"Buy Me a Boat" is Our Song Of The Day From American country music singer
Chris Janson. It is Janson's fourth single release overall, and also
is the lead single to his debut album for Warner Bros. Records
Nashville. Janson co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois .
Content
The song has a male narrator expressing the fact that "money
can't buy happiness / but it can buy [him] a boat" and other
recreational items.
On writing the song, Janson told Billboard that "I didn't pull any
influence from anywhere except the stuff that I loved. The song
came so quick and it felt so right and easy and we did it. I'll be
the first to tell you that I don't know what a hit is. There was a
special feeling and the song had that something, whatever that
is... but we didn’t want to jinx it. It wasn’t a big plan where we
were scheming behind the scenes. This is real."
History
Janson's previous label, Bigger Picture Music Group, closed in
May 2014. After its closure, he self-released "Buy Me a Boat" to
iTunes on March 20, 2015.The song gained attention after it
received a few radio airplay on the Bobby Bones Show the day of
its release, sending the song to the top of iTunes country chart.
The song also received a boost from Toby Keith who tweeted
his support to his fans. On the strength of its performance,
Janson became signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville, and
the song was re-released as a single. The single was selected
by iHeartMedia for their "On The Verge" program that showcased
new artists, giving the song airplay on 140 country radio stations
for six weeks, starting May 4, 2015.
Critical reception
An uncredited review from Taste of Country praised the "sharp
lines" of the song and the prominent electric guitar in the
production, in addition to saying that "[t]he mellow country-rocker
is the sort of blue collar hero song that gets released every
spring, but it comes across with sincerity sorely lacking from
many others."
Commercial performance
Based purely on radioplay by Bobby Bones and word of mouth,
the song reached No. 1 on the iTunes country chart over the
weekend the song was played, selling 21,000 copies in three
days. It debuted on the Country Digital Songs chart at No. 8
and Hot Country Songs at No. 33. The song was re-released in
late April 2015, and debuted on the Country Airplay chart at No.
60 (chart date May 16, 2015). It topped the Most Increased
Audience and Most Added radio chart in its second week of
release, jumping from No. 60 to No. 29 in the Country Airplay
chart. After climbing up the radioplay chart, the song debuted
on the Billboard Hot 100 at 92 for the chart dated June 13, 2015.
The song peaked at No. 41 on the Hot 100 for the chart of
September 12, 2015, and two weeks alter at No. 3 on the Country
Airplay chart and No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 14, 2015, and
Platinum on December 10, 2015. It has sold 872,000 copies in
the US as of January 2016.
Music video
The television network Country Music Television (CMT) financed
and produced the song's music video , the first music video ever
financed by the network itself. The video also features Nashville
superstar actor Charles Esten .
Chris Janson. It is Janson's fourth single release overall, and also
is the lead single to his debut album for Warner Bros. Records
Nashville. Janson co-wrote the song with Chris DuBois .
Content
The song has a male narrator expressing the fact that "money
can't buy happiness / but it can buy [him] a boat" and other
recreational items.
On writing the song, Janson told Billboard that "I didn't pull any
influence from anywhere except the stuff that I loved. The song
came so quick and it felt so right and easy and we did it. I'll be
the first to tell you that I don't know what a hit is. There was a
special feeling and the song had that something, whatever that
is... but we didn’t want to jinx it. It wasn’t a big plan where we
were scheming behind the scenes. This is real."
History
Janson's previous label, Bigger Picture Music Group, closed in
May 2014. After its closure, he self-released "Buy Me a Boat" to
iTunes on March 20, 2015.The song gained attention after it
received a few radio airplay on the Bobby Bones Show the day of
its release, sending the song to the top of iTunes country chart.
The song also received a boost from Toby Keith who tweeted
his support to his fans. On the strength of its performance,
Janson became signed to Warner Bros. Records Nashville, and
the song was re-released as a single. The single was selected
by iHeartMedia for their "On The Verge" program that showcased
new artists, giving the song airplay on 140 country radio stations
for six weeks, starting May 4, 2015.
Critical reception
An uncredited review from Taste of Country praised the "sharp
lines" of the song and the prominent electric guitar in the
production, in addition to saying that "[t]he mellow country-rocker
is the sort of blue collar hero song that gets released every
spring, but it comes across with sincerity sorely lacking from
many others."
Commercial performance
Based purely on radioplay by Bobby Bones and word of mouth,
the song reached No. 1 on the iTunes country chart over the
weekend the song was played, selling 21,000 copies in three
days. It debuted on the Country Digital Songs chart at No. 8
and Hot Country Songs at No. 33. The song was re-released in
late April 2015, and debuted on the Country Airplay chart at No.
60 (chart date May 16, 2015). It topped the Most Increased
Audience and Most Added radio chart in its second week of
release, jumping from No. 60 to No. 29 in the Country Airplay
chart. After climbing up the radioplay chart, the song debuted
on the Billboard Hot 100 at 92 for the chart dated June 13, 2015.
The song peaked at No. 41 on the Hot 100 for the chart of
September 12, 2015, and two weeks alter at No. 3 on the Country
Airplay chart and No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 14, 2015, and
Platinum on December 10, 2015. It has sold 872,000 copies in
the US as of January 2016.
Music video
The television network Country Music Television (CMT) financed
and produced the song's music video , the first music video ever
financed by the network itself. The video also features Nashville
superstar actor Charles Esten .