Dirt (song)

For other songs with this title, see Dirt (disambiguation).
"Dirt"
Single by Florida Georgia Line
from the album Anything Goes
ReleasedJuly 8, 2014 (2014-07-08)[1]
GenreCountry[2]
Length
  • 3:50[3] (album version)
  • 3:38 (radio edit)
LabelRepublic Nashville[2]
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Joey Moi[5]
Florida Georgia Line singles chronology
"This Is How We Roll"
(2014) 		"Dirt"
(2014) 		"Sun Daze"
(2014)
Music videos
"Dirt" on YouTube
"Dirt (Lyric Video)" on YouTube

"Dirt" is a song recorded by American country music duo Florida Georgia Line. It is the first single from their second studio album, Anything Goes, which was released on October 14, 2014.[6]

Content

Written by Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins, the song is a mid-tempo ballad about various life events centering on dirt.[7] The final lines of the song include the lyrics "You know you came from it / Someday you'll return to it", which the duo initially did not want to include as they felt it was a cliché.[8] However they eventually decided to include the line.[8] Brian Kelley, one-half of the duo, told the Chicago Sun-Times, "I think a 'Cruise'-type song would have been accepted, but just when you think you have FGL figured out, we wanted to go against the grain and change it up with a song like 'Dirt'".[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Nigel Dick.[10] It follows the life of a married couple, alternating between the past and present, where the family is gathered for the mother's funeral. The video has a lot of visual references to dirt. Dirt is portrayed as a substance that you can smear in the face of your loved ones one minute, then bury family in it the next.[11] It stars JD Souther in the leading role and Lindsay Heyser as the young Rosie.[12]

Commercial performance

"Dirt" debuted at number 16 on the Country Airplay chart for the week of July 26, 2014, becoming the highest-airplay debut by a country duo. "Dirt" also debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 11 and on the Canadian Hot 100 the same week at number 10, being the "Hot Shot Debut" of the week on both charts. Also during the same week, "Dirt" jumped from number 40 to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.[13] On its final week on the chart, for the week of January 10, 2015, the song jumped from number 22 to number 11 on the Hot Country Songs chart and was the airplay garner for the week. Afterwards, however, the song dropped off the charts.[14]

"Dirt" is the sixth consecutive single of the duo to peak in the top 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song reached its million sales mark in the US in October 2014.[15] As of December 2014, the song has sold 1,272,000 copies in the US.[16] The song was certified double Platinum on April 30, 2015.[17]

In Canada, the song sold 17,000 downloads in its debut week.[18]

Chart positions

Chart (2014–2015) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 10
Canada Country (Billboard)[20] 1
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[21] 95
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[22] 81
US Billboard Hot 100[23] 11
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[24] 1
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[25] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
Canada Canadian Hot 100[26] 80
US Billboard Hot 100[27] 66
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[28] 6
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[29] 3
Chart (2015) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[30] 95

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Get Sentimental in Video for New Song 'Dirt': Watch « Y108". Y108.cbslocal.com. 2014-07-08. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  2. ^ a b "Dirt - Florida Georgia Line | Releases". AllMusic. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  3. ^ "Dirt - Florida Georgia Line | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  4. ^ "Dirt - Florida Georgia Line | Credits". AllMusic. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  5. ^ "Florida Georgia Line, 'Dirt' - ToC Critic's Pick [Listen]". Tasteofcountry.com. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  6. ^ "Song of the week: 'Dirt,' Florida Georgia Line". Usatoday.com. 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2014-07-13.
  7. ^ Hudak, Joseph (2014-07-16). "Florida Georgia Line Digs a Hit With 'Dirt'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  8. ^ a b Vinson, Christina. "Florida Georgia Line, 'Dirt' – Lyrics Uncovered". Tasteofcountry. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
  9. ^ "Florida Georgia Line finds life beyond 'Cruise' - Chicago Sun-Times". Suntimes.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  10. ^ "EXCLUSIVE! Go Behind-the-Scenes of Florida Georgia Line's New Video 'Dirt' | Entertainment Tonight". Etonline.com. 2014-07-10. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  11. ^ Ragusa, Tammy (11 August 2014). "Reviews". Country Weekly. 21 (32): 66–67. ISSN 1074-3235.
  12. ^ Howell, Coti (July 8, 2014). "Florida Georgia Line's 'Dirt' Video Sees a Love Through the Years". Taste of Country. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  13. ^ Jessen, Wade (July 16, 2014). "Florida Georgia Line's 'Dirt' Plows To No. 1 On Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  14. ^ "Country Music: Top Country Songs Chart :Billboard". Billboard. January 10, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  15. ^ Paul Grein (October 8, 2014). "Chart Watch: All About That Transatlantic #1". Chart Watch. Yahoo! Music.
  16. ^ Matt Bjorke (January 21, 2015). "Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of January 21, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figures given here
  17. ^ a b "American single certifications – Florida Georgia Line – Dirt". Recording Industry Association of America.
  18. ^ Alan Cross (2014-07-18). "A Journal of Musical ThingsWeekly Music Sales Report and Analysis: 16 July 2014". A Journal of Musical Things. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
  19. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 35. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  22. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201434 into search. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  23. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Florida Georgia Line Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Best of 2014: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  27. ^ "Best of 2014: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  28. ^ "Best of 2014: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  29. ^ "Best of 2014: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  30. ^ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.