The song is a reflection on the narrator's teenage years; specifically, of borrowing his mother's car to take his girlfriend for a ride, and listening to songs on the radio while doing so.
Critical reception
The song generally received favorable reviews. Bobby Peacock of Roughstock gave the song four and a half stars out of five, saying that "it sounds like the kind of fun song you would want to hear on the radio at a memorable moment." Peacock praised Rucker's "all-smiles delivery" and the song's "incredibly catchy melody and tight production." He also compared its theme to "I Watched It All (On My Radio)" by Lionel Cartwright.[2] Tammy Ragusa of Country Weekly gave the song an A grade, calling it "the perfect marriage of an artist’s effervescent personality with an upbeat song, this one about the love of music."[3] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song two and a half stars out of five, writing that "the uptempo tribute to young love, open roads and, of course, the radio is familiar and easy to fall for, especially when powered by Rucker’s unequaled exuberance." However, Dukes also called the song "a little fluffy" and "not difficult to forget."[4]
Chart performance
"Radio" debuted at number 54 on the U.S. BillboardCountry Airplay chart for the week of August 3, 2013.[5] It also debuted at number 50 on the U.S. BillboardHot Country Songs chart for the week of September 14, 2013. It also debuted at number 96 on the U.S. BillboardHot 100 chart for the week of November 2, 2013. It also debuted at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart for the week of December 14, 2013.
