Tennessee Whiskey

This week over at Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams has tasked us with choosing a song off of a debut album. I chose Chris Stapleton’s Tennessee Whiskey from his Traveller album.

American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton recorded an Etta James-influenced version of Tennessee Whiskey for his debut studio album Traveller released in 2015.^[12] Stapleton first sang his version on the spur of the moment while the band was playing during a soundcheck before a show in Charlottesville, Virginia. Stapleton and the band enjoyed playing the song, and he decided to sing the song every show.^[13] His producer Dave Cobb heard the song and suggested that he should record the song for his album.^[14] His cover was never officially released to radio as a single, but it was released as a promotional CD single.^[15]

On November 4, 2015, Stapleton performed it at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards as a duet with Justin Timberlake. The performance was described as the best moment of the night by music writers.^[10][11] Based solely on two days’ sales after the broadcast, it reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart, and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 131,000 copies.^[16][17] It peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100 the following week, selling a further 118,000 copies.^[18][19] It was certified Platinum by the RIAA on May 4, 2016,^[2] and reached over a million in sales in the US by January 2017.^[20] It was certified 6× Platinum on July 31, 2019, for six million units in combined streams and sales.^[2] It has sold 1.98 million copies in the US as of March 2020.^[21]

Stapleton and Timberlake also performed the song at the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival^[22] and at the Man of the Woods Tour‘s Nashville concert.^[23] The song was nominated for ACM Song of the Year in 2017.^[24]

In 2024, Rolling Stone ranked Stapleton’s rendition of the song at number 90 on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time ranking.^[25]

The album is an old-school country record mixed with Southern rock. Tracks on the album feature electric guitar, mandolin, and acoustic guitar. “The Devil Named Music” exclaims the hard life on the road, while “Might As Well Get Stoned” features resignation lyrics.^[9] Musically, “Sometimes I Cry” is a blues song,^[9] “Nobody to Blame” is a mid-tempo country rock track,^[10] and “Fire Away” features a beat in a classic soul-ballad time signature.^[11] “Daddy Doesn’t Pray Anymore” shrouds reflections about his father in the language of religious backsliding, which was previously covered by Julie Roberts in 2013.^[12] In an interview for Rolling Stone, Stapleton commented “If somebody tells me it sounds dated, I’d say that’s great, as long as the date is 1978. My favorite things are from then.”^[9]

Stapleton wrote or co-wrote all but two of the album’s 14 tracks. The album features a blues-influenced cover of David Allan Coe‘s single “Tennessee Whiskey“, and Charlie Daniels‘ “Was It 26”, written by Don Sampson.^[9]

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The Lyrics

Used to spend my nights out in a barroom
Liquor was the only love I've known
But you rescued me from reaching for the bottom
And brought me back from being too far gone

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You're as sweet as strawberry wine
You're as warm as a glass of brandy
And, honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

I've looked for love in all the same old places
Found the bottom of the bottle's always dry
But when you poured out your heart, I didn't waste it
'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You're as sweet as strawberry wine
You're as warm as a glass of brandy
And, honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You're as sweet as strawberry wine
You're as warm as a glass of brandy
Honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey, Tennessee whiskey
You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey, Tennessee whiskey


Songwriters: Dean Dillon, Linda Ann Hargrove. For non-commercial use only.

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The Video