He might not like it now… but it was huge when it came out. Chase Rice first came onto the scene in the mid-2010s during an era that was simply dominated by bro-country. Up there with the likes of Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell and more, the North Carolina native scored early hits with bro-country tracks such as “Ready Set Roll,” “Gonna Wanna Tonight” and “Eyes on You.” Notably, he also wrote Florida Georgia Line’s smash hit, “Cruise.” When he sat down with the Whiskey Riff Raff last year, he had no problem talking about his bro-country past: “It was an interesting route for my whole career. I just randomly listened last night to an album I put out in 2012 called ‘Dirt Road Communion.’ And it wasn’t great, but there were signs of, ‘I’m just doing what I’m doing.’ Right around that time is when we wrote ‘Cruise,’ and ‘Cruise’ is the biggest blessing and curse that I could have asked for. We were in there, write it, it blows up and I’m like, ‘F**k, this is cool.’ And that was when Bro Country became a thing. Love it or hate it, it was a thing. And it was huge.” Since 2023, however, Rice has completely reinvented himself and distanced himself from the sound he became synonymous with. Releasing I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell and Go Down Singin’ in back-to-back years, the “Circa 1943” singer forced himself back into the hearts of many country fans simply due to its authenticity, traditional nature and, quite frankly, lack of the modern elements present on his early work. He decided to draw a line in the sand and step out of the style of country that made him a household name. That shined through in his stellar album, Eldora, which he released in September of last year. But one of his most commercially successful songs from that time was of course “Ride,” which was included a bonus track on his 2014 album Ignite the Night. After Rice jokingly tweeted SoMo, whose song it originally was, a photoshopped cover of his face on SoMo’s album, SoMo replied that Rice should record a country version of the song. He did just that, it became a hit, as Rice’s version, which featured Macy Maloy, reached #38 on the Hot Country Songs chart, and I think a lot of fans will remember how big it was when it came out. The video itself was very popular, and it has over 31 million views now. Of course, the song itself is pretty raunchy, and in the context of today, over a decade later, it’s definitely a little corny… but like I said, it was huge at the time. And during an appearance on the Girls in Low Places podcast this week, Rice talked about some of his favorite songs including “Circa 1943,” “Bench Seat,” and another oldie “Carolina Can,” but when it comes to “Ride,” Rice says it can “f*** right off,” calling it the “biggest mistake” that he’ll live with for the “rest of my life,” saying it’s not him at all: “‘Ride’ can f*** right off. ‘Ride’ is the biggest mistake that I’ll have to live with the rest of my life. People think that’s me, and that’s like, oh my…” But it’s part of his catalog, and people still know it as one of his hits, and he admits: “It’s not going nowhere.” In retrospect, especially considering the turn he’s taken with his sound, I can see why he feels that way, but honestly at the time, people LOVED it. It’s not like it wasn’t a success overall, even if he regrets it now. If I remember correctly, we titled a blog about the song something about it being a “certified panty dropper,” if that doesn’t indicate a sign of the times as well… we’re all a little embarrassed here, Chase. But hey, some advice to any up and coming artists out there… when you record a song, think about if you’ll be happy performing it every night for the rest of your life. If the answer is no, and it’s just for a season, maybe don’t cut it. I feel like calling it the “biggest mistake” of his life is a bit unfair, but I definitely enjoy this new musical direction he’s been going. I’m sure plenty of people will agree with him, for whatever that’s worth. And the music video… it’s definitely a relic of the times and honestly, kind of nostalgic if you were into it back then: The post “Can F*** Right Off” — Chase Rice Says “Ride” Is The “Biggest Mistake” He Made In His Career first appeared on Whiskey Riff.