We take you behind the scenes and explore the making of one of our favorite tunes with The Song Remembers When…
This Luke Bryan number one hit was one of his most personal songs even though he didn’t write it. “Drink A Beer” was written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton. The song was the third single from Luke’s Crash My Party album.
Chris said that Jim came to the writing session with the chorus already written but he didn’t have the rest of the lyrics. So, Chris, who admits to leaning more towards the depressing side of things, came up with the idea of the song being about someone who’s passed. He said that they tried to think of why you’d “drink a beer” other than it being a celebration and the only other option was in remembrance of someone, like a toast to their life.
When Luke heard it, it hit him hard. He has suffered a lot of loss in his life with the passing of his brother Chris in 1996 car accident and then the sudden passing of his sister Kelly in 2007. Chris Stapleton said that it was Luke who gave the song its life. It was so personal for him and that’s why it resonated for so many people who’ve gone through the same thing.
“Drink A Beer” went to number one on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart the week of February 14, 2014, and the song stayed there for a second consecutive week at the top spot. It is one of five chart-toppers from Luke’s Crash My Party project which was named Album of the Decade by the Academy of Country Music Awards in October 2019.