"Don't" is a song written by

Jim Beavers Jim Beavers is an American country music songwriter. He is also the brother of songwriter Brett Beavers. Early life and education Jim Beavers grew up in Garland and Jacksonville, Texas. His educational background includes a BBA from Baylor U ...

and

Jonathan Singleton Jonathan David Singleton is an American country music singer and songwriter who resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, and has won the ACM Song of The Year Award in 2022 for “Things a Man Oughtta Know” by ...

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

Billy Currington William Matthew Currington (born November 19, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Universal Music Group Nashville, Mercury Records Nashville in 2003, he has released seven studio albums for the label: his Billy Cur ...

. It was released in July 2008 as the first single from Currington's 2008 album '' Little Bit of Everything''. For the week of February 7, 2009, the song became Currington's fifth Top 10 hit on the U.S. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

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. ...

chart, peaking at number 2 behind Blake Shelton's " She Wouldn't Be Gone".

Content

In the lyric, the male narrator asks that his lover stay with him after a sexual encounter the night before. Jonathan Singleton and Jim Beavers were inspired to write "Don't" after spending a day listening to R&B music. According to ''

Country Weekly ''Country Weekly'' (known as ''Nash Country Weekly'' from 2015–16) was an American magazine about country music. It was in circulation between April 1994 and May 2016. The publisher, Cumulus Media, now maintains the site Nash Country Daily. O ...

'', Beavers "started it with the groove and vibe, which had the kind of sexy R&B feel to it, with the idea of a guy begging his girl not to leave." Singleton said that he considered it "unusual" for the chorus to begin with "baby, baby, don't", and after realizing that the word "don't" appeared several times in the lyric, they decided to name the song "Don't". Currington recorded the song in one take. During the session, electric guitarist

Brent Mason Brent Mason (born July 13, 1959) is an American country music guitarist, songwriter and session musician. ''Guitar World'' magazine listed Mason as one of the "Top Ten Session Guitarists of All Time". Discovered and mentored by Chet Atkins, Maso ...

ad-libbed a "wah-wah" sound, which Currington asked to be left in the final recording.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described the song as having a "sleek '80s sheen". Jessica Phillips of ''

Country Standard Time ''Country Standard Time'' is a website dedicated to country music and related genres including Americana, bluegrass and rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1993 by Jeffrey B. Remz as ...

'' said that it had a "suggestive R&B strut and pleading chorus."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for this song was directed by "The Brads". It was shot in downtown Nashville and shows Currington carrying two cups of coffee, one of which is intended for his female partner. Upon entering her apartment, he finds that she has left in a cab. He then runs down a fire escape and jumps into an alleyway, before driving off to catch up with the cab. Currington performed all of the video's stunts himself.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2008 singles Country ballads 2000s ballads Billy Currington songs Songs written by Jonathan Singleton Songs written by Jim Beavers Song recordings produced by Carson Chamberlain Mercury Nashville singles 2008 songs