How Riley Green Paid Special Tribute to His Late Idol Toby Keith on New Single 'Think as You Drunk'
How Riley Green Paid Special Tribute to His Late Idol Toby Keith on New Single 'Think as You Drunk'
Rachel DeSantisFri, May 29, 2026 at 6:37 PM UTC
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Riley Green's new single “Think as You Drunk” pays tribute to his late idol Toby Keith
The song features Keith's vocals from his 2005 hit “As Good as I Once Was” in the outro
A portion of the song's proceeds will benefit the Toby Keith Foundation, supporting pediatric cancer patients
Riley Green's cheeky new single is a tip of the cowboy hat to his late idol Toby Keith.
On Friday, May 29, the country star released his latest song “Think as You Drunk,” which bears some resemblance to Keith's classic drinking tunes — and even features Keith singing his 2005 hit “As Good as I Once Was” on the outro.
Green, 37, told Billboard that the song took him just 20 minutes to write, and, like many of his songs, was heavily influenced by Keith, who died in 2024 at age 62 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
“The best compliment I can give a song is, ‘Man, this feels like a Toby Keith song,'” he said. “Especially as a songwriter, I don't know if there was a bigger influence on me.”
After finishing “Think as You Drunk,” Green's team played it for Keith's manager and family. The singer said they “completely thought it was a tip of the cap” to the late singer, and wanted to have his vocal featured on it.
Riley Green in May 2026; Toby Keith in October 2021
Credit: ALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty; Rick Kern/Getty
Green settled on “As Good as I Once Was,” which his dad used to joke was written about him, he told Billboard.
“It's really a full-circle moment for me to have Toby's vocal on that song,” said Green, who often covers Keith's songs at his concerts.
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Keith and his co-writer Scotty Emerick are credited on the song along with Green and his co-writers, Jessi Alexander, Erik Dylan and Wyatt McCubbin.
“As Good as I Once Was” was a major hit for Keith, and became one of his signature songs. The song topped the country charts, and saw crossover success, too, peaking at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A portion of the proceeds from “Think as You Drunk” will be donated to the Toby Keith Foundation, which benefits pediatric cancer patients.
Green previously revealed his love for Keith while talking about being named Sexiest Country Star Alive in PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive Readers' Choice Poll last year. He said in an interview that he was expecting to hear from some ex-girlfriends about the title — but didn't.
“You remember ‘How Do You Like Me Now?!,' Toby Keith? That was playing in my head over and over,” he told Taste of Country Nights.
“Think as You Drunk” is featured on Green's upcoming fourth album That's Just Me, which is set for release on Sept. 18.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
