Drunk on a Plane

"Drunk on a Plane"
Single by Dierks Bentley
from the album Riser
Released	April 21, 2014
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2013–14
Genre	Country
Length	4:14
Label	Capitol Nashville
Writer(s)	Dierks Bentley Chris Tompkins Josh Kear
Producer(s)	Ross Copperman
Certification	Platinum
Dierks Bentley singles chronology
"I Hold On" (2013) "Drunk on a Plane" (2014) "Say You Do" (2014)

"Drunk on a Plane" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released in April 2014 as the third single from his seventh studio album Riser. The song has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[1]

Content

"Drunk on a Plane" is an up-tempo song about a man who is left behind at the altar and takes a trip to Cancún by himself after he is unable to obtain a refund for the airplane tickets he had purchased for a honeymoon. While on the airplane, the narrator drinks heavily, becoming intoxicated and parties with the other passengers.^[2] Bentley told Country Standard Time, "It's a fun song, but when you really listen, there's also an underlying lonesomeness, which is what makes it different than a lot of the other uptempo songs I've put out."^[3]

Critical reception

Bob Paxman of Country Weekly rated the song "A", saying, "The song has a particular smartness about it, which sets this apart from the sundry drinking songs that inundate our space…'Drunk on a Plane' captures a sky-high party atmosphere while giving off a melancholy feel at the same time, a difficult maneuver that's pulled off nicely."^[2]

Commercial performance

"Drunk on a Plane" was a commercial success. The song is Bentley's 18th career single to peak in the top 10 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay chart. In August 2014, it hit number one on Country Airplay. The song peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, it is Bentley's second highest peaking song on the chart, only behind his debut single, "What Was I Thinkin'", which peaked at number 22. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on September 26, 2014.^[1] It reached its million sales mark in the United States in October 2014.^[4] The song has sold 1,297,000 copies in the US as of May 2015.^[5]

Music video

In the music video, Bentley plays both himself and an airline pilot. According to Country Weekly, "musician Dierks (who is a real-life pilot) has to save the day when the craft is plummeting toward the ground."^[6] Wes Edwards directed the video.^[7]

The video won Music Video of the Year at the 2014 CMA Awards.^[8]

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2014) Peak position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[9] 34 Canada Country (Billboard)[10] 2 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 27 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[12] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 3 Year-end charts Chart (2014) Position Canada Canadian Hot 100[14] 97 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 79 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 31 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 8

Certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Canada (Music Canada)[18] Platinum 80,000^^ United States (RIAA)[1] Platinum 1,297,000[5] ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

1. "American single certifications – Dierks Bentley – Drunk on a Plane". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
2. Paxman, Bob (2 June 2014). "Dierks Bentley — 'Drunk on a Plane'". Country Weekly 21 (22): 66. ISSN 1074-3235.
3. "Bentley gets "Drunk on a Plane"". Country Standard Time. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
4. Paul Grein (October 1, 2014). "Chart Watch: Women Tie All-Time Record". Yahoo! Music.
5. Matt Bjorke (May 28, 2015). "Country Music’s Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of May 27, 2015".
6. "Dierks Bentley Saves the Day in "Drunk on a Plane" Video". Country Weekly. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
7. "'Drunk on a Plane' video". Country Music Television. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
8. "Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban + Miranda Lambert Are Early 2014 CMA Awards Winners". Taste of Country. November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
9. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Dierks Bentley.
10. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Dierks Bentley.
11. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Dierks Bentley.
12. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Dierks Bentley.
13. "Dierks Bentley – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Dierks Bentley.
14. "Best of 2014: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
15. "Best of 2014: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
16. "Best of 2014: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
17. "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
18. "Canadian single certifications – Dierks Bentley – Drunk on a Plane". Music Canada. Retrieved March 21, 2015.