Diamond Rings and Old Barstools

"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" is a song recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw featuring Catherine Dunn. It was released in January 2015 as the fourth and final single from his second studio album for Big Machine Records, Sundown Heaven Town. The song was written by Jonathan Singleton, Barry Dean and Luke Laird.^[1]

"Diamond Rings and Old Barstools"
Single by Tim McGraw with Catherine Dunn
from the album Sundown Heaven Town
Released	January 26, 2015 (2015-01-26)
Genre	Country
Length	3:18
Label	Big Machine
Songwriter(s)	Barry Dean Luke Laird Jonathan Singleton
Producer(s)	Byron Gallimore Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw singles chronology
"Shotgun Rider" (2014) "Diamond Rings and Old Barstools" (2015) "Top of the World" (2015)

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad featuring backing vocals from McGraw's cousin, Catherine Dunn. Its lyrics mainly compare certain objects such as "midnight and cigarette smoke" and "watered-down whiskey and Coke" to illustrate a story of two people who are incompatible with each other.^[2]

Critical reception

Jon Freeman of Country Weekly gave the song an A−, saying that "It's a gorgeous production: sparse without being skeletal, warm without being overbearing and perfectly tailored to Tim's oak-aged vocals." He said of the lyrics that "Not all of the pairings in the lyric make perfect sense, but that doesn't take anything away from the overall effect and message."^[2]

The song was nominated at the 58th Grammy Awards for Best Country Song.

Music video

The music video was directed by Brian Olinger and premiered in March 2015.^[3]

Chart performance

The song has sold 298,000 copies in the US as of July 2015.^[4]

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[5]	78
Canada Country (Billboard)[6]	10
US Billboard Hot 100[7]	55
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[8]	3
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9]	11

Year-end charts

Chart (2015)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[10]	30
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[11]	46

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Lyrics Uncovered: Tim McGraw, 'Diamond Rings and Old Barstools'". Taste of Country. March 5, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
2. Freeman, Jon (16 February 2015). "Reviews: Tim McGraw - 'Diamond Rings and Old Barstools'". Country Weekly. 22 (7): 66. ISSN 1074-3235.
3. "CMT : Videos : Tim McGraw : Diamond Rings and Old Barstools (From iHeart Live)". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
4. Matt Bjorke (July 22, 2015). "The Top 30 Digital Country Singles: July 22, 2015". Roughstock.
5. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
6. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
7. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
8. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
9. "Tim McGraw Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
10. "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
11. "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
12. "American single certifications – Tim McGraw – Diamond Rings and Old Bar Stools". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 31, 2016.