song written by Jim Collins and David Lee Murphy and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in May 2009 as the second single from Aldean's 2009 album Wide Open and as the eighth single of his career. The song became the singer's third number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September of that year.
Jason Farris Brown known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American country rap musician, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer. He is also the co-founder of record label Average Joes Entertainment. Ford has released seven albums through Average Joes and has charted multiple singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In addition, he co-wrote "Dirt Road Anthem" for Jason Aldean, "Country Must Be Country Wide" for Brantley Gilbert, and "Mind on You" for George Birge.
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. It features guest appearances by John Michael Montgomery on the title track as well as an appearance from Jamey Johnson on "Cold Beer". "Dirt Road Anthem" was later covered by co-writer Brantley Gilbert on his album Halfway to Heaven, and once again by Jason Aldean for his album My Kinda Party, both from 2010.
Brantley Keith Gilbert is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released Modern Day Prodigal Son and Halfway to Heaven. He is now signed to the Valory division of Big Machine Records where he has released five studio albums—a deluxe edition of Halfway to Heaven, Just as I Am, The Devil Don't Sleep, Fire & Brimstone, So Help Me God, and 14 country chart entries, four of which have gone to number one. He also co-wrote and originally recorded Jason Aldean's singles "My Kinda Party" and "Dirt Road Anthem."
"My Kinda Party" is a song written and originally recorded by American country rock artist Brantley Gilbert from his 2009 album A Modern Day Prodigal Son. Jason Aldean covered the song and his version serves as the lead-off single to his 2010 album of the same name.
My Kinda Party is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on November 2, 2010, by Broken Bow Records. The songs were written by various songwriters including Neil Thrasher, Brantley Gilbert and Michael Dulaney.
"Don't You Wanna Stay" is a duet recorded by American singers Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins, and Jason Sellers. It was released as the second single from Aldean's fourth studio album My Kinda Party, following Aldean's and Clarkson's performance on the 44th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 10, 2010, due to strong demands of radio stations, and was also included on the deluxe edition of Clarkson's fifth studio album Stronger (2011). The song contains elements of country and pop, and its lyrics speak of the difficulties of finding and maintaining love.
"Tattoos on This Town" is a song written by Michael Dulaney, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on September 5, 2011 as the fourth single from Aldean's 2010 album My Kinda Party.
"Country Must Be Country Wide" is a song co-written and recorded by American country rock singer Brantley Gilbert. It was released in April 2011 as the first single from the deluxe edition of his 2010 album Halfway to Heaven.
"Fly Over States" is a song written by Neil Thrasher and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in February 2012 as the fifth and final single from his 2010 album My Kinda Party and the fifteenth one of his career. In May 2012, it became his seventh number one hit as well as his fourteenth top 10 hit and his ninth consecutive top 5.
"Take a Little Ride" is a song written by Dylan Altman, Rodney Clawson and Jim McCormick and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on July 16, 2012, as the first single from his fifth studio album Night Train.
A Modern Day Prodigal Son is the debut studio album from American country rock singer Brantley Gilbert. It was first self-released on a limited scale with just the first eleven songs back in 2005. It finally was released nationally by Average Joes in October 2009. Although it produced no singles, the song "My Kinda Party" became Jason Aldean's leadoff single to his album of the same name in late 2010. Aldean also covered "The Best of Me" on his third studio album, Wide Open. The album itself charted on Top Country Albums and the Billboard 200.
"Night Train" is a song written by Neil Thrasher and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in June 2013 as the fourth single and title track from his 2012 album of the same name.
"Drivin' Around Song" is a song recorded by American country rap singer Colt Ford and country music singer Jason Aldean. It is the third single from his fourth studio album, Declaration of Independence. The song was written by Chris Tompkins and Craig Wiseman.
"Bottoms Up" is a song recorded by American country rock singer Brantley Gilbert. It is the first single from his third studio album Just as I Am, and was released on December 16, 2013. The song was written by Gilbert, Justin Weaver and Brett James. A remix featuring Atlanta-based rapper T.I., was included on the reissue of Just as I Am.
"Burnin' It Down" is a song written by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Florida Georgia Line members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released in July 2014 as the first single from Aldean's 2014 album Old Boots, New Dirt. The song won the "Top Country Song" category at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards, but polarized critics.
Brantley Gilbert is an American country music artist. His discography consists of six studio albums—A Modern Day Prodigal Son (2009), Halfway to Heaven (2010), Just As I Am (2014), The Devil Don't Sleep (2017), Fire & Brimstone (2019), and So Help Me God (2022) He has also released a total of 17 singles, 5 of which hit number one on the US Country Airplay chart.
"Try That in a Small Town" is a song written by Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy, and Kurt Allison, and recorded by American country music singer Jason Aldean. It was released to country radio in May 2023 as the lead single to Aldean's eleventh studio album Highway Desperado, released on November 3, 2023.