Toby Keith - "Rum Is The Reason"

[rsmatto]

Toby Keith
"Rum Is The Reason"
Show Dog Nashville
Add Date: TBA
Writers: Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick
Producers: Toby Keith & Mac McAnally

Sent to radio via PlayMPe late Thursday.

Toby performed this on Stephen Colbert. The song also features the Coral Reefer band so it's very much in the Jimmy Buffet lane. Still, it's a fun song and one of Toby's most likeable songs.

Lyrics Here

[Deleted]

Available on iTunes...agree with Matt, very Buffet. Won't do squat on radio but still great to hear that Toby (much like Alan Jackson) is pouring out high-quality tunes.

[sgtoddball]

I have always thought Toby's best songs are the ones that Scotty Emerick had a hand in writing. If I was Toby, I would have never gotten away from Scotty penned songs. Glad to see this one involves Scotty.

[sabre14]

Sept 11, 2015 11:59:13 GMT -5 sgtoddball said:

I have always thought Toby's best songs are the ones that Scotty Emerick had a hand in writing. If I was Toby, I would have never gotten away from Scotty penned songs. Glad to see this one involves Scotty.

Completely agree, Scotty is a fantastic songwriter and Toby's high point was when Scotty was helping write many of his singles; glad to see his name again and I hope he has more credits in the future.

The audio is also up on All Access.

[dm2081]

This is easily his best single since "Bullets in the Gun". Too bad radio won't touch this, because it would sound great on the radio. I'm a sucker for beach songs, but this one is done really well.

[hosssulpizio]

Not really a fan of this one. Toby has lost me with this new set of tunes.

[jdbowman]

Didn't Buffett get credit for this on the track listing?

[jesster]

Fun song. Extra points for having pirates in the lyrics ;) It would be nice if it could make a reasonable run somewhere into the top 40, however tough that has been lately.

This seems much more accessible to radio audiences than 35 MPH Town, and less of a career montage than Drunk Americans.

Agree with the Jimmy Buffett (or Kenny beach songs) comparison.

[dajross6]

At least he's still putting out singles unlike George who has fallen off the face of the planet :(

[someguy]

Sept 12, 2015 1:18:05 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

At least he's still putting out singles unlike George who has fallen off the face of the planet :(

Not saying it's the only reason, but I think the fact that Toby is an owner of his label makes a big difference in that respect.

[Deleted]

Very different from what I was expecting, I actually quite like this! But yeah, this most likely won't do anything on the radio

[sabre14]

Sept 12, 2015 1:36:59 GMT -5 someguy said:

Sept 12, 2015 1:18:05 GMT -5 dajross6 said:

At least he's still putting out singles unlike George who has fallen off the face of the planet :(

Not saying it's the only reason, but I think the fact that Toby is an owner of his label makes a big difference in that respect.

Yes. George is on MCA Nashville, which means there's a set schedule he follows for single releases, especially since radio is pretty much through playing him. Toby on the other hand is in the same boat with George in terms of airplay, but since he's on his own record label, he can put out singles whenever he wants to. Toby doesn't have to worry about other artists singles out at the same time on his label since he's the only one (other than his daughter). It's not like releasing single after single will exactly hurt him since radio doesn't really give him the time of day anyway; this is really just him pleasing his fans and doing what he wants. He loves putting out new singles and albums at warp speed.

[jesster]

radio doesn't really give him the time of day anyway

At least in my market Toby remains a staple on radio from his entire catalog of hits, and they promote his tour stops around here pretty heavily.

Not as much love of course for airplay of the newer songs, whether that would have been any different with better song choices I'm not sure at this point in Toby's long career. This single seems like a fresh enough approach to at least remove the question of poor song choice out the equation to see if radio gives it any more of a chance.

I was shocked the other day to actually hear 35 MPH Town on radio, probably for the first time. Must have heard a minute or two of it before I realized what it was - it was so unexpected

[sabre14]

Sept 12, 2015 12:46:12 GMT -5 zebra71 said:

Does anybody know how the new tune will do on the charts since 35 MPH Town managed to miss the top 40?

Nobody knows for sure how "Rum Is The Reason" will do on the charts but I'm predicting this doesn't make the top 40 as well, even top 50 will be a chore.

We still need to get an add date for this song. Who knows, we might never get a concrete add date. It was delivered to radio through Play MPE and has been put in All Access, but no add date as if yet.

[.indulgecountry]

I really wanna like this, but I just can't get into beach tunes and I hate the way that instrumentation sounds (like something from The Little Mermaid, bleh). His voice and the lyrics are solid enough though. But "35 MPH Town" was far, far better than this. I wouldn't complain at all if Toby got another hit (this probably still won't do much though anyway), but I wish it had been with the far superior title track from his forthcoming album.

[Zazie]

I don't mind most of the lyrics and the melody isn't bad, but I don't get the great humor in having a verse about Stalin and Hitler. That doesn't go with the light-heartedness of the song overall. Make up your mind -- sing a casual song about drinking, or name-check two people who between them were responsible for 30+ million people being slaughtered. Heh-heh-heh, not too funny.

[onebuffalo]

Debuts at #24 on the digital songs chart with 9000 sold.