It Ain't the Whiskey

Last updated
"It Ain't the Whiskey"
ItAinttheWhiskey.jpg
Single by Gary Allan
from the album Set You Free
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2013 (2013-09-23) [1]
Recorded2013
Genre Country
Length4:21
Label MCA Nashville
Songwriter(s) Greg Barnhill, Jim Daddario, Cole Deggs
Producer(s) Jay Joyce
Gary Allan singles chronology
"Pieces"
(2013)
"It Ain't the Whiskey"
(2013)
"Hangover Tonight"
(2015)

"It Ain't the Whiskey" is a song written by Greg Barnhill, Jim Daddario and Cole Deggs, and recorded by American country music singer Gary Allan. It is the third and final single from his 2013 album Set You Free . To date, this is Allan's final top 40 single.

Contents

Content

The song is a ballad with a "gnawing guitar solo and steel" that takes place at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. In it, the male narrator states that his life problems are not caused by substance abuse, but rather by a lost love. [1]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country wrote that "After two uplifting singles, Gary Allan has become the dark, heartbroken and wretched singer his fans have loved for over a decade. ‘It Ain’t the Whiskey’ is his bread and butter, and the singer sounds better than ever on this highlight from the ‘Set You Free’ album." [2] Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly rated it "A", saying that "Yet for all of the intrinsic sadness of the lyrics…and the hypnotic production, the song doesn’t plod or bore. Rather, it captivates." [1]

Music video

The song's music video was released in December 2013. It is shot in black-and-white, and alternates between shots of Allan performing the song with his band, and shots of him portraying a character "who has lost love". [3]

Chart performance

Chart (2013-2014)Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [4] 40
US Country Airplay ( Billboard ) [5] 36

Certifications

Certifications for It Ain't the Whiskey
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [6] Gold500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Urban</span> Australian-American singer (born 1967)

Keith Lionel Urban is an Australian and American singer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves International Award, thirteen CMA Awards, and six ARIA Music Awards. Urban wrote and performed the song "For You" from the film Act of Valor, which earned him nominations at both the 70th Golden Globe Awards and at the 18th Critics' Choice Awards in the respective Best Original Song categories.

<i>Hope on the Rocks</i> 2012 studio album by Toby Keith

Hope on the Rocks is the sixteenth studio album by the American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on October 30, 2012 by Show Dog-Universal Music. The first single released from the album was "I Like Girls That Drink Beer". The album's second single was the title track, "Hope on the Rocks". by October 2013, the album had sold 300,000 copies in the US.

<i>Set You Free</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Gary Allan

Set You Free is the ninth studio album by American country music artist Gary Allan. It was released on January 22, 2013, by MCA Nashville., and is Allan's first number-one album on the Billboard 200 chart, debuting in the top spot on February 9, 2013. It is also Allan's second number-one album on the Top Country Albums chart, following 2005's Tough All Over. The album produced three singles: "Every Storm ", "Pieces", and "It Ain't the Whiskey".

<i>Based on a True Story...</i> 2013 studio album by Blake Shelton

Based on a True Story… is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released on March 26, 2013, through Warner Bros. Records, and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. In a career best for Shelton at the time, nearly 200,000 copies of the album were sold in its first week. Based on a True Story... became the ninth best-selling album of 2013 in the US, earning Shelton a Platinum certification by the RIAA on September 30, 2013. In 2016, Based on a True Story… was certified double-platinum by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Town</span> 2013 single by Lady Antebellum

"Goodbye Town" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 13, 2013, as the second single from their fifth studio album Golden. The song was written by band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, along with Josh Kear, and it features lead vocals from Kelley, and a little bit from Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Girl</span> 2013 single by Tim McGraw

"Southern Girl" is a song written by Jaren Johnston, Rodney Clawson, and Lee Thomas Miller and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in July 2013 as the fourth single from McGraw's album Two Lanes of Freedom.

<i>Crash My Party</i> 2013 studio album by Luke Bryan

Crash My Party is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released on August 13, 2013, by Capitol Records Nashville. Its first single, the title track, reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The album was produced by Jeff Stevens. A deluxe edition with four bonus tracks is available digitally or by exclusive Target and Walmart CDs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mine Would Be You</span> 2013 single by Blake Shelton

"Mine Would Be You" is a song written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Deric Ruttan and recorded by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released in July 2013 as the third single from Shelton's 2013 album Based on a True Story…. The song reached number one the US Billboard Country Airplay chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bourbon in Kentucky</span> 2013 single by Dierks Bentley

"Bourbon in Kentucky" is a song written by Ryan Tyndell, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson, and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley with backing vocals by Kacey Musgraves. It is the first single from his seventh studio album, Riser. The song peaked at #45 on Country Airplay six weeks after its release date, becoming Bentley's lowest charting single at the time. He later spoke on the song's disappointing performance while promoting the album release, stating that it "bombed" and that "we knew" it was a big risk releasing a dark song as the first single in the summertime, but he was happy with the great reception it got from his core fanbase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wake Up Lovin' You</span> 2013 single by Craig Morgan

"Wake Up Lovin' You" is a song written by Josh Osborne, Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen, and sung by American country music singer Craig Morgan. It was released in July 2013 as the first single from his compilation album The Journey .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">What I Can't Put Down</span> 2014 single by Jon Pardi

"What I Can't Put Down" is a song by American country music artist Jon Pardi. It was released on January 14, 2014 as the third single from Pardi's debut studio album Write You a Song (2014). The song was written by Pardi, Bart Butler, and Brice Long. It garnered positive reviews from music critics. "What I Can't Put Down" peaked at numbers 31 and 33 on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts respectively. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over 500,000 units in the United States. An accompanying music video for the single, directed by the Edde Brothers, was released in June 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drinking Class</span> 2014 single by Lee Brice

"Drinking Class" is a song written by Josh Kear, David Frasier and Ed Hill and recorded by American country music artist Lee Brice. It was released in September 2014 as the second single from his third studio album, I Don't Dance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't Worth the Whiskey</span> 2014 single by Cole Swindell

"Ain't Worth the Whiskey" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Cole Swindell. It was released to country radio in November 2014 as the third single from his self-titled debut album. The song was written by Swindell, Josh Martin, and Adam Sanders. It garnered mixed reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Real Life (Jake Owen song)</span> 2015 single by Jake Owen

"Real Life" is a song written by Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Ashley Gorley, and Ross Copperman, and recorded by American country music artist Jake Owen. It was originally released as the lead single to his upcoming fifth studio album American Love, but was scrapped in a restructuring of the album after it stalled at number 17 on Country Airplay for several weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Withdrawals (Tyler Farr song)</span> 2015 single by Tyler Farr

"Withdrawals" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tyler Farr. It was released to radio on June 15, 2015 by Columbia Nashville as the second single from his second studio album Suffer in Peace. Written by Josh Kear, Gordie Sampson and Hillary Lindsey, the song is about a man dealing with the fallout of a relationship like an addiction. Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, "Withdrawals" had minor success compared to the previous single "A Guy Walks Into a Bar", peaking at numbers 47 and 52 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts respectively. This was due to the label wanting to withdraw the single from radio and release “Better in Boots” instead, feeling that a more upbeat single would climb the charts quicker and bolster his concert audience. An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Eric Welch, features Farr inside a glass box as he's being submerged into water as it fills up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kane Brown</span> American singer (born 1993)

Kane Allen Brown is an American singer. First garnering a mass following on social media, he released his first EP titled Closer in June 2015, and followed it up with the single, "Used to Love You Sober" in October 2015. After Brown signed with RCA Nashville in early 2016, the song was included on his second EP and major label debut, Chapter 1 in March 2016. He released his eponymous debut studio album on December 2, 2016. The album spawned the single "What Ifs", and in October 2017, Brown became the first artist to have simultaneous number ones on all five main Billboard country charts. Brown released his second album, Experiment, in November 2018, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If He Ain't Gonna Love You</span> 2016 single by Jake Owen

"If He Ain't Gonna Love You" is a song recorded by American country music singer Jake Owen. Released on October 17, 2016, it is the second single from his fifth studio album for RCA Nashville, American Love. The song stalled on the charts at its peak of number 37 for several weeks, and became Owen's lowest-charting single of his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riley Green (singer)</span> American singer/songwriter

Riley Green is an American country music singer and songwriter. He saw his first success with the single "There Was This Girl" in 2018. He released an album, Different 'Round Here, in September 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Does to Me</span> 2020 single Luke Combs and Eric Church

"Does to Me" is a song recorded by American country music singers Luke Combs and Eric Church. Co-written by Combs along with Ray Fulcher and Tyler Reeve, it is the third single from Combs's 2019 album What You See Is What You Get.

"Starting Over" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton, released on August 28, 2020 as the lead single from his fourth studio album of the same name, released on November 13, 2020. The song features background vocals from Stapleton's wife Morgane.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hudak, Joseph (14 October 2013). ""It Ain't the Whiskey" by Gary Allan". Country Weekly . Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  2. Dukes, Billy (5 September 2013). "Gary Allan, 'It Ain't the Whiskey' – ToC Critic's Pick [Listen] Read More: Gary Allan, 'It Ain't the Whiskey' - ToC Critic's Pick". Taste of Country . Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  3. Allers, Hannahlee (11 December 2013). "Gary Allan Releases 'It Ain't the Whiskey' Video". The Boot. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. "Gary Allan Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  5. "Gary Allan Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  6. "American single certifications – Gary Allan – It Ain't the Whiskey". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 12, 2022.