Dierks Bentley recently sat down with Billboard as part of the “How It Went Down” video series to reveal how his song “What the Hell Did I Say” came to life.
Speaking of the cut from his 2016 album Black, Bentley says that once word got out that he was looking for some new songs to record, he began receiving a slew of tracks from people, including one from Ross Copperman, Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear.
“I wrote ‘Drunk on a Plane’ with Josh and Chris, and then when I was on the road, they got together with Ross – my producer – and wrote that song and sent it to me, and I was like ah, I love this song,” Bentley reflects. “I’m not going back into the studio for like a year but I want that song. I don’t know what it is about it I just love that track.”
The song was eventually recorded at Nashville’s Ocean Way Studio with a “killer band,” says Bentley. “When you’re cutting songs in the studio, you wanna find certain times you feel like it’s the right time to cut a song, so with ‘What the Hell,’ it was just a fun song. We did it in the afternoon after we had some lunch, and everyone’s energy was through the roof.”
The country star also shares that he loves playing “What The Hell” live, describing it as “the biggest shot of adrenaline you could possibly get.”
“[The song] really describes the kind of night that I’m hoping my fans have,” he continues. “You know, ‘What the hell did I do last night? What the hell did I say?’ Might have had one too many drinks and had a little too much fun, and that’s what we want — everyone to come out to our show and to have a great time and have a lot of fun and be safe getting home, but while you’re here, live it up with us.”
Listen to “What The Hell Did I Say” below: