Billboard<\/a><\/em>, he explained that he wanted to include a sample of Toby Keith\u2019s 2005\u00a0 hit, \u201cAs Good As I Once Was,\u201d which Riley says his dad used to joke was about him.<\/p>\nThe song was written with Riley\u2019s frequent collaborators Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin and Jessi Alexander, and Riley said it only took them 20 minutes to write. Riley covers Toby\u2019s songs at every live show, particularly \u201cShould\u2019ve Been A\u00a0Cowboy,\u201d and he wanted this to be a tip of the cowboy hat the influence Keith has had on his songwriting:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best compliment I can give a song is \u2018Man, this feels like a Toby Keith song. Especially as a songwriter, I don\u2019t know if there was a bigger influence on me.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nGiven the influence Keith had on this song in particular, Riley\u2019s team played it for Keith\u2019s manager and family, and he says they loved it and wanted his vocals on it:<\/p>\n
\u201cThey completely thought it was a tip of the cap to Toby, so they wanted to have his vocal on it. So it\u2019s really a full-circle moment for me to have Toby\u2019s vocal on that song.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nRiley unfortunately never got to meet Keith, but he says he\u2019s always admired how Keith has given back to the troops and he was scheduled to play military bases in Hawaii and Japan in March, though the conflict in Iran forced the shows to be postponed, though he will eventually get over there when it\u2019s safe to do so:<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember how awesome a look that was to me, [for Keith] to perform for the brave men and women overseas that cannot be at home. Then I got on the road and away from home and realized how impressive it really was because I know how precious your time off is. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nFor [Keith] to travel halfway around the world and go perform like that shows how important it was to him. So it\u2019s definitely something that I wanted to make a priority.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\u201cThink As You Drunk\u201d has tons of that funny Toby Keith-influenced humor Riley does so well, and unlike Riley\u2019s recent hits \u201cMy Way\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Mind If I Do,\u201d this one is a good old fashioned song about getting drunk\u2026 and trying to explain you\u2019re not that drunk, only for it to end up proving that you actually are.<\/p>\n
He opens with this:<\/p>\n
\u201cJust who the hell do you think you are<\/em>
I pay the light bill in this bar<\/em>
Hey whatcha mean you\u2019re gonna cut me off<\/em>
Just shut up and give me that beer I bought<\/em>
I got no idea who took my keys<\/em>
Who put this lipstick on my cheek<\/em>
I know I might come off whiskey bent<\/em>
You\u2019re probably thinkin\u2019 I\u2019m three sheets to the wind<\/em><\/p>\nBut I ain\u2019t as think as you drunk I am<\/em>
Don\u2019t pay no mind to this mountain of crushed up cans<\/em>
No, I can\u2019t say my CBA\u2019s<\/em>
I can sing you every song that jukebox plays<\/em>
And I know I can\u2019t stand or sit<\/em>
But if I was hammered, could I dance like this?<\/em>
Might have a cold one in each hand<\/em>
But I ain\u2019t as think as you drunk I am\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHe does ultimately\u00a0admit he\u2019s \u201chad a few,\u201d but that had nothing to do with him leaving a \u201cboot at the bar\u201d or \u201claying out in the yard\u201d:<\/p>\n
\u201cHoney, to be honest I\u2019ve had me a few<\/em>
I mighta danced with a cowgirl or two<\/em>
I mighta left my left boot at the bar<\/em>
You mighta seen me laying out in the yard\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nThere\u2019s a ton of fiddle in the production, and while we all know Riley writes some of the best heartbreakers in mainstream country, but this one is really fun and I laughed several times each time I\u2019ve listened to it.<\/p>\n
Riley put out his most recent studio album Don\u2019t Mind If I Do<\/em> in 2024, so I\u2019m sure fans are ready for new music which will be coming this fall. He\u2019s got a lot going on outside of music right now too, as he recently made a four-episode appearance as Garrett on Marshals<\/em>, and is set to be a judge on The Voice<\/em> this fall.<\/p>\n\u201cThink As You Drunk\u201d as a title is so smart and the perfect way to drive the whole point of the song home, and the Toby Keith sample makes the song that much more fun, and I think fans will love this song and it\u2019s coming at the perfect time as summer gets underway\u2026 check it out:<\/p>\n
\u201cThink As You Drunk\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n