Any Ol' Barstool

"Any Ol' Barstool"
The cover consists of Aldean wearing a plaid shirt, denim jeans and cowboy hat standing behind a decrepit blue door.
Single by Jason Aldean
from the album They Don't Know
ReleasedDecember 5, 2016 (2016-12-05)
Recorded2016
GenreCountry
Length3:23
LabelBroken Bow
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael Knox
Jason Aldean singles chronology
"A Little More Summertime"
(2016) 		"Any Ol' Barstool"
(2016) 		"They Don't Know"
(2017)
Music video
"Any Ol' Barstool" on YouTube

"Any Ol' Barstool" is a song written by Deric Ruttan and Josh Thompson and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on December 5, 2016, by Broken Bow Records as the third single from Aldean's seventh album They Don't Know (2016). "Any Ol' Barstool" gave Aldean his thirteenth number-one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and his eleventh top 5 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached outside the top 50 on the Hot 100 chart. The song achieved similar chart success in Canada, giving Aldean his eighth number-one hit on the Canada Country chart and reaching number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was certified Gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 units in that country. An accompanying music video for the single, directed by Shaun Silva, features Aldean playing in an empty bar against the story of a quarreling couple.

Background

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"Any Ol' Barstool" was written by Deric Ruttan and Josh Thompson, and came into fruition during their first writing appointment together, where Thompson threw out the title and they completed it in quick fashion. It was originally not meant for Aldean before he heard it from producer Michael Knox, and fell in love with its "traditional country" aesthetic and called it "one of the most well-written songs" on They Don't Know.[1]

Critical reception

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Billy Dukes of Taste of Country called it "a guitar-heavy rocker" that allows Aldean to deliver a "vocal showcase" throughout the runtime, concluding that: "Aldean's good at nostalgia, be it in a song about simple times that flew by too fast or more complicated affairs he wishes he could revisit. His understated performance on this song allows one to impute their own emotion into the ballad, an "Ocean Front Property" kind of story updated to fit his style.[2] In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin put "Any Ol' Barstool" at number six on his top 10 list of Aldean's best songs.[3]

Commercial performance

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"Any Ol' Barstool" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of February 11, 2017.[4] Eleven weeks later, it reached number 52 the week of April 29,[5] and stayed on the chart for eighteen weeks.[6] The song has sold 166,000 copies in the United States as of May 2017.[7] In Canada, the track debuted at number 45 on the Canada Country chart the week of January 14, 2017.[8] Twelve weeks later, it peaked on the week of April 8, and stayed on the chart for twenty weeks.[9][10] It also debuted and peaked at number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of April 22.[11] On January 11, 2018, "Any Ol' Barstool" was certified gold by Music Canada in Canada for selling over 40,000 units.[12]

Music video

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A lyric video for "Any Ol' Barstool" premiered on Aldean's Vevo channel on December 5, 2016.[13] The official music video was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered in 2017.[14] The video tells the story of a couple fighting with each other and going about their day afterwards: the man works as a bartender mixing "business and pleasure" with both his buddies and his girlfriend's friends while she waits at home for his text messages.[14] Intercut are scenes of Aldean performing in an empty bar.[15]

Charts

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Chart (2016–2017) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] 100
Canada Country (Billboard)[10] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 52
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[18] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] 5

Year-end charts

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Chart (2017) Position
Canada Country (Billboard)[20] 19
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[21] 27
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[22] 20

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Controversy

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This song was partially banned from YouTube after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting since the first shots were fired while Aldean was singing this song at the end of the concert.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Thompson, Gayle (August 25, 2017). "Story Behind the Song: Jason Aldean, 'Any Ol' Barstool'". The Boot. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  2. ^ Dukes, Billy (November 21, 2016). "Jason Aldean, 'Any Ol' Barstool' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (July 5, 2017). "Jason Aldean's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Hot 100: February 11, 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ "The Hot 100: April 29, 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "Any Ol' Barstool by Jason Aldean". aCharts.co. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  7. ^ Bjorke, Matt (May 11, 2017). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: May 11, 2017". Roughstock. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  8. ^ "Canada Country: January 14, 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Canada Country: April 8, 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  11. ^ "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. April 22, 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Canadian single certifications – Jason Aldean – Any Ol' Barstool". Music Canada.
  13. ^ "Jason Aldean – Any Ol' Barstool (Lyric Video)". YouTube. December 5, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Stutz, Colin (February 28, 2017). "Jason Aldean's 'Any Ol' Barstool' Soundtracks Heartache & Barroom Brawls in New Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  15. ^ McKenna, Brittney (March 1, 2017). "See Jason Aldean's Dramatic 'Any Ol' Barstool' Video". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  16. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  17. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  18. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  19. ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  20. ^ "Billboard Canada Year-End Country Airplay of 2017". Billboard. December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  21. ^ "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  22. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  23. ^ "Cellphone footage of the first shots fired at Route 91 Harvest festival". YouTube.
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