Any Ol' Barstool
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Any Ol' Barstool
| cover = AnyOlBarstool.jpg
| alt = The cover consists of Aldean wearing a plaid shirt, denim jeans and cowboy hat standing behind a decrepit blue door.
| type = single
| artist = Jason Aldean
| album = They Don't Know
| released = {{Start date|2016|12|05}}
| recorded = 2016
| studio =
| genre = Country
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=23}}
| label = Broken Bow
| writer = {{hlist|Deric Ruttan|Josh Thompson}}
| producer = Michael Knox
| prev_title = A Little More Summertime
| prev_year = 2016
| next_title = They Don't Know
| next_year = 2017
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|VpzA2q7Ku6s|"Any Ol' Barstool"}}
}}
}}
"Any Ol' Barstool" is a song written by Deric Ruttan and Josh Thompson and recorded by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on December 5, 2016, by Broken Bow Records as the third single from Aldean's seventh album They Don't Know (2016). "Any Ol' Barstool" gave Aldean his thirteenth number-one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and his eleventh top 5 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. It also reached outside the top 50 on the Hot 100 chart. The song achieved similar chart success in Canada, giving Aldean his eighth number-one hit on the Canada Country chart and reaching number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100. It was certified Gold by Music Canada for selling over 40,000 units in that country. An accompanying music video for the single, directed by Shaun Silva, features Aldean playing in an empty bar against the story of a quarreling couple.
Background
"Any Ol' Barstool" was written by Deric Ruttan and Josh Thompson, and came into fruition during their first writing appointment together, where Thompson threw out the title and they completed it in quick fashion. It was originally not meant for Aldean before he heard it from producer Michael Knox, and fell in love with its "traditional country" aesthetic and called it "one of the most well-written songs" on They Don't Know.{{cite web|url=https://theboot.com/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool-lyrics/|title=Story Behind the Song: Jason Aldean, 'Any Ol' Barstool'|last=Thompson|first=Gayle|website=The Boot|date=August 25, 2017|access-date=June 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709050531/https://theboot.com/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool-lyrics/|archive-date=July 9, 2019|url-status=live}}
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country called it "a guitar-heavy rocker" that allows Aldean to deliver a "vocal showcase" throughout the runtime, concluding that: "Aldean's good at nostalgia, be it in a song about simple times that flew by too fast or more complicated affairs he wishes he could revisit. His understated performance on this song allows one to impute their own emotion into the ballad, an "Ocean Front Property" kind of story updated to fit his style.{{cite web|url=https://tasteofcountry.com/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool/|title=Jason Aldean, 'Any Ol' Barstool' [Listen]|last=Dukes|first=Billy|website=Taste of Country|date=November 21, 2016|access-date=June 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031155807/https://tasteofcountry.com/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool/|archive-date=October 31, 2020|url-status=live}} In 2017, Billboard contributor Chuck Dauphin put "Any Ol' Barstool" at number six on his top 10 list of Aldean's best songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/7850042/jason-aldean-songs-best-hits-list|title=Jason Aldean's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks|last=Dauphin|first=Chuck|author-link=Chuck Dauphin|magazine=Billboard|date=July 5, 2017|access-date=June 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204175821/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/7850042/jason-aldean-songs-best-hits-list|archive-date=February 4, 2021|url-status=live}}
Commercial performance
"Any Ol' Barstool" debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of February 11, 2017.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2017-02-11|title=The Hot 100: February 11, 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420061958/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2017-02-11|archive-date=April 20, 2021|url-status=live}} Eleven weeks later, it reached number 52 the week of April 29,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2017-04-29|title=The Hot 100: April 29, 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=April 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921004235/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2017-04-29|archive-date=September 21, 2019|url-status=live}} and stayed on the chart for eighteen weeks.{{cite web|url=https://acharts.co/song/104249|title=Any Ol' Barstool by Jason Aldean|website=aCharts.co|access-date=April 17, 2019}} The song has sold 166,000 copies in the United States as of May 2017.{{cite news |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2017/05/41808-top-30-digital-country-singles-chart-may-11-2017|title=Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: May 11, 2017|first=Matt|last=Bjorke|work=Roughstock|date=May 11, 2017|access-date=June 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921203504/http://roughstock.com/news/2017/05/41808-top-30-digital-country-singles-chart-may-11-2017|archive-date=September 21, 2017|url-status=live}} In Canada, the track debuted at number 45 on the Canada Country chart the week of January 14, 2017.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canada-country/2017-01-14|title=Canada Country: January 14, 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 15, 2021|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115175228/https://www.billboard.com/charts/canada-country/2017-01-14 |archive-date=January 15, 2020|url-status=live}} Twelve weeks later, it peaked on the week of April 8, and stayed on the chart for twenty weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canada-country/2017-04-08|title=Canada Country: April 8, 2017|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 15, 2021|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115190409/https://www.billboard.com/charts/canada-country/2017-04-08|archive-date=January 15, 2020|url-status=live}} It also debuted and peaked at number 100 on the Canadian Hot 100 the week of April 22.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2017-04-22|title=Canadian Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard|date=April 22, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2019|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421182251/https://www.billboard.com/charts/canadian-hot-100/2017-04-22|archive-date=April 21, 2019|url-status=live}} On January 11, 2018, "Any Ol' Barstool" was certified gold by Music Canada in Canada for selling over 40,000 units.
Music video
A lyric video for "Any Ol' Barstool" premiered on Aldean's Vevo channel on December 5, 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1P2by8VuDo|title=Jason Aldean – Any Ol' Barstool (Lyric Video)|website=YouTube|date=December 5, 2016|access-date=April 17, 2019}} The official music video was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered in 2017.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/7709081/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool-music-video|title=Jason Aldean's 'Any Ol' Barstool' Soundtracks Heartache & Barroom Brawls in New Video: Watch|last=Stutz|first=Colin|magazine=Billboard|date=February 28, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427110217/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/7709081/jason-aldean-any-ol-barstool-music-video|archive-date=April 27, 2019|url-status=live}} The video tells the story of a couple fighting with each other and going about their day afterwards: the man works as a bartender mixing "business and pleasure" with both his buddies and his girlfriend's friends while she waits at home for his text messages. Intercut are scenes of Aldean performing in an empty bar.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/see-jason-aldeans-dramatic-any-ol-barstool-video-109839/|title=See Jason Aldean's Dramatic 'Any Ol' Barstool' Video|last=McKenna|first=Brittney|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media|date=March 1, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417063655/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/see-jason-aldeans-dramatic-any-ol-barstool-video-109839/|archive-date=April 17, 2019|url-status=live}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col"| Chart (2016–2017) ! scope="col"| Peak |
| {{singlechart|Canada|100|artist=Jason Aldean|access-date=April 11, 2017}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcanadacountry|1|artist=Jason Aldean|access-date=March 28, 2017|refname="Canada Country"}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardhot100|52|artist=Jason Aldean|access-date=April 18, 2017}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountryairplay|1|artist=Jason Aldean|access-date=April 18, 2017}} |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|5|artist=Jason Aldean|access-date=April 18, 2017}} |
=Year-end charts=
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|title=Any Ol' Barstool|artist=Jason Aldean|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=2016|certyear=2018|refname=MC}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}
Controversy
This song was partially banned from YouTube after the 2017 Las Vegas shooting since the first shots were fired while Aldean was singing this song at the end of the concert.{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=88dnuVj5SOE&feature=youtu.be|title=Cellphone footage of the first shots fired at Route 91 Harvest festival|website=YouTube}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Jason Aldean}}
{{authority control}}
Category:BBR Music Group singles
Category:Music videos directed by Shaun Silva
Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Knox (record producer)