Format Digital download Length 4:16 | ||
Released 13 January 2014 (2014-01-13) Label Hit RedCapitol Nashville Writer(s) Zach CrowellSam HuntMatt Jenkins | ||
"Cop Car" is a song written by Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, and Matt Jenkins and recorded by Australian country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in January 2014 as the third international single and fourth overall from his eighth studio album Fuse (2013).
Contents
Content
The song is a mid-tempo ballad about two young lovers who are arrested when trespassing together, and "f[a]ll in love in the back of a cop car".
Critical reception
Joseph Hudak of Country Weekly gave the single a "B+", saying that "It's a clever concept, elevated to near greatness by its sheer originality." He praised Urban's "earnest" vocals, and said that "the production is slick and alive—though not necessarily squarely 'country'." Kevin John Coyne of Country Universe gave it an identical rating, saying that he did not believe its storyline, but said that "Keith Urban’s heartfelt delivery and careful choice of what lines to emphasize keep the proceedings grounded. He’s so effective at capturing the feeling of falling in love that the specifics of the event surrounding the moment are appropriately secondary to the emotions at play." Thom Jurek of AllMusic wrote that "The muted drum loop that fuels the shimmering 'Cop Car,' is layered in atmospherics worthy of Achtung Baby, but the melody is pure country."
The song was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards but lost to Carrie Underwood's "Something in the Water".
Personnel
Compiled from liner notes.
Music video
The music video was directed by John Urbano and premiered in January 2014.
Chart performance
"Cop Car" peaked at number eight on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in May 2014, making it his lowest-peaking single on that chart since 1999. The song has sold 772,000 copies in the U.S. as of June 2014.
Sam Hunt version
Sam Hunt—who co-wrote the song originally—recorded his version of it on his debut studio album Montevallo, which was released on October 27, 2014.
Hunt explains that the reason he included the song on his album is because "After writing the songs on the record, it was like a movie, and "Cop Car" was a pivotal scene in that movie. Even though Keith Urban had recorded it, I felt it still had a place on the record."