Kick the Dust Up

"Kick the Dust Up"
Single by Luke Bryan
from the album Kill the Lights
Released	May 19, 2015
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2015
Genre	Bro-country
Length	3:10
Label	Capitol Nashville
Writer(s)	Dallas Davidson Chris DeStefano Ashley Gorley
Producer(s)	Jeff Stevens Jody Stevens
Luke Bryan singles chronology
"I See You" (2014) "Kick the Dust Up" (2015) "Strip It Down" (2015)

"Kick the Dust Up" is a song recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. Released May 19, 2015 as the lead single to his fifth studio album, Kill the Lights, which was released on August 7, 2015, it is Bryan's thirteenth number one single, and his tenth number one in a row.^[1]

Release

Bryan had been playing the song live during the last leg of his That's My Kind of Night Tour and current tour Kick the Dust Up. He officially announced the song on May 19, 2015, along with his new album while appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Music video

The music video, composed of live footage from the 2015 CMT Music Awards, was directed by Joe DeMaio and premiered in June 2015.

Critical reception

Shortly after its release, Brian Mansfield of USA Today called the song the song of the week, saying the song "is an all-night party thumper for people who feel penned in by crowded bars with expensive drinks, and need some room to dance — even if it means having to watch where they step."^[2]

Other reviews were more negative. Grady Smith of The Guardian gave the song a less favorable review, comparing it to his previous single "That's My Kind of Night," saying it "follows the same derivative party-in-a-cornfield formula that so many other country songs have trodden in the past decade, despite outcry against the glut of dime-a-dozen tailgate tunes. Really, that’s no surprise given that it’s the brainchild of Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley and Chris DeStefano – the exact same writers behind "That’s My Kind of Night"."^[3] Smith went further to say "There is so little to say about "Kick the Dust Up" because it’s hardly a song. It’s just a collection of trite phrases about back roads and alcohol that data researchers have determined country consumers are used to hearing on the radio and are thus amenable to hearing again."^[3] Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave the song an "F", stating that, while he kinda likes Luke Bryan, he "still hated this song before the first twenty seconds were up." He also said that "I keep thinking that there’s no new way to do this same old theme of partying down in the cornfields. Perhaps there’s just no new way to do it well. I’m struggling to remember any of the old ways they did it well, either."^[4]

Commercial performance

"Kick the Dust Up" debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart at number 49 the week before its official release. It was the best-selling country music song of the week when it was released for sale, debuting as number one on the Country Digital Songs chart with 127,000 copies sold. It rose to number one on both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[5] It reached over a million in sales by November 2015.^[6] As of January 2016, the song has sold 1,090,000 copies in the US.^[7] It was certified Platinum by RIAA in September 2016.^[8]

In Canada, the song rose to a peak position of number one on the Canada Country chart and 15 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. The song was also Bryan's first entry on the Australian Singles Chart, spending one week at number 98.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 98 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 15 Canada Country (Billboard)[11] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 26 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[13] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 89 Canada Country (Billboard)[16] 32 US Billboard Hot 100[17] 87 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[18] 57 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] 4

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[8]	Platinum	1,090,000[7]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Kick the Dust Up - Single Luke Bryan". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
2. Mansfield, Brian (May 18, 2015). "Song of the Week: Bryan's 'Kick the Dust Up'". USA Today. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
3. Smith, Grady (May 21, 2015). "Country might be the 'smartest' genre but it's suffering a brain drain". The Guardian. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
4. http://www.countryuniverse.net/2015/05/23/single-review-luke-bryan-kick-the-dust-up/
5. Gary Trust (May 28, 2015). "Brantley Gilbert Returns to No. 1, Luke Bryan Moves On 'Up'". Billboard.
6. Bjorke, Matt (November 16, 2015). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: November 16, 2015". Roughstock.
7. Bjorke, Matt (January 24, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: January 25, 2016". Roughstock.
8. "American single certifications – Luke Bryan – Kick the Dust Up". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
9. Ryan, Gavin (May 30, 2015). "ARIA Singles: Taylor Swift Bad Blood Is No 1". Noise11. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
10. "Luke Bryan – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Luke Bryan.
11. "Luke Bryan – Chart history" Billboard Canada Country for Luke Bryan.
12. "Luke Bryan – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Luke Bryan.
13. "Luke Bryan – Chart history" Billboard Country Airplay for Luke Bryan.
14. "Luke Bryan – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Luke Bryan.
15. "Best of 2015: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
16. "Billboard Canada Top 50 Country Airplay Tunes of 2015". Music Canada via Nielsen N.V. December 24, 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
17. "Best of 2015: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
18. "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
19. "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.