Format Digital download Genre Country Label Warner Bros. Nashville | Recorded 2014 Length 3:38 | |
Released November 17, 2014 (2014-11-17) | ||
"Lonely Tonight" is a song written by Brent Anderson and Ryan Hurd and recorded by American country music singer Blake Shelton, featuring country singer and Pistol Annies member Ashley Monroe. It was recorded for Shelton's eighth studio album, Bringing Back the Sunshine (2014) and was released to country radio in fall 2014 as the album's second single.
Contents
Content
"Lonely Tonight" is a traditional country song about a bittersweet one night stand, with Shelton and Monroe playing ex-lovers who reconnect for one last night. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country described the ballad as "dark love song", while Carolyn Menyes of Music Times called it "relatable and heartbreaking". Billboard writer Chuck Dauphin compared "Lonely Tonight" to Shelton's earlier work from Pure BS (2007) and Startin' Fires (2008).
Critical reception
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the "swell[ing]" production and traditional styling, while also praising the choice of duet partner. Michael McCall of The Calgary Herald noted that the song "shows off [Blake's] vocal and emotional range."
Chart performance
"Lonely Tonight" debuted at number 38 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the week ending November 29, 2014. It peaked at number 1 on that chart, making for Shelton's 14th consecutive number 1 hit on that chart. It is also Monroe's first solo number 1 hit, although she previously had a number 1 as one-third of Pistol Annies when they contributed a guest vocal to Shelton's "Boys 'Round Here" in 2013.
The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on March 19, 2015, and has sold 530,000 copies in the US as of April 2015. "Lonely Tonight" was also certified Gold by Music Canada in March 2015 for sales exceeding 40,000 digital units.
Music video
A teaser video featuring the audio of "Lonely Tonight" was uploaded to Blake Shelton's official YouTube channel on September 30, 2014, along with the other songs off Bringing Back the Sunshine. The official music video for "Lonely Tonight" was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered November 12, 2014.