Music Friday: Dierks Bentley's Winding Road 'Might Be Gravel, But It Feels Like

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you brand new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, country star Dierks Bentley embraces the challenges of life's oft-bumpy journey in his 2022 anthem, "Gold," which also happens to be the soundtrack for the all-new Chevy Colorado truck campaign.

In addition to comparing gravel to gold, Bentley and his writing collaborators employ rhinestone, diamond and silver imagery to drive home the point that our most cherished moments often emerge from the rockiest of circumstances.

Bentley sings, "I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll / I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul / It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road / Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold."

Later in the song, he builds on the theme…

"Got my baby sittin' by me / Shinin' like a diamond / Only silver linings in the clouds / And if it starts to rain / I don't worry about a thing / I pull my rose colored Ray Bans out."

Bentley explained on the Universal Music Group Nashville website that he wanted to write a song that captured the idea of enjoying the journey.

"The reality is that there are a lot of rocky times that we all go through," he said, "but amongst all the tough stuff, when you look for the special moments it can change how you view the world."

"Gold" was the first single released from Bentley's 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold. The single topped out at #20 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs chart and hit #1 on the Billboard Canada Country chart.

Born in Phoenix, AZ, in 1975, Bentley got his first guitar at the age of 13. A rambunctious youngster, Bentley was sent cross country to a New Jersey boarding school, where he embraced country music because it reminded him of home.

As a young adult, Bentley landed a job as a researcher for The Nashville Network, where he was tasked with finding old footage of country performances. Ironically, the over-exuberant young man was banned from the Grand Ole Opry for trespassing on the grounds of the Opry House while working on an assignment.

The ban was lifted when he scored a recording contract with Capitol Records and released his self-titled first album.

During his 22-year career, Bentley has placed 27 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Billboard Country Airplay charts. Eighteen of them have reached #1.

Please check out the video of Dierks Bentley performing "Gold." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Gold"
Written by Ashley Gorley, Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman and Luke Dick. Performed by Dierks Bentley.

It ain't easy
Nobody said it would be
You finally find that greener grass
But you're still in the weeds

Ain't it crazy
All the time that you spend
Drivin' through the rainbow for the pot at the end

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

I've been climbing
Trying to get to the view
I'm at the bottom but the sky's still pretty damn blue
They say heaven
Is somewhere on the other side
But I ain't waitin'
Hell, I'm thinkin', it's a state of mind

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Yeah it feels like gold
Yeah it feels like gold

Got my baby sittin' by me
Shinin' like a diamond
Only silver linings in the clouds

And if it starts to rain
I don't worry about a thing
I pull my rose colored Ray Bans out

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Yeah, it feels like gold (Yeah, it does)
Yeah, it feels like gold

It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Credit: Image by Lunchbox LP, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.