Single Review: Dierks Bentley I Hold On

Do you want to know who Dierks Bentley is? Then look, and listen, no further than his new single “I Hold On.” Even though he has been playing the song at his live shows since January, Dierks officially debuted “I Hold On” this past Friday on “The View.” The song, which will be on his upcoming fall release, ‘Riser,’ was written by Dierks and Brett James.

Dierks has said this is probably the most personal song he has written, yet the song’s theme makes it universally relatable. “I Hold On” is both poignant and exuberant. We not only learn the things in his life that make him who he is, he also tells us “I can’t change who I am….right or wrong”. The things that make him who he is (and those that make us who we are) are unchangeable like the “stripes on the flag, like a boy to his Dad.” It’s a mid-tempo anthem to celebrate not only who we are, but remember and honor the
things that make us that way. You can just hear an amphitheatre full of people singing “I Hold On” with him at the 3:25 mark, knowing at that moment every single person is thinking of something/someone that they hold onto.

As he sings in his unmistakable gravely voice, the song’s three verses open the curtain on who he is. The first verse refers to his truck, Big White (currently with about 200,000 miles). She brought Dierks to Tennessee with his father from Arizona back when he was 19 years old. The meaning of Big White
& that trip impacts on a whole different level when you hear “she’s still here now he’s gone.” (Dierks lost his father last June)

As most know, the “beat up box” with “dents and scratches that makes it sound real good” is of course his guitar. Dierks has said he has been offered many a new guitar but prefers this one: the one that holds many memories from when he started out to this day (and has George Jones, George Strait & others’ signatures on it).

The third and final verse is something we all want to hear from our significant other: “there ain't never been no doubt….Without you I'd be nothing….So if you ever worry about…..me walkin’ out….let me tell you something.”

The truck may be beat up, the guitar may have a hole, and his boots may need duct tape, but he is one guy who knows what is important in life: his faith, the love of his family and his country.  These are the things he can “count on to keep me going strong.” These are the things we all can count on. People, things, experiences all make our memories: whether it is a guitar, a car, a mother…this song will make you remember and think abut what is at the heart of you as a person. It’s an anthem to keep those things that matter close, cherish memories and be yourself.

Five stars