"Nobody to Blame" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. The song was released in November 2015 as the singer's third single overall. Stapleton co-wrote the song with Barry Bales and Ronnie Bowman. It became Stapleton's first top 10 single on the US Country Airplay chart.[2] "Nobody to Blame" won Song of the Year at the ACM Awards.[3]
The country rock song[4] is a mid-tempo composition about a man looking back on the events following a break-up. His ex has kicked him out of the house and destroyed all of his belongings, often in sadistic fashion (dumping out his whiskey, breaking his fishing rods, burning his guitar in a bonfire, running his hot rod car into a pond and putting sugar in the gas tank of his lawnmower). Despite her behavior, he admits there is "nobody to blame" but himself for his situation.
Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song a favorable review, saying that it "is a 200-proof country song that'd fit neatly into any generation's best of catalog. The second single from Traveller is full of steel guitar, fiddle and pain. It rambles along like the best from Waylon while providing a de facto education to the 21st century boy. Stapleton doesn't deviate from what he does best: simple, honest story songs that lean heavy on his once-in-a-lifetime voice."[5]
The song first entered the Country Airplay chart at number 46 and the Hot Country Songs chart at number 50 for the chart dated November 21, 2015.[6] The song peaked at number 10 on the Country Airplay chart, making it Stapleton's first single to reach the top 10. It has sold 423,000 copies in the US as of November 2016.[7]
'^"Billboard Country Update, November 9, 2015"(PDF). Billboard. November 9, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015. Now, with a fresh radio single, Travellers "Nobody to Blame" — new at No. 46 on Country Airplay (with 2.2 million in audience) — will Stapleton's CMA wins translate to significant airplay? "I have no doubt that Chris will be on the radio," says UMG Nashville president Cindy Mabe. "Will it be with this single? That will be determined. But whether it's this one or the next one or the one after, he will be a factor at country radio. Chris' CMA performance undoubtedly moved people who will be calling their radio stations now."
