"The Only Way I Know" is a song written by

David Lee Murphy David Lee Murphy (born January 7, 1959) is an 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 ...

and

Ben Hayslip Ben Hayslip (born March 11, 1970, in Evans, Georgia) is an American country music songwriter. Early life Born in Evans, Georgia, Hayslip was a freshman quarterback for the 1984 state champ Valdosta Wildcats of Valdosta High School in Valdost ...

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

Jason Aldean Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...

featuring

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 ...

and

Eric Church Kenneth Eric Church (born May 3, 1977) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released seven studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's '' Sinners Like Me'', produced three singles on the ''Billb ...

. It was released in November 2012 as the second single from Aldean's 2012 album '' Night Train''.

Content

This song is about hard work, loyalty, small town values, and southern work ethic. The singers explain that they were raised in a small town southern atmosphere and were taught to work hard to earn a living. They had not realized that other lifestyles existed and were practiced and the one by which they grew up is "the only way heyknow." The song's verses are largely spoken-word, with Aldean on the first verse, Bryan on the second, and Church on the third. Aldean also sings the choruses.

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' gave "The Only Way I Know" a four-star review, saying that it "sounds best at neighbor-irritating volumes." Ashley Cooke of ''Roughstock'' also gave the song a four-star review, stating that the song "has a powerful chorus which allows listeners to get a little rowdy and let their inner badass out." Conversely, Tara Seetharam of ''Country Universe'' gave the song a D, stating "the song sinks because of its empty lyrics, its jarring theme of “humble pride” against a needlessly aggressive arrangement, and its subtle implication that a work ethic cut from a different cloth than the narrators’ is a lesser one."

Live performances

Aldean, Bryan, and Church opened the 46th Country Music Association Awards with "The Only Way I Know" on November 1, 2012 and received an standing ovation. On November 13, 2012, Aldean performed the song on NBC's '' The Voice''. Two contestants, Bryan Keith and Dez Duron joined him for the performance doing Luke Bryan's and Church's vocal parts.

Music video

Footage from the 46th Country Music Association Award performance were used to comprise a music video for "The Only Way I Know", directed by Paul Miller.

Commercial performance

"The Only Way I Know" debuted at number 28 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 and number 63 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 for the week of November 3, 2012, as an album cut from downloads. It also debuted at number 93 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for the week of November 24, 2012. On the

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, ...

chart dated of February 16, 2013, the song reached number one, becoming Aldean's ninth number one hit, Bryan's sixth, and Church's third. It was certified Platinum by the RIAA on February 12, 2014 for a million units in sales.

Charts and certifications

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Only Way I Know 2012 singles Jason Aldean songs Luke Bryan songs Eric Church songs Vocal collaborations Songs written by David Lee Murphy Songs written by Ben Hayslip BBR Music Group singles Song recordings produced by Michael Knox (record producer) 2012 songs