Whiskey Glasses

"Whiskey Glasses"
Single by Morgan Wallen
from the album If I Know Me
Released	July 30, 2018 (2018-07-30)
Genre	Country
Length	3:54
Label	Big Loud
Songwriter(s)	Ben Burgess Kevin Kadish [1]
Producer(s)	Joey Moi
Morgan Wallen singles chronology
"Up Down" (2017) "Whiskey Glasses" (2018) "Chasin' You" (2019)
Music video
"Whiskey Glasses" on YouTube

"Whiskey Glasses" is a song written by Ben Burgess and Kevin Kadish, and recorded by American country music singer Morgan Wallen. It was first included on his 2016 EP The Way I Talk , ^[2] and was released as the third single from his 2018 studio album, If I Know Me .

Background

The song was written by Kevin Kadish and Ben Burgess in 2015. Burgess had an idea about writing a song about whiskey glasses in a song-writing session with Kadish. He liked the idea, and came up with the line "I'mma need some whiskey glasses, 'cause I don't wanna see the truth". They decided that the theme should be about someone who turned to drink because of a bad break-up. Burgess then remembered his father who used to say after he had too much to drink: "Poor Pappy ... oh, pour your Pappy a drink", which became the start of the song as "Poor me, pour me another drink". ^[3]

The song was pitched to Wallen who then recorded the song with producer Joey Moi. It was first released in the summer of 2018, but only became a hit in 2019. ^[3]

Lyrics and meaning

Writers and coverage have summarized "Whiskey Glasses" as an upbeat breakup song in which the narrator turns to whiskey to dull the pain of a romantic breakup. The title phrase plays on the familiar idea of beer goggles, with the singer choosing to "see the world through whiskey glasses" rather than face the truth about an ex moving on. ^{[4] [5]} In discussing the track’s appeal, Wallen called it a "sad song at its core" that he asked producer Joey Moi to make feel less somber, underscoring the contrast between the melancholy lyrics and an energetic delivery. ^{[6] [7]}

Commercial performance

"Whiskey Glasses" reached No. 1 on Billboard Country Airplay chart dated June 8, 2019, after topping the Hot Country Songs chart. ^[8] The song was certified 9× Platinum by the RIAA on November 3, 2023. ^[9] It has sold 391,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020. ^[10]

Music video

The music video for "Whiskey Glasses" was directed by Justin Clough and premiered in October 2018. ^[11] In it, Wallen is exhibited as someone who was trying to mend his broken heart through drinking after his girlfriend dumped him, before eventually going to a bar with his friends (including Hardy) and performed a live version of the song.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2018–2019) Peak position Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [12] 44 Canada Country ( Billboard ) [13] 1 US Billboard Hot 100 [14] 17 US Country Airplay ( Billboard ) [15] 1 US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [16] 1 US Rolling Stone Top 100 [17] 16

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [18] 100 US Billboard Hot 100 [19] 52 US Country Airplay (Billboard) [20] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [21] 1 US Rolling Stone Top 100 [22] 39 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) [23] 24

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [24]	Diamond	800,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [25]	Platinum	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [26]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA) [9]	9× Platinum	9,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Lorie Hollabaugh (April 11, 2018). "Morgan Wallen Releases Track Listing For 'If I Know Me'". Music Row. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
2. "The Way I Talk - EP by Morgan Wallen on Apple Music". Apple Music . July 29, 2016. Archived from the original on March 29, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
3. Yahr, Emily (November 13, 2019). "How Morgan Wallen's 'Whiskey Glasses' became one of the year's most unexpected hits". Washington Post.
4. Dukes, Billy (August 24, 2018). "Morgan Wallen Sees Past Heartbreak With 'Whiskey Glasses' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
5. Yahr, Emily (November 13, 2019). "How Morgan Wallen's 'Whiskey Glasses' became one of the year's most unexpected hits". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
6. Yahr, Emily (November 13, 2019). "How Morgan Wallen's 'Whiskey Glasses' became one of the year's most unexpected hits". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
7. Houghton, Cillea (November 30, 2022). "The Meaning Behind "Whiskey Glasses" by Morgan Wallen". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
8. Asker, Jim (June 4, 2019). "Morgan Wallen's 'Whiskey Glasses' Tops Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs Charts". Billboard.
9. "American single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Whiskey Glasses". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 3, 2023.
10. Bjorke, Matt (March 4, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: March 2, 2020". Rough Stock. Archived from the original on April 4, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
11. Christina Vinson; Liv Stecker (October 5, 2018). "Watch Morgan Wallen's 'Whiskey Glasses' and More New Country Music Videos". The Boot. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
12. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
13. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
14. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
15. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
16. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
17. "Top 100 Songs, June 26, 2020 - July 2, 2020". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
18. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
19. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
20. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
21. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
22. "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone . January 10, 2020. Archived from the original on March 7, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
23. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
24. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Whiskey Glasses". Music Canada . Retrieved February 7, 2024.
25. "New Zealand single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Whiskey Glasses". Radioscope. Retrieved January 2, 2025.Type Whiskey Glasses in the "Search:" field.
26. "British single certifications – Morgan Wallen – Whiskey Glasses". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved June 25, 2024.