"Settle for a Slowdown" 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

Dierks Bentley Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Bentley moved to Nashville in the late 90s to pursue a career in music, leading up to his releasing the self-funded and independent album Do ...

. It was released in January 2006 as the third and final single from his second studio album '' Modern Day Drifter''. The song becoming Bentley's third #1 single 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. The song was written by Bentley,

Brett Beavers Brett Beavers (born in Waco, Texas) is an American country music songwriter and producer and a co-author of a book, ''Something Worth Leaving Behind''. Education and early career Beavers attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he earne ...

and Tony Martin.

Content

The song is a mid-tempo

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

that paints a picture of a man watching his loved one pull away. He knows he cannot hold her back, but he just hopes that he will see brake lights, indicating that she at least paused for a moment before leaving him behind. Just knowing that she hesitated would be a measure of comfort, but it doesn't happen. In the first verse, he is looking for a "slowdown" from his lover's vehicle while "getting soaked to the bone" (i.e., standing out in the rain). All he wants is to see the brake lights flash, just once, to know that she once loved him enough for the slightest hesitation, but she never does.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of ''

'' magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that the song serves up the theme "with a creative lyric that finds a fresh way of saying what we have all heard before." She goes on to say that Bentley "turns in a beautifully measured, thoughtful performance that oozes hurt tempered with reluctant resignation."''

'', February 11, 2006

Music video

The music video was directed by

Chris Hicky Chris Hicky is a writer/director from Forrest City, Arkansas, United States, best known for directing many of Keith Urban's music videos. Hicky has also directed videos for many other artists in the country music genre, including Dierks Bentley ...

and premiered in March 16, 2006. The music video paints a picture of a woman leaving Bentley and their trailer in the desert for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Bentley eventually shows up in Hollywood at a mansion and sings the chorus acoustically.

Chart positions

"Settle for a Slowdown" debuted at number 47 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs for the week of January 28, 2006.

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Dierks Bentley 2006 singles 2005 songs Dierks Bentley songs Songs written by Dierks Bentley Songs written by Brett Beavers Songs written by Tony Martin (songwriter) Song recordings produced by Brett Beavers Music videos directed by Chris Hicky Capitol Records Nashville singles