Album: Gravel & Gold (2022)
Charted: 68
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Songfacts®:

  • "Gold" is a life anthem where Dierks Bentley recognizes the treasures of living in the moment. The country star starts off the song lamenting how hard life can be. Even when he finally gets some greener grass he finds he's still in the weeds. Eventually, Bentley recognizes the blessings he has.

    "That reminds me a lot of working your way up in the country music business, reminds me a lot of being a parent," the singer said. "You've got to be present where you're are and when you are present, you recognize it's a good moment to be in sometimes, and sometimes you forget and take it for granted."
  • Bentley wrote "Gold" with songwriters and frequent collaborators Ashley Gorley, Luke Dick, and Ross Copperman. "When we wrote 'Gold,' I wanted to write a song that captures the idea of enjoying the journey," explained Bentley. "The reality is that there are a lot of rocky times that we all go through, but amongst all the tough stuff, when you look for the special moments it can change how you view the world."

    The singer previously teamed with Gorley, Copperman, and another writer, Jon Nite, for his 2018 track "Living," which has a similar message of finding the sunshine in everyday things.
  • Dierks Bentley and Ross Copperman co-produced the jaunty song with Jon Randall and the track's engineer, Reid Shippen.
  • The musicians are:

    Drums and percussion: Aaron Sterling
    Bass: Lex Price
    Acoustic Guitar: Danny Rader, Bryan Sutton and Charlie Worsham
    Electric Guitar: Danny Rader and Jedd Hughes
    Mandolin: Sam Bush
    Pedal Steel: Dan Dugmore
    Background Vocals: Luke Dick and Dierks Bentley
  • I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
    I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
    It ain't a smooth ride, life, it's a winding road
    Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold


    After Dierks drove his 1994 Chevy pickup to Music Row for the appointment with Ashley Gorley, Luke Dick, and Ross Copperman, the rust around its edges served as inspiration for the first line of the hook. The four writers then came up with several other ideas about embracing imperfection on life's journey, including the contrast between common gravel and shiny gold.

    "We were going back-and-forth and kind of had this 'gold' idea and 'gravel,'" Bentley recalled to Billboard. "Working with Ashley is so fun, just watching how he's able to spin that into something and hammer that into 'might be gravel but it feels like gold.' When he said that, there was like, 'Oh, that's it. That's the hook.' It didn't feel like it was a hit single or anything. It's just, 'OK, that's definitely the angle' - and then creating a story around that."
  • Bentley's 1994 Chevy pickup is the same truck he used to move to Nashville from Arizona in 1994. He tells us more about that "beat up truck" in the first verse of his 2013 single "I Hold On."
  • Director Wes Edwards shot the video across the state of Tennessee. The clip reiterates Bentley's admiration for the outdoors as we see a blue-collar worker break free from the daily grind and hit the road in search of a fresh start.

    "The treatment for this music video almost wrote itself," said Bentley. "'Gold' is an optimistic reality check. I think we all wrestle with trying to get through the rocky parts of life and on to the next thing, but there are lots of special moments to cherish even in the middle of the tough stuff."
  • The song soundtracks a TV ad for the all-new Chevy Colorado. The ad first played during the 2023 March Madness basketball games.

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