"Either Way"
Single by Chris Stapleton
from the album From A Room: Volume 1
ReleasedMay 8, 2017 (2017-05-08)[1]
StudioRCA Studio A
GenreCountry
Length4:08
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Chris Stapleton singles chronology
"Parachute"
(2016)		 "Either Way"
(2017)		 "Broken Halos"
(2017)

"Either Way" is a song written by Chris Stapleton, Tim James and Kendell Marvel. It is the first single off Stapleton's 2017 album From A Room: Volume 1.[2] The song was first recorded by Lee Ann Womack on her 2008 album Call Me Crazy. It won the award for Best Country Solo Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards.[3]

Content

"Either Way" is a country ballad performed with an acoustic guitar.[4][5] Lyrically, is about the end of a relationship.[6] Some reviewers opined in the song Stapleton offers a sparsely arranged requiem for a dormant marriage, telling the painful tale of a union nearing its end.[7][8]

Critical reception

For Will Hermes of Rolling Stone, the ballad is set to acoustic guitar "that goes from broken whisper to chilling holler, with extravagantly curled phrasing informed, one imagines, by hours spent watching smoke plumes rise toward the ceiling."[5] Also in Rolling Stone, reviewer Robert Crawford wrote the studio version "doesn't differ much from that first live performance,[lower-alpha 1] with Stapleton screaming heartbroken lyrics over acoustic guitar arpeggios. Simple and stunning."[10]

Writing for Taste of Country, Billy Dukes commented the record "is a tremendous vocal performance that assures fans he’ll continue to be the gold standard moving forward. His guitar shadows him as Stapleton works up the scale at each thundering chorus. Contrast the power of his vocals with the dark, fragile and hopeless nature of his lyrics."[11]

Commercial performance

The song debuted on Billboard's Hot Country Songs at No. 17 as the third best-selling country song of the week, with 23,000 copies sold.[12] After his performance on the finale of The Voice, it sold a further 21,000 copies.[13] It has sold 87,000 copies as of June 2017.[14]

Live performances

On May 23, 2017, Stapleton performed "Either Way" on the season 12 finale of The Voice.[15]

Cover versions

Australian Judah Kelly covered the song on his debut album, Count On Me (2017).

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[20] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ↑ In early 2016, Stapleton performed "Either Way" at UMG's Country Radio Seminar showcase in Nashville.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Country > Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Announces New Album, 'From A Room: Volume 1,' and Track List". Nash Country Daily. April 6, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Grammy Awards Winners List: Updating Live". Variety. January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Chris Stapleton From A Room: Volume 1". Slant. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Hermes, Will (May 4, 2017). "Review: Chris Stapleton's Second Album Is Equal Parts Otis and Waylon". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  6. ↑ Tingle, Lauren (April 6, 2017). "Chris Stapleton Previews From a Room: Volume 1 in Nashville". CMT. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ Salmon, Ben (May 4, 2017). "Chris Stapleton: From A Room, Vol. 1 Review". Paste. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ham, Robert (May 4, 2017). "Chris Stapleton – From a Room Vol. 1". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Hear Chris Stapleton Detail a Failed Romance in Brutal 'Either Way'". Rolling Stone. February 9, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  10. ↑ Crawford, Robert (May 4, 2017). "Chris Stapleton's 'From A Room: Volume 1': Track-by-Track Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  11. ↑ Dukes, Billy (April 11, 2017). "ToC Critic's Pick: Chris Stapleton, 'Either Way' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ Asker, Jim (May 16, 2017). "Chris Stapleton's 'Room' Cleans Up on Country Albums Chart; 'Traveller' Lifts to No. 2". Billboard.
  13. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (May 31, 2017). "Top 30 Digital Singles Chart: May 31, 2017". Roughstock.
  14. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (June 27, 2017). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: June 27, 2017". Roughstock.
  15. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Performs 'Either Way' on 'The Voice' Season 12 Finale". Taste of Country. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  19. ↑ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  20. ↑ "American single certifications – Chris Stapleton – Either Way". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
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