Luke Bryan has long been known for his bubbly personality and light-hearted hits. But he turned a corner in his career when he released “Drink a Beer” as a single in 2013. Co-written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers, “Drink a Beer” tells a melancholy story about a man who gets the devastating news that a loved one has passed away. His way of coping is by sitting, On the edge of this pier/Then watch the sunset disappear/And drink a beer.
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Stapleton recalled that Beavers came into the writing room with the idea and the entire chorus written, but Stapleton takes credit for taking the song down a more somber route revolving around death and loss. “It was probably my idea to make it a little bit darker, because the title, ‘Drink a Beer,’ might have made you believe that it’s something lighter, and it was probably my idea to make it about someone who passed away,” Stapleton explains to The Boot.
The song was a particularly personal one for Bryan, as it reminded him of the loss of his siblings. His older brother Chris died in a car accident in 1995 when the singer was 19. In 2007, he suffered another tragedy when his sister Kelly died from unknown causes. “It really brought weight to it when Luke did it because of his family situation,” Stapleton remarks. “So, once again, it was one of those things where the right artist and the right song turned into something special.”
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Up to the point of the release of “Drink a Beer,” Bryan has released a dozen singles, many of which are upbeat and lively like “Rain is a Good Thing” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” But the singer says that “Drink a Beer” cast him in a different light. “I was obviously known as the party guy and the fun guy, and then I was able to really do ‘Drink a Beer,'” Bryan recalls to American Songwriter and other media. “I took a Chris Stapleton demo with his voice and really made it a career song for me.”
Citing the song as “artistically my best work ever,” Bryan admits that he was disappointed that it didn’t get nominated for many accolades at major country awards shows. However, getting to have Stapelton sing background vocals for him at the 2013 CMA Awards when he performed “Drink a Beer,” was more meaningful than an award. Bryan also says that “one of the highlights of my life” was when Stapleton and Beavers sang the song with him at Gillette Stadium in 2014.
“When we were singing it that night in Gillette, I looked at [Stapleton] and his eyes were lit up and I think he truly understood what he had written in the moment,” Bryan describes. “To share with him was pretty special. I’ll never forget that.”
A decade after its release, Bryan is still feeling the impact of “Drink a Beer,” particularly when he performs a more intimate show with his residency at Resorts World in Las Vegas. “I’ve started really focusing on people in the crowd more than ever when I sing ‘Drink a Beer,'” he expresses. “When you look out there and 60 percent of your crowd is emotionally overwhelmed by the song, that tells me it’s a timeless, beautiful thing.”
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
