The next era of Riley Green is here.
Today, he not only released a new song called “Think As You Drunk,” in addition to announcing his new album That’s Just Me will be out everywhere this fall, on September 18th. In interview with Billboard, he explained that he wanted to include a sample of Toby Keith’s 2005 hit, “As Good As I Once Was,” which Riley says his dad used to joke was about him.
The song was written with Riley’s frequent collaborators Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin and Jessi Alexander, and Riley said it only took them 20 minutes to write. Riley covers Toby’s songs at every live show, particularly “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” and he wanted this to be a tip of the cowboy hat the influence Keith has had on his songwriting:
“The best compliment I can give a song is ‘Man, this feels like a Toby Keith song. Especially as a songwriter, I don’t know if there was a bigger influence on me.”
Given the influence Keith had on this song in particular, Riley’s team played it for Keith’s manager and family, and he says they loved it and wanted his vocals on it:
“They completely thought it was a tip of the cap to Toby, so they wanted to have his vocal on it. So it’s really a full-circle moment for me to have Toby’s vocal on that song.”
Riley unfortunately never got to meet Keith, but he says he’s always admired how Keith has given back to the troops and he was scheduled to play military bases in Hawaii and Japan in March, though the conflict in Iran forced the shows to be postponed, though he will eventually get over there when it’s safe to do so:
“I remember how awesome a look that was to me, [for Keith] to perform for the brave men and women overseas that cannot be at home. Then I got on the road and away from home and realized how impressive it really was because I know how precious your time off is.
For [Keith] to travel halfway around the world and go perform like that shows how important it was to him. So it’s definitely something that I wanted to make a priority.”
“Think As You Drunk” has tons of that funny Toby Keith-influenced humor Riley does so well, and unlike Riley’s recent hits “My Way” and “Don’t Mind If I Do,” this one is a good old fashioned song about getting drunk… and trying to explain you’re not that drunk, only for it to end up proving that you actually are.
He opens with this:
“Just who the hell do you think you are
I pay the light bill in this bar
Hey whatcha mean you’re gonna cut me off
Just shut up and give me that beer I bought
I got no idea who took my keys
Who put this lipstick on my cheek
I know I might come off whiskey bent
You’re probably thinkin’ I’m three sheets to the wind
But I ain’t as think as you drunk I am
Don’t pay no mind to this mountain of crushed up cans
No, I can’t say my CBA’s
I can sing you every song that jukebox plays
And I know I can’t stand or sit
But if I was hammered, could I dance like this?
Might have a cold one in each hand
But I ain’t as think as you drunk I am”
He does ultimately admit he’s “had a few,” but that had nothing to do with him leaving a “boot at the bar” or “laying out in the yard”:
“Honey, to be honest I’ve had me a few
I mighta danced with a cowgirl or two
I mighta left my left boot at the bar
You mighta seen me laying out in the yard”
There’s a ton of fiddle in the production, and while we all know Riley writes some of the best heartbreakers in mainstream country, but this one is really fun and I laughed several times each time I’ve listened to it.
Riley put out his most recent studio album Don’t Mind If I Do in 2024, so I’m sure fans are ready for new music which will be coming this fall. He’s got a lot going on outside of music right now too, as he recently made a four-episode appearance as Garrett on Marshals, and is set to be a judge on The Voice this fall.
“Think As You Drunk” as a title is so smart and the perfect way to drive the whole point of the song home, and the Toby Keith sample makes the song that much more fun, and I think fans will love this song and it’s coming at the perfect time as summer gets underway… check it out:
“Think As You Drunk”
