"Drinking Alone" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single " Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bil ...
, and released as the fourth single from her sixth studio album, ''
Cry Pretty'' (2018). The single had an official release day of November 4, 2019. The song was written by Underwood, co-producer
David Garcia and
Brett James
Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records ( ...
.
Writing and composition
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
A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-telle ...
, Underwood was adamant that the characters in the song not have a
one-night stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
, and instead drink at the bar. "It was important to me because we're singing this
n the
N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''.
History
...
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
"Drinking Alone" was met with mostly positive reviews. ''
Taste of Country
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
'' 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."
Upon their review of the album, ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' 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.
''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."
Commercial performance
In the United States, "Drinking Alone" debuted at number 50 on the ''Billboard''
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990.
This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart and number 49 on the
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
chart for the week ending November 16, 2019. 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
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...
, it peaked at number 74.
As of July 2020, "Drinking Alone" is certified Gold by the RIAA.
Music video
The official music video for the single was released November 20, 2019. The video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas. The actor in the video is Jared Koronkiewicz. Underwood won two
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
for the video in October 2020.
Live performances
The song was performed by Underwood on her
Cry Pretty Tour 360
The Cry Pretty Tour 360 was the sixth concert tour by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. The tour was in support of her sixth studio album ''Cry Pretty'' (2018), and began on May 1, 2019, in Greensboro, North Carolina and concluded o ...
. Underwood gave the debut televised performance of the song at the
53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards
The 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards were held on November 13, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognizes some of the best country music released during the eligibility period. Carrie Underwood ho ...
in Nashville. She gave an acoustic performance of the song from her home for the television special ''ACM Presents: Our Country''. In April 2020, she gave another acoustic performance of the song for
Sirius XM ''The Highways "Stagecouch Weekend," on account of
Stagecoach Festival being postponed to October.
Versions
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
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Awards and nominations
CMT Music Awards
The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The awards ceremony is held every year in Nashville, Tennessee, and broadcast live on the CMT (Country Music Television) channel. Voting takes ...
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References
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2019 singles
2018 songs
Capitol Records Nashville singles
Carrie Underwood songs
Music videos directed by Randee St. Nicholas
Songs about alcohol
Songs written by Carrie Underwood
Songs written by David Garcia (musician)
Songs written by Brett James