Drinkin' Man
{{Infobox song
| name = Drinkin' Man
| cover = DrinkinMan.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = George Strait
| album = Here for a Good Time
| released = {{Start date|2012|04|30}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length = {{Duration|m=4|s=27}}
| label = MCA Nashville
| writer = Dean Dillon
Bubba Strait
George Strait
| producer = Tony Brown
George Strait{{cite AV media notes |title=Here for a Good Time |others=George Strait |year=2011 |type=CD booklet |publisher=MCA Records Nashville |id=B0015924-02}}
| prev_title = Love's Gonna Make It Alright
| prev_year = 2011
| next_title = Give It All We Got Tonight
| next_year = 2012
}}
"Drinkin' Man" is a song co-written and recorded by the American country music singer George Strait. The song was written by Strait with his son, Bubba and Dean Dillon. It was released on 30 April 2012, as the third single from his album Here for a Good Time.
Critical reception
"Drinkin' Man" received critical acclaim. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country rates the song 4.5 stars out of 5. He states, "the dark ballad from an equally dark album can immediately go alongside songs like ‘I Saw God Today’ in terms of powerful messages from the second half of the singer’s career. Its weight is impossible to ignore." He also says, "‘Drinkin’ Man’ is a courageous choice for a third single from ‘Here for a Good Time’ — but a good one."{{cite web|last=Dukes|first=Billy|title=George Strait, 'Drinkin' Man' – Song Review|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/george-strait-drinkin-man/|date=16 April 2012|work=Taste of Country|accessdate=21 April 2012}}
Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an A rating. Coyne says, "More than thirty years into his legendary career, George Strait has released the most compelling single of his career with “Drinkin’ Man.”" He goes on to say, "Strait isn’t known for dealing with such challenging subject matter, but his experience as a singer and remarkable growth as a songwriter have resulted in the genre’s best drinking song in recent memory. It’s something that Merle Haggard or George Jones would have produced at their peak." He ends with saying, "this is the finest single that George Strait has ever released."{{cite web|last=Coyne|first=Kevin John|title=Single Review: George Strait, "Drinkin' Man"|url=http://www.countryuniverse.net/2012/04/22/single-review-george-strait-drinkin-man/|date=22 April 2012|work=Country Universe|accessdate=22 April 2012}}
Chart performance
"Drinkin' Man" debuted at number 54 on the Hot Country Songs charts. It peaked at number 37 on the country charts in May 2012, becoming Strait's first single to miss the Top 10 since "Twang" in 2009.
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (2012) !align="center"|Peak |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|37|artist=George Strait|artistid=2521}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{George Strait 2010s singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Dean Dillon
Category:Songs written by George Strait
Category:Song recordings produced by Tony Brown (record producer)