Lonely Tonight Explained

Lonely Tonight
Cover:LonelyTonight.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Blake Shelton featuring Ashley Monroe
Album:Bringing Back the Sunshine
Recorded:2014
Genre:Country
Label:Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer:Scott Hendricks
Chronology:Blake Shelton
Prev Title:Neon Light
Prev Year:2014
Next Title:Sangria
Next Year:2015

"Lonely Tonight" is a song written by Brent Anderson and Ryan Hurd and recorded by American country music singer Blake Shelton, featuring country singer and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe. It was recorded for Shelton's eighth studio album, Bringing Back the Sunshine (2014) and was released to country radio in fall 2014 as the album's second single. The song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Content

"Lonely Tonight" is a country song about a bittersweet one night stand, with Shelton and Monroe playing ex-lovers who reconnect for one last night. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country described the ballad as "dark love song", while Carolyn Menyes of Music Times called it "relatable and heartbreaking".[1] [2] Billboard writer Chuck Dauphin compared "Lonely Tonight" to Shelton's earlier work from Pure BS (2007) and Startin' Fires (2008).[3]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the "swell[ing]" production and traditional styling, while also praising the choice of duet partner.[1] Michael McCall of The Calgary Herald noted that the song "shows off [Blake's] vocal and emotional range."[4]

Chart performance

"Lonely Tonight" debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week ending November 29, 2014.[5] It peaked at number 1 on that chart, making for Shelton's 14th consecutive number 1 hit on that chart. It is also Monroe's first solo number 1 hit, although she previously had a number 1 as one-third of Pistol Annies when they contributed a guest vocal to Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here" in 2013.[6]

The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on March 19, 2015, and has sold 530,000 copies in the US as of April 2015.[7] "Lonely Tonight" was also certified Gold by Music Canada in March 2015 for sales exceeding 40,000 digital units.

Music video

A teaser video featuring the audio of "Lonely Tonight" was uploaded to Blake Shelton's official YouTube channel on September 30, 2014, along with the other songs off Bringing Back the Sunshine.[8] The official music video for "Lonely Tonight" was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered November 12, 2014.[9]

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

Chart (2015)Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[10] 31
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11] 25

Certifications

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Dukes. Billy. Blake Shelton (Feat. Ashley Monroe), 'Lonely Tonight' [Listen]]. Taste of Country. 10 November 2014 . Townsquare Media. 18 November 2014.
  2. Web site: Menyes. Carolyn. Blake Shelton, Ashley Monroe Get Contemplative in "Lonely Tonight" Music Video [WATCH]]. Music Times. 18 November 2014.
  3. Dauphin. Chuck. Blake Shelton, 'Bringing Back The Sunshine': Track-by-Track Review. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 November 2014.
  4. Web site: McCall . Michael . Music Review: Grown-up Blake Shelton shines on new album 'Bringing Back the Sunshine' . https://web.archive.org/web/20141216065248/https://calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Music+Review+Grownup+Blake+Shelton+shines+album+Bringing/10246458/story.html . December 16, 2014 . 18 November 2014 . . The Associated Press.
  5. Trust. Gary. Chart Highlights: Maroon 5 Moves To No. 1 on Pop Songs With 'Animals'. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 November 2014.
  6. 'Lonely' extends Shelton's No. 1 streak; Brice, Hunt crack top 10. Jessen. Wade. 2 March 2015. Billboard. 4. 25 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150918173336/http://www.billboard.com/files/pdfs/country_update_0302.pdf. September 18, 2015.
  7. News: Country Music's Top 30 Digital Singles: Week of April 15, 2015. Matt Bjorke . April 15, 2015 . Roughstock . Sales figure given here
  8. Web site: Blake Shelton. Blake Shelton - Lonely Tonight. YouTube. 30 September 2014 . 18 November 2014.
  9. Web site: Blake Shelton Lonely Tonight Music Video. https://web.archive.org/web/20141118195658/http://www.mtv.com/videos/blake-shelton/1097651/lonely-tonight.jhtml. dead. November 18, 2014. MTV. Viacom Media Networks. 18 November 2014.
  10. Best of 2015: Country Airplay . . . 2015 . December 9, 2015.
  11. Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs . . . 2015 . December 9, 2015.