"Do I" is a song co-written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Bryan is a five-time "Entertainer of the Year", being awarded by both the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Count ...

. It was released in May 2009 as the lead-off single from his album '' Doin' My Thing''. Bryan co-wrote the song with Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of the group

Lady A Lady A, known until 2020 as Lady Antebellum, is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar ...

ntebellum, whose co-lead singer Hillary Scott is featured on

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

. "Do I" is about a couple questioning the status of their relationship. The song received mixed reviews from critics wary of Bryan's delivery in the lyrics. "Do I" peaked at number 2 on both the ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

and

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts respectively, both times behind Lady A's own song " Need You Now". It also gave Bryan his first top 40 hit on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart, charting at number 34. The song was certified 4× Platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, and has sold 1,755,000 copies in that country as of March 2019. The song also charted in Canada, peaking at number 66 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

chart. An accompanying music video for the song, directed by Shaun Silva, is set in a high rise condominium where Bryan contemplates his relationship with his girlfriend.

Content

Bryan told CMT that, "the song is about a couple that doesn't know if their worlds are right with each other, or they don't know how their relationship's going down hill". The song is in the key of

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

, with Bryan's vocals ranging from C to F.

Critical reception

Stephen M. Deusner of ''Engine 145'' gave the song a thumbs-down. Although he described the lyrics favorably by saying that "the scenario is all the more affecting for its mundanity" and "'Do I' implies no hint of a happily ever after, and that ambiguity gives the lyrics extra impact", Deusner criticized Bryan's vocal performance, saying "it never quite conveys much desperation or despair. There’s no worry in his voice, nor does it sound like he’s trying to keep a stoic front." Chris Neal of '' Country Weekly'' described the song favorably in his review of the album, saying that it "shows a knack for convincingly delivering hymns to thwarted love."

Commercial performance

"Do I" debuted on the U.S. ''Billboard''

chart at number 53 for the chart week of May 9, 2009. In November 2009, the song became his first top 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The song has sold 1,755,000 copies in the U.S. as of March 2019.

Music video

The music video was directed by Shaun Silva and was filmed in a high rise condominium in downtown

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. It features Luke Bryan dealing with the relationship with his girlfriend. It premiered on Amazon.com on June 29, 2009.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2009 singles Country ballads 2000s ballads Luke Bryan songs Music videos directed by Shaun Silva Songs written by Luke Bryan Songs written by Dave Haywood Songs written by Charles Kelley Capitol Records Nashville singles 2009 songs