"The Long Way" is a song written and recorded by American
country music singer
Brett Eldredge for his
self-titled third studio album (2017). Matthew J Rogers co-wrote the song, while
Ross Copperman
Ross Copperman (born October 1, 1982) is a Grammy-nominated American singer-songwriter and producer with 29 number one radio hits. After his experience as an artist in the UK, Copperman discovered his talent for writing and producing country mus ...
co-produced the song with Eldredge. It was first released digitally on May 12, 2017 as a
promotional single for the album. "The Long Way" was serviced to American country radio on August 21, 2017 through
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
and
Warner Music Nashville
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
* Atlantic Records
* Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* All Money In
* Artist Partners Group
* Asylum Re ...
as the second official single from ''Brett Eldredge''.
Content
"The Long Way" is a midtempo
country ballad with influences of
pop music.
The song is "a look into what I want to find in love," according to a press release from Eldredge. Lyrically, the song describes how a lover can get to know their partner on a deeper level by exploring their history and their hometown. "The Long Way" was written at a time where Eldredge was looking for true love and his cowriter, Matt Rogers, was soon to be married, which inspired the romantic lyrics.
Certain details were inspired by the writers' upbringings while others were generalized.
Critical reception
Cillea Houghton of ''Sounds Like Nashville'' wrote that "The Long Way" is a "standout track" on the album that "allows his voice to shine," and is a "real charmer."
''Top Country'' also labelled the song as a highlight of the album, writing, "the emotional melodies intertwine with the lyrics to make the story come to life, like any perfect country song." Taylor Weatherby of
''Billboard'' included "The Long Way" on a list of Eldredge's 10 best songs and wrote, "this love song from his latest record proves that he has quite the range -- while also giving further proof that he’s a king at writing lyrics that make you melt."
Music video
The music video was directed by Jim Shea and premiered on
CMT,
GAC &
CMT Music
Country Music Television (CMT) is an American pay TV network owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched on March 5, 1983, as Country Music Television, CMT was the first nationally available channel devoted to coun ...
in October 2017. It features Eldredge and
Sadie Robertson dancing. The video has since reached over 22 million views.
Chart performance
"The Long Way" debuted at number 41 on the
''Billboard'' 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 sal ...
chart dated June 3, 2017. The song sold 11,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 14 on the Country Digital Song Sales component chart. The song re-entered the chart at number 38 for the week of August 26, 2017 and has since reached a peak position of 23.
"The Long Way" debuted at number 56 on the
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 dated September 9, 2017. The song has sold 137,000 copies in the United States as of March 2018.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long Way
2017 songs
2017 singles
Brett Eldredge songs
Atlantic Records singles
Songs written by Brett Eldredge
Country ballads
Song recordings produced by Ross Copperman