Shotgun Rider

"Shotgun Rider"
Single by Tim McGraw
from the album Sundown Heaven Town
ReleasedSeptember 8, 2014 (2014-09-08)
Genre
Length3:56
LabelBig Machine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Tim McGraw singles chronology
"Meanwhile Back at Mama's"
(2014) 		"Shotgun Rider"
(2014) 		"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools"
(2015)

"Shotgun Rider" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released on September 8, 2014 as the third single from his second studio album for Big Machine Records, Sundown Heaven Town.[2][3] The song was written by Marv Green, Hillary Lindsey, and Troy Verges.[4]

McGraw previously recorded a different song of the same name on his 2007 album, Let It Go.[5]

Content

"Shotgun Rider" is a song about a male narrator wanting to ride around with his lover in a truck, telling her that he does not want anyone else in the front seat or "shotgun" seat.[6]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave "Shotgun Rider" a favorable review, writing that "the song is an example of how the singer, producer and songwriter all need to come together to create beautiful music."[7] Chuck Dauphin of Billboard called it "the perfect mix of old-school McGraw with some stirring steel guitar work and a few new sounds with some nifty guitar riffs."[8] Kurt Wolff of radio.com called it "a midtempo song with a cool, confident melody that feels tailor-made for a road-trip mixtape."[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Bennett Miller and premiered in October 2014.[10]

Chart performance

"Shotgun Rider" debuted at number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week of September 20, 2014.[11] It also debuted at number 25 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of October 4, 2014. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 9, 2015,[12] and as of March 2015, the single has sold 665,000 copies in the United States.[13]

Chart (2014–2015) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] 54
Canada Country (Billboard)[15] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 38
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[17] 1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[19] 77
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[20] 72
Chart (2015) Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[21] 60
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[22] 40

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (September 15, 2014). "Sundown Heaven Town - Tim McGraw | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  2. ^ Allers, Hannahlee (August 29, 2014). "Tim McGraw Releases 'Shotgun Rider' Single". The Boot. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  3. ^ Wyland, Sarah (September 2, 2014). "Tim McGraw Releases "Shotgun Rider," Shares How He Chooses Songs". Great American Country. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  4. ^ Dunkerley, Beville (August 28, 2014). "Tim McGraw's New Single 'Shotgun Rider' Is Mood-Enhancing Trip". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  5. ^ "Let It Go". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  6. ^ Kevin John Coyne (September 28, 2014). "Single Review: Tim McGraw, "Shotgun Rider"". Country Universe. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Dukes, Billy (August 26, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Shotgun Rider' – ToC Critic's Pick [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  8. ^ Dauphin, Chuck (September 16, 2014). "Tim McGraw, 'Sundown Heaven Town': Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  9. ^ Wolff, Kurt (August 26, 2014). "Tim McGraw Drives Toward Album Release with New Single 'Shotgun Rider'". radio.com. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  10. ^ "CMT : Videos : Tim McGraw : Shotgun Rider". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 30, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
  11. ^ Morris, Edward (September 13, 2014). "Kenny Chesney Has America's Top Country Song With "American Kids"". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  12. ^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – Shotgun Rider". Recording Industry Association of America.
  13. ^ Matt Bjorke (March 18, 2015). "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of March 18, 2015". Roughstock. Sale figure given here
  14. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  16. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Billboard Country Update for December 15, 2014" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 15, 2014. p. 17. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  20. ^ "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  21. ^ "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  22. ^ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – Shotgun Rider". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 21, 2015.