He was hurting. You could hear it all over the Riser album. Then, 2016 happened. Dierks Bentley walked into the studio and decided he was done being the guy staring at the rain through a window pane. He traded the heartbreak for a plastic cup and a cheap pair of shades. That’s basically the origin story of Somewhere on a Beach, a track that didn't just top the charts—it redefined what a "summer anthem" looks like for a guy who’s usually a bit more introspective.
Honestly, it’s a weird song if you really listen to the production. It’s got this swampy, bluesy groove that feels more like a dive bar in Florida than a polished Nashville studio. It shouldn't work as a follow-up to a song like "Say You Do," but it does. It works because we've all been that guy. The guy who isn't actually "over it" but is doing his absolute best to pretend he is by staying face-down in the sand.
The Story Behind the Song
Most people think Dierks wrote this. He didn't. This was the brainchild of a powerhouse writing room: Michael Hardy (who we now just know as HARDY), Jaren Johnston of The Cadillac Three, Hunter Phelps, Ray Fulcher, and Bryan Simpson. When you see that many heavy hitters on a track, it usually goes one of two ways. It’s either a generic mess or a total lightning bolt.
This was the latter.
Hardy was just getting his feet under him as a songwriter back then. Jaren Johnston brought that gritty, fuzzy guitar vibe he’s known for. When Dierks heard the demo, he knew it was the lead single for his Black album. It was a pivot. It was a "hey, I'm still fun" card played at exactly the right time in his career. The song isn't about a literal beach as much as it's about a mental state of defiant recovery. It’s the official anthem of the "rebound."
Why the Lyrics Hit Different
Let’s look at the hook. "I’m somewhere on a beach / Sipping something strong / Got a new girl, she’s got a mind of her own."
It’s petty.
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Let's be real—the lyrics are kind of a middle finger to an ex. Usually, country songs about breakups involve a lot of crying in a truck or sitting at a bar alone. Dierks flipped the script. He’s telling the ex-girlfriend that he’s not only doing fine, but he’s actually doing better. He’s got a new girl. She’s tan. She’s great. Is it true? Maybe. Does it matter? Not to the guy in the song.
The brilliance is in the "mind of her own" line. It implies the ex was maybe a bit controlling or that the new dynamic is just easier. It’s a subtle dig buried in a party melody. Most listeners are too busy shouting the chorus at a tailgate to notice how much shade is being thrown, but it’s there. Trust me.
Breaking Down the Production
Ross Copperman and Arturo Buenahora Jr. handled the production, and they made some gutsy choices. Usually, summer country hits are bright. They have high-end acoustic guitars and "snap" tracks. Somewhere on a Beach is dark.
The bass is heavy. The electric guitar has this distorted, almost "dirty" tone that feels like it’s been sitting in the sun too long. It’s got a low-slung, mid-tempo swagger that makes you want to nod your head rather than jump up and down. That tempo is key. It mimics the slow, rhythmic movement of waves, or more accurately, the slow movement of someone who has had three margaritas before noon.
That Music Video: A Stroke of Genius
You can't talk about this song without talking about the video. It features a character named "Treston." He’s this short, somewhat dorky, but incredibly confident guy who ends up with a stunning woman on a tropical vacation.
It was a massive risk.
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Dierks barely appears in the video. Usually, the star wants their face on camera for 90% of the runtime. Bentley stayed in the background, playing the role of the narrator/performer at the beach bar while Treston lived his best life. It turned the song into a comedy piece. It made the pettiness of the lyrics feel lighthearted rather than mean-spirited. It reminded everyone that Dierks doesn't take himself too seriously, which is why he’s stayed relevant for two decades while others faded out.
The "Black" Album Context
To understand why Somewhere on a Beach matters, you have to look at the album it anchored. Black was a concept album about the different stages of a relationship—the good, the bad, and the messy. This track was the bridge. It was the moment the protagonist breaks away from the darkness of the breakup and tries to find light again, even if that light is just the reflection of the sun on a Coronalight.
It paved the way for "Different for Girls," which was a much more serious look at gender double standards in heartbreak. Without the massive commercial success of the beach song, he might not have had the "radio capital" to push a riskier song like "Different for Girls" to the top of the charts. Success buys you freedom in Nashville. This song was a massive paycheck.
Misconceptions About the Vibe
A lot of critics at the time called it a "bro-country" leftover. I think that’s lazy writing. Bro-country was about trucks and girls in tight jeans as objects. This song is about a guy’s internal ego battle. He’s hurt, he’s healing, and he’s using the beach as a sanctuary.
Also, it’s not a "tropical" song in the Kenny Chesney sense. Chesney owns the "island soul" genre. Dierks didn't try to be Kenny. He stayed "Redneck on the River" even while he was "Somewhere on a Beach." There’s a grit to it that keeps it firmly in the world of modern country-rock.
Legacy and Live Impact
If you go to a Dierks Bentley show today, ten years after this dropped, the energy shift when those first fuzzy chords hit is palpable. It’s the "bathroom break" song for exactly zero people.
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It’s become a staple of the summer tour circuit. It represents a specific era of country music where the genre was experimenting with R&B rhythms and bluesy textures. It showed that you could have a hit without a banjo if the groove was right.
It’s also interesting to see how it influenced the writers. HARDY went on to become a superstar in his own right, bringing that same "heavy" country sound to the mainstream. You can hear the DNA of this song in a lot of what came out of Nashville between 2017 and 2020.
Actionable Takeaways for the Superfan
If you’re looking to revisit this era of Dierks or just want to appreciate the song more, here’s how to actually dive in.
- Listen to the "Black" album in order. Don't just shuffle. Listen to how the story transitions from the "somewhere on a beach" defiance into the deeper, more vulnerable tracks like "Can't Be Replaced."
- Watch the "Making of" footage. There are clips of Dierks in the studio talking about the "swampy" guitar tone. It gives you a lot of respect for the technical side of the "party" song.
- Check out the acoustic versions. When you strip away the heavy bass, the song actually feels a bit sadder. It highlights the "fake it til you make it" aspect of the lyrics.
- Look up the songwriters' other work. If you like this groove, go listen to Jaren Johnston’s work with The Cadillac Three. It’s that same greasy, Southern rock vibe but turned up to eleven.
Dierks Bentley didn't just give us a song to drink to. He gave us a character study in how to handle a breakup with a little bit of salt, a lot of lime, and a total lack of shame. It’s a masterclass in commercial country songwriting that actually has a soul.
Next time you’re feeling a bit down about an ex, just remember Treston. Grab a drink, find a patch of sand (or a lawn chair in the backyard), and turn this one up. It still hits just as hard as it did in 2016.