Take a Back Road (song)

"Take a Back Road"
Single by Rodney Atkins
from the album Take a Back Road
Released	April 25, 2011 (2011-04-25)
Genre	Country
Length	3:29
Label	Curb
Songwriter(s)	Rhett Akins Luke Laird
Producer(s)	Ted Hewitt Rodney Atkins[1]
Rodney Atkins singles chronology
"Farmer's Daughter" (2010) "Take a Back Road" (2011) "He's Mine" (2011)

"Take a Back Road" is a song written by Rhett Akins and Luke Laird and recorded by American country music singer Rodney Atkins. It was released in April 2011 as the first single and title track from Atkin's album of the same name. The song reached number one the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in October 2011.

Background and writing

Co-writer Rhett Akins came up with the song's title after hearing a friend say that listening to a Hank Williams Jr. album made him "want to ride a dirt road right now." Laird came up with a drum loop to which he could not think of any lyrics, and Akins recommended the hook. The two of them changed the line to "take a back road" and decided to give it a rhythmic phrasing.[2]

Content

The song is about a man who is stuck in a traffic jam on a freeway. He then hears a Dire Straits song from 1982 and it makes him want to drive down a country road.[3]

Critical reception

Giving it four stars out of five, Matt Bjorke of Roughstock called it "the perfect song to listen to when feeling like ‘escaping’ the pressures of the world for a few minutes".[4] Kevin John Coyne, reviewing the song for Country Universe, gave it a C+ rating. Coyne states that everyone already knew what the song was going to be about and that he gave it a "bonus + for rhyming gravel with travel."[5] Steve Leggett of Allmusic called it "one of the summer’s most memorable singles (complete with a George Strait name check)."[6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Andy Tennant and premiered in September 2011. It was filmed on Interstate 65 near Nashville, Tennessee and in Carthage, Tennessee.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (2011) Peak position Canada Country (Billboard)[7] 1 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[8] 48 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 23

Year-end charts Chart (2011) Position US Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 90 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 25

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[14]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Take a Back Road (Media notes). Rodney Atkins. Curb Records. 2011. 79255.
2. Conaway, Alanna (April 11, 2011). "Rodney Atkins, 'Take a Back Road' – Lyrics Uncovered". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
3. Hensel, Amanda (April 8, 2011). "Rodney Atkins, 'Take a Back Road' – Song Spotlight". Taste of Country. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
4. Bjorke, Matt (May 13, 2011). "Rodney Atkins - "Take A Back Road"". Roughstock. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
5. Coyne, Kevin John (May 30, 2011). "5 Five-Second Single Reviews: Laura Alaina, Rodney Atkins, Sara Evans, Joe Nichols, Kellie Pickler". Country Universe. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
6. Jurek, Thom. "Takea Back Road - Rodney Atkins". Allmusic. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
7. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
8. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
9. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
10. "Rodney Atkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
11. "Best of 2011: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
12. "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
13. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
14. "American single certifications – Rodney Atkins – Take a Back Road". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2022.