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Drinking Alone

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"Drinking Alone"
Single by Carrie Underwood
from the album Cry Pretty
ReleasedNovember 4, 2019 (2019-11-04)
GenreCountry
Length
  • 4:20 (album version)
  • 3:50 (single version)
LabelCapitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Carrie Underwood
  • David Garcia
Carrie Underwood singles chronology
"Southbound"
(2019) 		"Drinking Alone"
(2019) 		"Hallelujah"
(2020)

"Drinking Alone" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood, and released as the fourth single from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty (2018).[1] The single had an official release day of November 4, 2019. The song was written by Underwood, co-producer David Garcia and Brett James.[2]

Writing and composition

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Written by Underwood, co-producer David Garcia, and Brett James, the song centers around a bar encounter between a woman and a man after each of their respective relationships have just ended. Because the song was written from the first person narrative, Underwood was adamant that the characters in the song not have a one-night stand, and instead drink at the bar.[3] "It was important to me because we're singing this [in the] first person", Underwood said of the song. She explained, "I didn't want it to be like, 'Oh, we're going to get drunk and go home together', because that's not something that I would do."

Critical reception

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"Drinking Alone" was met with mostly positive reviews. Taste of Country reviewed the song favorably, saying, "Underwood's new single brings with it a subtle maturity that's important for her music moving forward. This fourth single from her Cry Pretty album is her most believable, relatable tableau to date." They concluded the review by saying, "the Underwood, Brett James and David Garcia lyric isn't a bop, so it shouldn't sound like one. It's an arrangement as dynamic as the song and both stretch her creatively further than any single radio release has, since she introduced herself on television in 2005."[4]

Upon their review of the album, Consequence of Sound noted "Drinking Alone" as the best song on the album, saying "her voice carries pain, longing, and self-disgust," and mentioned it alongside "Love Wins" and "The Bullet" as the essential tracks on the album.[5]

Kyle's Korner gave a negative review, however, writing, "'Drinking Alone' is the equivalent of taking three different jigsaw puzzles and trying to mash all their pieces together, and nothing ends up fitting together. The sound is too dark and polished, the writing is confusing as all get-out, and Carrie Underwood brings a ton of swagger and attitude to the table that is neither necessary nor helpful."[6]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, "Drinking Alone" debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and number 49 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week ending November 16, 2019.[7] It peaked at number 11 and number 17 on each chart respectively, becoming only the second single of her career to miss the top ten on both charts, with the other being "Love Wins", the album's second single. On the Billboard Hot 100, it peaked at number 74.

As of July 2020, "Drinking Alone" is certified Gold by the RIAA.[8]

Music video

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The official music video for the single was released November 20, 2019.[9] The video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas.[10] The actor in the video is Jared Koronkiewicz.[11] Underwood won two CMT Music Awards for the video in October 2020.[12]

Live performances

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The song was performed by Underwood on her Cry Pretty Tour 360.[13] Underwood gave the debut televised performance of the song at the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville.[14] She gave an acoustic performance of the song from her home for the television special ACM Presents: Our Country.[15] In April 2020, she gave another acoustic performance of the song for Sirius XM The Highway's "Stagecouch Weekend," on account of Stagecoach Festival being postponed to October.[16]

Versions

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The album version of the song is four minutes, twenty seconds, while the single version of the song (sent to radio) is three minutes, fifty seconds, with much of the intro and outro of the album version cut. The album version is used for the song's music video.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations

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CMT Music Awards

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Year Nominee / work Award Result
2020 "Drinking Alone" Video of the Year[25] Won
2020 "Drinking Alone" Female Video of the Year Won

References

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  1. ^ "Listen to Carrie Underwood's Slow-Jammin' New Single, "Drinking Alone"". Nash Country Daily. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Bonaguro 10/29/2019, Alison. "LISTEN: Carrie Underwood on "Drinking Alone"". CMT News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Thompson, Gayle (December 4, 2019). "Carrie Underwood Opens up About Challenges of Singing 'Drinking Alone' in First Person". Popculture.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Billy DukesPublished: October 29, 2019 (October 29, 2019). "LISTEN: Carrie Underwood's 'Drinking Alone' Is a Reinvention". Tasteofcountry.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Wren Graves (September 16, 2018). "Album Review: Carrie Underwood Balances Comfort and Risk-Taking on Cry Pretty - Consequence". consequence.net. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Song Review: Carrie Underwood, "Drinking Alone"". Kyle's Korner. November 8, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Carrie Underwood". Billboard.com. June 8, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. July 21, 2020. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  9. ^ Annie Reuter. "Carrie Underwood's New Video For 'Drinking Alone'". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Carrie Underwood Drops Stylish New Video for "Drinking Alone" [Watch]". November 20, 2019. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "Behind the Scenes! On the Set of Carrie Underwood's 'Drinking Alone' Music Video". Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "Music Awards: Carrie Underwood Wins Video of the Year for "Drinking Alone"". CMT. October 21, 2020. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Peter Larsen (September 13, 2019). "5 impressions from Carrie Underwood's Cry Pretty Tour 360 concert at Staples Center – Daily News". Dailynews.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "Carrie Underwood Announces 'Drinking Alone' as Next Single From 'Cry Pretty'". Country Music. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "Carrie Underwood performs 'Drinking Alone' with wine from her couch". Fox News. April 6, 2020. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Smith, Sophie (April 22, 2020). "Carrie Underwood, Thomas Rhett And Eric Church Headline Virtual Stagecoach Festival". Udiscovermusic.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Country Hot 50: Issue 1314". The Music Network. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. ^ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  20. ^ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "Carrie Underwood Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  22. ^ "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. December 13, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  23. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "American single certifications – Carrie Underwood – Drinking Alone". Recording Industry Association of America.
  25. ^ Billboard Staff (September 23, 2020). "CMT Music Awards 2020: See the Full Nominee List". billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
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