Format Digital download Genre Country Label Columbia Nashville | Recorded 2014 Length 3:16 | |
Released August 18, 2014 (2014-08-18) | ||
"A Guy Walks Into a Bar" is a song by American country music artist Tyler Farr. Written by Jonathan Singleton, Melissa Peirce and Brad Tursi, it served as the lead single to his second studio album, Suffer in Peace, released on April 28. It utilizes the bar joke as a setting for a brokenhearted man at a bar. The song received positive reviews from critics who praised Farr's vocal performance over heartfelt lyrics.
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"A Guy Walks Into a Bar" gave Farr his first number one country hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Its 42-week climb to number one is considered the fifth longest climb in that chart's 25-year history. The song also reached numbers 7 and 51 on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over half-a-million units in the United States. The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 9 on the Country chart and number 67 on the Canadian Hot 100.
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Jeff Venable and features Farr as a bartender attempting to get the attention of a woman he sees at a bar.
Content
The song uses the bar joke as a setting for a brokenhearted man in a bar.
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song a favorable review, saying that "While the lyrics are sharp, it’s the singer’s delivery that makes this song cook…‘A Guy Walks Into a Bar’ finds him throwing himself into the emotion of a song like never before." Verity Magazine rated it 4.5 out of 5, calling it "organic and genuine with its heartfelt lyrics", also saying that "Farr’s aching voice over the strumming guitar makes it a genuine, heartfelt track that captivates listeners."
Commercial performance
The song became Farr's first number one country hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It reached number one on the chart dated May 30, 2015, which is its forty-second week on the chart, the fifth longest climb to number one in the Country Airplay chart's 25-year history. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 17, 2015. It has sold over 500,000 copies in the US as of June 2015.
Music video
Jeff Venable directed the song's music video. The video has Farr playing the role of a bartender who attempts to get the attention of a woman he sees sitting with her friend. He stops a bar brawl from happening but feels sad when he sees the woman chatting with someone he assumes is her boyfriend. While closing up the bar, Farr sees a piece of paper that unfolds into showing a phone number, belonging to the woman who enters the bar waiting for him, and Farr smiles when he turns around to see her.
Live performance
On April 28, 2015, Farr promoted the release of Suffer in Peace by performing the song live on NBC's Today.