B-side "Come a Little Closer" Recorded 2004–05 Length 4:32 | Released January 11, 2005 Genre Country Label Capitol Nashville | |
"Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released in January 2005 as the first single from his album Modern Day Drifter. It peaked at number 3 on the United States Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Contents
Content
Bentley wrote this with fellow country singer and friend Deric Ruttan and Brett Beavers. The song is about Dierks being on the road and having a hard time with relationships. The lyric "So lovin' me might be a long shot gamble / So before ya go and turn me on / Be sure you can turn me loose / 'Cause I still got a lot of leavin' left to do" is a warning to any potential love interest that you shouldn't "fall for [him]" because he is on the road 365 days a year.
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "personality packed uptempo number" "with the driving lead guitar and macho-lover lyric." She goes on to say that the song is "reminiscent of Waylon Jennings at his charismatic outlaw best." On Bentley's vocals, she says that he "infuses the lyric with reckless, sexy charm."
Music video
The music video was directed by Sam Erickson. It reached number 1 on CMT's Top 20 Countdown in the summer of 2005.
Chart positions
"Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" debuted at number 46 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of February 5, 2005. When the song peaked at number 3 on the June 4, 2005 chart, the Top 3 songs on the country chart were all by artists on Capitol Records. This was only the third time since 1990 that the same label had the Top 3 singles on that chart.