Whiskey On You

Album: Nate Smith (2022)
Charted: 43
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Paradise, California-native Nate Smith began his music career at 23 when he moved to Nashville. He signed his first label and publishing deal there and opened for such artists as Brett Eldredge, Eli Young Band, and Michael Ray.

    Smith returned to Paradise, California, in 2018, and shortly afterwards he lost his home to the Butte County Camp Fire. The tragedy inspired him to write songs again, so he moved back to Nashville. When a clip of Smith singing one of his tunes, "Wildfire," went viral on TikTok, it earned him a record deal with Sony Music Nashville. This song became his first to reach the Hot 100.
  • This song finds Smith resorting to whiskey to drown the memory of a broken relationship. After a while, he realizes he's wasting his paychecks on his alcohol habit, as it won't bring his ex back. She's moved on to someone new, so he elects not "to waste another drop of whiskey" on her.
  • Smith penned the song after going through "some personal stuff." The singer had a writer's retreat during that time. "After a breakup, it takes a while sometimes to get yourself back together and I thought about how I would feel in the next few months as I worked through it," he told Billboard. "Whiskey On You" was a way for him to express his feelings about "getting through to the other side of heartbreak."
  • Smith wrote Whiskey On You" with Russell Sutton (Elvie Shane's "My Boy," Drew Green's "The Rest Of Our Lives") and the track's producer Lindsay Rimes (Dylan Scott's "Hooked," Kane Brown's "Heaven").

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Intentionally Atrocious

Intentionally AtrociousSong Writing

A selection of songs made to be terrible - some clearly achieved that goal.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?