River Bank (Brad Paisley song)

"River Bank" is a song recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It is the lead single from his tenth studio album, Moonshine in the Trunk. He co-wrote the song with Kelley Lovelace and co-produced it with Luke Wooten. A remix of the song featuring country rapper Colt Ford was released in July 2014.[3][4]

"River Bank"
Single by Brad Paisley
from the album Moonshine in the Trunk
ReleasedApril 14, 2014 (2014-04-14)
GenreCountry rock
Length
  • 2:59 (original)
  • 3:23 (remix)
LabelArista Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Brad Paisley
  • Luke Wooten[2]
Brad Paisley singles chronology
"The Mona Lisa"
(2013)
"River Bank"
(2014)
"Perfect Storm"
(2014)

Background

edit

The song is about a man and woman who have fun on a river in the summertime. Paisley told The Tennessean that the song idea come from his own upbringing near the Ohio River: "My best memories with my grandfather are on that body of water, and my dad, and learning to ski. It's kind of like a back-to-basics song, which is really an inner tube and a boat and you've got a theme park."[2]

Paisley debuted the song at the 2014 Academy of Country Music telecast on April 6.[1] He also performed the song during the third episode of ABC's Rising Star.

Critical reception

edit

Deborah Evans Price of Billboard called River Bank "a slice of summer time fun" and added that "the production is edgy with a cool vibe".[5] Giving it 2.5 stars out of 4, Michelangelo Matos of the New York Post said that "It's appealingly jaunty, but Paisley has done this better."[6] Rolling Stone rated it 3 out of 5 stars: "This laid-back ode to inner tubes and bikinis, from an album due later this year, comes with a bendy Stones-steeped riff and a clever chorus that's like ad copy for low-budget fun.…If there must be bro-country, let it be this genial."[7] Mikael Wood of The Los Angeles Times was less favorable, saying that "the tune is either a razor-sharp send-up of bro-country cliché — or a pathetic embodiment of the same from a songwriter capable of far, far more."[8]

Music video

edit

The music video was directed by Scott Scovill and premiered in May 2014.[9] It stars Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.[10]

Chart performance

edit

The song debuted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart at No. 36 and Country Airplay chart at No. 29.[11] It debuted on Bubbling Under Hot 100 at No. 14, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 88 four weeks later (chart date May 24, 2014). It peaked at No. 59 on the Hot 100, No. 12 on Hot Country Songs, and No. 2 on Country Airplay. As of September 2014, the song has sold 473,000 copies in the United States.[12]

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 37
Canada Country (Billboard)[14] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 54
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[16] 2
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 12

Year-end charts

edit
Chart (2014) Position
Canada Country (Billboard)[18] 1
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[19] 21
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[20] 32

Certifications

edit
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[21] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Thompson, Gayle (2 April 2014). "Brad Paisley Previews New Single, 'River Bank'". The Boot. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b Watts, Cindy (12 April 2014). "Brad Paisley talks about his favorite 'River Bank'". The Tennessean. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  3. ^ Thompson, Gayle (31 July 2014). "Brad Paisley Releases 'River Bank' Remix With Colt Ford". The Boot. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ Howell, Coti (1 August 2014). "Brad Paisley Calls on Colt Ford for 'River Bank Rip Rap' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Brad Paisley, 'Moonshine in the Trunk': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard.
  6. ^ Matos, Michelangelo (7 April 2014). "Brad Paisley returns to country's simple pleasures". New York Post. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  7. ^ Dolan, Jon (17 April 2014). "Brad Paisley — 'River Bank'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  8. ^ Wood, Mikael (7 April 2014). "ACM Awards: Brad Paisley debuts bro-baiting new single 'River Bank'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  9. ^ "CMT : Videos : Brad Paisley : River Bank". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  10. ^ Vinson, Christina (May 27, 2014). "Brad Paisley Squirrels Around With Twiggy in 'River Bank' Music Video". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  11. ^ Gary Trust (April 7, 2014). "Chart Highlights: Coldplay Ties U2 For Most Adult Alternative Songs No. 1s". Billboard.
  12. ^ Matt Bjorke (September 10, 2014). "The Top 30 Digital Singles – September 10, 2014". Roughstock. Sales figures given here
  13. ^ "Brad Paisley Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Brad Paisley Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  15. ^ "Brad Paisley Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  16. ^ "Brad Paisley Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Brad Paisley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Billboard Top 50 Country Airplay Tunes of 2014 in Canada". Billboard. 24 December 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  19. ^ "Best of 2014: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  20. ^ "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  21. ^ "American single certifications – Brad Paisley – River Bank". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 21, 2015.