River Bank (Brad Paisley song) explained

River Bank
Cover:RiverBank.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Brad Paisley
Album:Moonshine in the Trunk
Genre:Country rock
Length:
  • (original)
  • (remix)
Label:Arista Nashville
Prev Title:The Mona Lisa
Prev Year:2013
Next Title:Perfect Storm
Next Year:2014

"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.[1] [2]

Background

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."[3]

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

Critical reception

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".[4] 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."[5] 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."[6] 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."[7]

Music video

The music video was directed by Scott Scovill and premiered in May 2014.[8] It stars Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.[9]

Chart performance

The song debuted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart at No. 36 and Country Airplay chart at No. 29.[10] 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.[11]

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)Position
Canada Country (Billboard)[12] 1
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[13] 21
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 32

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brad Paisley Releases 'River Bank' Remix With Colt Ford. Thompson. Gayle. 31 July 2014. The Boot. 23 May 2020.
  2. Web site: Brad Paisley Calls on Colt Ford for 'River Bank Rip Rap' [Listen]]. Howell. Coti. 1 August 2014. Taste of Country. 23 May 2020.
  3. Web site: Brad Paisley talks about his favorite 'River Bank'. Watts. Cindy. 12 April 2014. The Tennessean. 29 April 2014.
  4. Brad Paisley, 'Moonshine in the Trunk': Track-by-Track Review. Billboard.
  5. Web site: Brad Paisley returns to country's simple pleasures. Matos. Michelangelo. 7 April 2014. New York Post. 29 April 2014.
  6. Brad Paisley — 'River Bank'. https://web.archive.org/web/20140424103853/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/songreviews/river-bank-20140417. dead. April 24, 2014. Dolan. Jon. 17 April 2014. Rolling Stone. 29 April 2014.
  7. Web site: ACM Awards: Brad Paisley debuts bro-baiting new single 'River Bank'. Wood. Mikael. 7 April 2014. The Los Angeles Times. 29 April 2014.
  8. Web site: CMT : Videos : Brad Paisley : River Bank. https://web.archive.org/web/20140528050454/http://www.cmt.com/videos/brad-paisley/1048077/river-bank.jhtml. dead. May 28, 2014. Country Music Television. May 27, 2014.
  9. News: Vinson. Christina. Brad Paisley Squirrels Around With Twiggy in 'River Bank' Music Video. June 4, 2014. Taste of Country. May 27, 2014.
  10. Chart Highlights: Coldplay Ties U2 For Most Adult Alternative Songs No. 1s. Gary Trust . April 7, 2014 . Billboard .
  11. News: The Top 30 Digital Singles – September 10, 2014 . Matt Bjorke . September 10, 2014 . Roughstock . Sales figures given here
  12. Billboard Top 50 Country Airplay Tunes of 2014 in Canada. Billboard. 24 December 2014. January 4, 2018.
  13. Best of 2014: Country Airplay . . . 2014 . December 9, 2014.
  14. Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs . . . 2014 . December 9, 2014.