"Take a Little Ride" is a song written by Dylan Altman, Rodney Clawson and Jim McCormick and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on July 16, 2012,[1] as the first single from his fifth studio album Night Train.
| "Take a Little Ride" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jason Aldean | ||||
| from the album Night Train | ||||
| Released | July 16, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:08 | |||
| Label | Broken Bow | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Michael Knox | |||
| Jason Aldean singles chronology | ||||
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Content
editThe song "Take a Little Ride" revolves around the happenings of a man getting off work, and going to pick up his love interest that night to take her out for a drive in his Chevy truck. It is in the key of A major with a chord pattern of E-G-D-A.[2]
Eight days after the song's release, Broken Bow Records released a re-recording of the song, in which the line "a little Shiner Bock" is changed to "a couple Rocky Tops", in reference to Coors beer. This re-recording was done because Aldean had signed an endorsement deal with Coors.[3]
Critical reception
editBilly Dukes of Taste of Country gave "Take a Little Ride" a four-star review, praising the song's "colorful" and "welcoming" verses, and stating how "ballads like 'Laughed Until We Cried' balance rockers like 'She's Country,' but he’s at his best on songs that find the sweet middle".[4] It received three out of five stars from Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly, who thought that the lyrics were "a little generic" but said that the "in-your-face production and signature Southern rock groove combine to make this unmistakably Jason's."[5]
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the song a four-star review, saying that Aldean was "relaxed, confident, and deliver[ed] a song that fits exactly what we've come to expect from a superstar."[6]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered on August 10, 2012.[7]
Chart performance
edit"Take a Little Ride" debuted at number 19 on the Billboard Country Songs chart for the week of August 4, 2012. It also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 12, and the Canadian Hot 100 chart at number 22 the same week, Aldean's highest debut in Canada thus far. The song also made history on Country Digital Songs, moving 189,000 downloads during the tracking week ending July 22, marking the biggest opening week by a male artist.[8] On the country chart dated October 6, 2012, "Take a Little Ride" became his eighth number-one single. The song has sold over a million digital downloads as of January 2013.[9]
"Take a Little Ride" was the first number one hit published under the Country Airplay banner for the week of October 20, 2012, as Billboard had changed the methodology of Hot Country Songs to incorporate sales and streaming for that week, while launching a second chart based only on country radio airplay. That same week, on the newly reformed Hot Country Songs chart, the song was knocked off by Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" which rose from number 21 to number 1 on the same chart, and stayed at number one for 9 weeks.
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country (Billboard)[10] | 1 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] | 22 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 12 |
| US Country Airplay (Billboard)[13] | 1 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] | 1 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 88 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[16] | 31 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "JASON'S NEW SINGLE "TAKE A LITTLE RIDE" HITS RADIO & ITUNES TODAY!". Jason Aldean. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ "'Take a Little Ride' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ Hampp, Andrew (24 July 2012). "Jason Aldean Changes New Single's Lyric From 'Shiner Bock' to 'Rocky Tops' for Coors Endorsement". Billboard. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ "Jason Aldean, "Take a Little Ride' - Song Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ Paxman, Bob (August 20, 2012). "Story Behind the Song". Country Weekly. Vol. 19, no. 34. pp. 50–51. ISSN 1074-3235.
- ^ "Jason Aldean, "Take a Little Ride' - Song Review". Roughstock. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
- ^ "CMT : Videos : Jason Aldean : Take a Little Ride". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on August 12, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Country Countdown: Jason Aldean Begins Fast 'Ride' up Charts".
- ^ Paul Grein (January 9, 2013). "Week Ending Jan. 6, 2013: The First Top 10 Hit of 2013". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
- ^ "Jason Aldean Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ^ "Best of 2012: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Jason Aldean – Take a Little Ride". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 September 2012.