Lay Me Down (The Dirty Heads song)

"Lay Me Down" is a 2010 single by reggae rock band Dirty Heads featuring Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome. The song appears as a bonus track on the band's album Any Port in a Storm, and has peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

"Lay Me Down"
Promotional CD cover.
Single by Dirty Heads featuring Rome Ramirez
from the album Any Port in a Storm
Released	2010
Recorded	2009
Studio	Hurley Studios
Genre	Reggae rock[1]
Length	3:35
Label	Fontana Universal
Songwriter(s)	Dirty Heads Rome Ramirez
Producer(s)	The Dirty Heads Rome Ramirez Lewis Richards Cameron Webb
The Dirty Heads singles chronology
"Stand Tall" (2008) "Lay Me Down" (2010) "Check the Level" (2010)

Critical reception

Billboard's Connor McKnight wrote in April 2010 that the song is a "solid contender" for song of the summer.^[2] McKnight compared the song's opening to that of "Hope" by Jack Johnson, and said the song "lifts the energy with chugging guitar riffs, a freewheeling chorus and feel-good lyrics delivered with rhythmic punch".^[2] David Hall of the Orange County Register listed it among the band's "positively charged, island-influenced tunes ... which ride on the coattails of similar acts like 311 and Slightly Stoopid".^[3] The song was included on Rolling Stone's "Hot List" in early 2010.^[4]

Chart performance

In March, the single entered the Billboard Alternative Songs chart at number 24.^[5] It reached number one in May,^[5] and nine weeks later it established a record as the song with the longest stint atop the chart for an independently released title, surpassing the previous mark set in 1999 by Everlast's "What It's Like".^[6] "Lay Me Down" peaked at number 93 on the U.S. Hot 100 and number 76 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart.^[5] The Dirty Heads performed the song on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on May 13.^[7]

In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Alternative Songs (which by then had been renamed to Alternative Airplay),^[8] Billboard published a list of the top 100 most successful songs in the chart's history; "Lay Me Down" was ranked at number 39.^[9]

Music video

The music video was directed by Thomas Mignone and filmed in various playa and mercado locations throughout Mexico. Filming was interrupted by border patrol agents objecting to the actors' portrayal of escaping across the United States and Mexico border. Bandmembers Dustin Bushnell and Jared Watson taught local mariachis the song and were filmed live for several of the scenes.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peak position Canadian Hot 100[10] 76 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 93 U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[12] 1 U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[13] 1 U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40[13] 37

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[14] 5 Decade-end charts Chart (2010–2019) Position US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[15] 29

See also

• List of number-one alternative rock singles of 2010 (U.S.)
• List of number-one rock singles (U.S.)

References

1. Giantino, Linda (July 29, 2021). "The 10 Best Reggae Rock Songs of All-Time".
2. McKnight, Connor (2010-04-23). "The Dirty Heads featuring Rome, "Lay Me Down"". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved 2010-05-01.
3. Hall, David (2010-04-21). "Sublime with Rome's 4/20 Hollywood Bash Ends with Scuffles, Projectiles and Rounds of Boos". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2010-05-01.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
4. "Dirty Heads – 'I Got No Time'". CWG Magazine. 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
5. "'Lay Me Down' - Dirty Heads". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved 2010-05-01.
6. Trust, Gary (2010-07-08). "Chart Beat Thursday: Katy Perry, Lee Brice, Judy Collins". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved 2010-07-13.
7. Hill, Victoria (2010-04-16). "The Dirty Heads Set To Play Jimmy Kimmel Live". CWG Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-01.
8. Rutherford, Kevin (September 7, 2023). "Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song". Billboard. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
9. "Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
10. https://www.billboard.com/artist/dirty-heads/chart-history/billboard-canadian-hot-100
11. https://www.billboard.com/artist/dirty-heads/chart-history/hot-100
12. https://www.billboard.com/artist/dirty-heads/chart-history/alternative-songs
13. https://www.billboard.com/artist/dirty-heads/chart-history/rock-songs
14. "Rock Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
15. "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.

External links

• "Lay Me Down" Official music video on YouTube
• "Lay Me Down" on The Dirty Heads' YouTube channel