Beers On Me

Album

Single

Label

Capitol Nashville

Genre

Country

Composer(s)

Ashley Gorley;Dierks Bentley;Luke Dick;Michael Hardy;Ross Copperman

Entered Chart

Jan 8, 2022

Peak Date

Mar 19, 2022

Released

July 29, 2021

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Capitol Records Nashville

Dierks Bentley is in a generous mood. He's just got paid and wants to blow off steam with a few pals at his local bar. To encourage them to swing by, Bentley tells them he's given his card to the barman and the "beers are on me." Hardy and Breland join Bentley on the song. The three trade verses about brushing off a long week with good company, while offering to pay for everybody's drinks. "I love the idea of just buying everybody a beer," said Bentley. "We all have problems that we're going through, but on a Saturday night or Thursday night or Friday night, whatever night I'm on the road, we've got no problems and that's what this song is all about." Bentley and Hardy co-penned the fun track with Ross Copperman, Luke Dick and Ashley Gorley. They started the song on a writers' retreat in Telluride over quarantine and finished it back in Nashville. After Hardy threw out the title, Bentley enthusiastically went along with the idea. He used it not only for the song but also for his first tour following the COVID-enforced break after wishing he "could buy all my fans a beer." Bentley named his 2021 concert tour Beers on Me Tour. Dierks Bentley launched his High Times & Hangovers Tour on May 11, 2021 at the Windjammer in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. When he debuted "Beers on Me" at the gig, Bentley jumped from the stage, climbed the safety barrier and handed out beers to fans in the front few rows. Bentley's five-stop High Times & Hangovers Tour was the warm-up to his much longer Beers On Me Tour. The lighthearted, feel-good video follows Bentley, Hardy and Breland as they hand out free beer to folks in Nashville. Traveling around in a truck, they dish out the booze to unsuspecting locals in various locations, including a dog park, street basketball court, and the honky tonks. The original plan was for Breland to rap a pre-written verse, but when he came in the studio the country-rapper asked Bentley if he could re-write it a little bit. "We played the track over and over again and he just started pulling things out of the air, laughing to himself, messing with his hair and we're like, 'What is he doing?' and writing stuff on his phone," Bentley recalled to The Boot. "It was just like watching a mad scientist, and 25 minutes later, he's like, 'Can I play you what I wrote?' and he plays his verse." Bentley admitted nobody initially had a clue what Breland was rapping about, but they agreed he painted a beautiful picture. "We knew it was great," he said. "'I like my drinks like my roof on the house,' that line, what does that mean? We're like, 'Oh my gosh, he likes free drinks like his roof on the house.' And 'buckets for a Lincoln,' I had to figure out. Was that like a Lincoln town car? What's he talking about? Oh, buckets of beer for $5. He really, as all great songwriters do, [uses] a lot of metaphors, analogies to create a bigger picture than just the one line can do on its own." Originally, Bentley planned on "Beers On Me" being a duet between him and Hardy. While he was in the studio working on the third verse, Bentley took a break and read an article in the newspaper about a guy named Breland. "It just hit me maybe I should invite this guy in to sing the third verse," he said. "So I got his number and called him, and he came in the next day." When performing the song at his solo shows, Bentley attempted Breland's high notes in the third verse, but had to admit defeat. "I tried to do the Breland thing for a while and just totally stopped. It was so bad. I used to try it, and it was just embarrassing," the singer told Taste of Country. "So now no one sings the Breland verse."

Everybody's got a problem, so do I
But we ain't gonna solve 'em on a Saturday night
I just put a paycheck in the bank
And I ain't hit the town in a minute to drink
You had one of them, one of those weeks
Stuck on repeat, I'll save you a seat

Come on down, swing on by
Bring whatever's been on your mind
Locals on tap and bottles on ice
Livin' on feel-good standard time
My card's on the bar, you got nowhere to be
If you don't come through, buddy, that's on you
'Cause the beer's on me
Yeah, the beer's on me
Ain't that right, Hardy?

Yeah, I'ma get a round or two for all I want
Just bustin' your back while you're cussin' the sun
And if your girl don't love you no more
Well, here's a tall-boy to cry in and it's been paid for
And if you're short on cash, say cheers
But don't sweat it, leave the sweatin' to the beer

And come on down, swing on by
Bring whatever's been on your mind
Locals on tap and bottles on ice
Livin' on feel-good standard time
My card's on the bar, you got nowhere to be
If you don't come through, buddy, that's on you
'Cause the beer's on me
Yeah, the beer's on me

Oh, oh
Oh (drink it down)
I like my drinks like my roof, on the house
We turnin' up, got double cups, the sun's goin' down
With lagers, I'm a boxer, yeah, I need 'bout twelve rounds
And I could be your sponsor if you like how that sounds
Tell me what you're drinkin', buckets for a Lincoln
I could cover you and me and everyone you're bringin'

Come on down, swing on by
Bring whatever's been on your mind
Locals on tap and bottles on ice
Livin' on feel-good standard time
My card's on the bar, you've got nowhere to be
If you don't come through, buddy, that's on you
'Cause the beer's on me (yeah)
Yeah, the beer's on me, the beer's on me
Gonna save you a seat (oh-oh-oh-oh)
'Cause the beer's on me

Come get a Bud heavy, Busch Light
Kill a cold Miller, Blue Moon, Red Stripe
Naturday, it don't matter to me
'Cause don't nothing taste better than free
Yeah, the beer's on me