Dierks Bentley Thought Elle King Would Hate Him Before Duet

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

March 9th, 2023 3:45 PM

Elle King said in a recent interview that Dierks Bentley is responsible for her switch to country music. She says that she loves being a part of the country music family.

We recently chatted with Dierks about his new album Gravel & Gold, and he told us how he found King for the 2016 collaboration “Different For Girls,” which won a CMA Award in 2016 for Vocal Event of The Year. In 2017, the duet was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

He told us, “When you’ve got a collaboration on a record, we had the song ‘Different For Girls,’ and I was looking for who could make the song bigger than it is. I’m lucky to have had collaborations with Maren (Morris ) and Kacey (Musgraves) but that one was just trying to find someone that no one else was using.”

Bentley continued, “You know, you see Miranda on a lot of stuff, and it was like, ‘Is there anyone out there no one is talking about, maybe in a different genre?’ I knew the song ‘X’s and Oh’s,’ and I was talking to my manager, and her name came up. And I said, ‘How do we get in touch with her? She’d be awesome, although she seems kind of crazy, and she probably would hate us.'”

RELATED: Dierks Bentley Announces 2023 'Gravel & Gold Tour'

Dierks explained how the duet ended up working out. He said, “I made the call and sent her a text message, and she was totally into it. I didn’t realize she was in Nashville before, so she was already familiar with the landscape. She kind of had a bad experience the last time she was here, and that’s why she left. But she was in Texas working on something, and I flew down to Texas and met her in the studio there. And we got the vocal I needed, and it was a fun hang.”

He continued, “And then I met her in Brooklyn to shoot the video and more hangs and more fun, and I really started liking her a lot. Then she came to Nashville for (CMA) Music Fest, and she was wearing a trucker’s hat and tattoos, and it was just a really easy connection. We really get along well.”

Bentley says Elle is a wonderful addition to country music, adding, “She’s great; I can’t say enough good things about her and the importance of having characters like her in country music.”

Dierks and King just got nominated this week for their video “Worth A Shot” for the 2023 CMT Music Awards. They are up for in the Video of the Year and the Collaborative Video of the Year. Bentley shared King’s post on Twitter, writing, “We have the best fans. Y’all make sure to go vote!!!”

17 Dierks Bentley Number One Songs Ranked

• 17. “Woman, Amen” (2018)

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  A song Dierks co-wrote; his wife inspired it. But as he notes, "I've come back from so many writing appointments over the past 12 years like 'I wrote this song about you,' and she's like, 'Just because it's a love song doesn't mean it's about me.'"

• 16. “Am I the Only One” (2011)

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  Bentley told Billboard at the time, that following his bluegrass album 'Up on the Ridge,' he wanted to "be back on the radio, and I wanted my fans to hear our stuff. I wanted to come back with a song that was fun for fans." And this was definitely a fun song.

• 15. “I Hold On” (2013)

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  This song describes the singer staying true to what he enjoys and is comfortable with, including an old truck, an old guitar, and his lover. The truck referenced is his 1994 Chevy Silverado that he and his late father drove to Nashville. He still drives it today.
• 14. “Somewhere on a Beach” (2015)

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  Dierks sings to his ex-girlfriend about his life after they broke up in this song. He tells her he has a new girlfriend and adds that she and he are together having fun together "somewhere on a beach."

• 13. “Come a Little Closer” (2005)

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  This was one of Bentley's early hits, and Billboard compared the sexiness of the tune to that of the late Conway Twitty.

• 12. “Sideways” (2009)

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  The song is about the male character's attempt to talk to a female in a bar. Despite not being able to hear her name because of the loud noise, he still tries to come on to her, saying that he wants to "get a little sideways" with her.
• 11. “Home” (2011)

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  A native Arizonian, Dierks says he was inspired by the Tucson, Arizona shooting that killed six people and critically injured U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords in January 2011.

• 10. “Feel That Fire” (2008)

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  To promote the single, Bentley shipped more than 2000 boxes of Cracker Jacks to various radio stations (a reference to "she wants the toy in the Cracker Jack," a line from the song).

• 9. “Settle for a Slowdown” (2005)

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  One more of Dierks' early chart-toppers, this song's music video paints a picture of a woman leaving him and their trailer in the desert for Hollywood. Bentley eventually shows up in Hollywood at a mansion and sings the chorus.
• 8. “Say You Do” (2014)

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  Dierks said at the time of this song's release that "Say You Do" was the song on his album 'Riser' that he loved from the very beginning. He added that he and his camp knew it would be a single; they just had to find the right time for it.

• 7. “5-1-5-0” (2012)

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  This is a fun song about just going crazy. The title references the 5150 "involuntary psychiatric hold" in the California Welfare and Institutions Code.

• 6. “Different for Girls” (featuring Elle King) (2016)

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  Elle King was the perfect choice for a duet partner on this song. This song gave Bentley a win for "Vocal Event of the Year" at the 2016 CMA Awards. It was also nominated for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
• 5. “Living” (2019)

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  Something we should all do more of, "Living," is right on the mark. The song's official video features Dierks and his then 5-year-old son Knox playing together in the backyard, a water park, a go-kart track, and a laser tag arena.

• 4. “Drunk on a Plane” (2014)

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  An up-tempo gem from Bentley. The song is about a man who is left behind at the altar and takes a trip to Cancún alone after he cannot obtain a refund for the airplane tickets he had purchased for a honeymoon.

• 3. “Every Mile a Memory” (2006)

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  Quite an emotional ride, the song tells the story of a man missing a woman and how everything he sees and hears evokes her memory. Great song to listen to if you are feeling heartbreak.
• 2. “What Was I Thinkin'” (2003)

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  Bentley's very first radio single, and he scored a chart-topper right out of the box. The fun lyrics reference 1980's TV show 'Dukes Of Hazard' and sparked a friendship with actor John Schneider, whose character is referenced in the lyrics "like Bo Duke sliding over the hood."

• 1. “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)” (2007)

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  The song was made available as downloadable content for the "Rock Band" video game on December 16, 2008; it's a favorite of many of his fans.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Category:

• Music
• QYK Music News
• Uncategorized

Tags:

Dierks Bentley,Elle King