Music Friday: Dierks Bentley's Winding Road 'Might Be Gravel, But It Feels Like Gold'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you brand new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, country star Dierks Bentley embraces the challenges of life's oft-bumpy journey in his 2022 anthem, "Gold," which also happens to be the soundtrack for the all-new Chevy Colorado truck campaign.

In addition to comparing gravel to gold, Bentley and his writing collaborators employ rhinestone, diamond and silver imagery to drive home the point that our most cherished moments often emerge from the rockiest of circumstances.

Bentley sings, "I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll / I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul / It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road / Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold."

Later in the song, he builds on the theme…

"Got my baby sittin' by me / Shinin' like a diamond / Only silver linings in the clouds / And if it starts to rain / I don't worry about a thing / I pull my rose colored Ray Bans out."

Bentley explained on the Universal Music Group Nashville website that he wanted to write a song that captured the idea of enjoying the journey.

"The reality is that there are a lot of rocky times that we all go through," he said, "but amongst all the tough stuff, when you look for the special moments it can change how you view the world."

"Gold" was the first single released from Bentley's 10th studio album, Gravel & Gold. The single topped out at #20 on the Billboard US Hot Country Songs chart and hit #1 on the Billboard Canada Country chart.

Born in Phoenix, AZ, in 1975, Bentley got his first guitar at the age of 13. A rambunctious youngster, Bentley was sent cross country to a New Jersey boarding school, where he embraced country music because it reminded him of home.

As a young adult, Bentley landed a job as a researcher for The Nashville Network, where he was tasked with finding old footage of country performances. Ironically, the over-exuberant young man was banned from the Grand Ole Opry for trespassing on the grounds of the Opry House while working on an assignment.

The ban was lifted when he scored a recording contract with Capitol Records and released his self-titled first album.

During his 22-year career, Bentley has placed 27 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Billboard Country Airplay charts. Eighteen of them have reached #1.

Please check out the video of Dierks Bentley performing "Gold." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along…

"Gold"
Written by Ashley Gorley, Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman and Luke Dick. Performed by Dierks Bentley.

It ain't easy
Nobody said it would be
You finally find that greener grass
But you're still in the weeds

Ain't it crazy
All the time that you spend
Drivin' through the rainbow for the pot at the end

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

I've been climbing
Trying to get to the view
I'm at the bottom but the sky's still pretty damn blue
They say heaven
Is somewhere on the other side
But I ain't waitin'
Hell, I'm thinkin', it's a state of mind

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Yeah it feels like gold
Yeah it feels like gold

Got my baby sittin' by me
Shinin' like a diamond
Only silver linings in the clouds

And if it starts to rain
I don't worry about a thing
I pull my rose colored Ray Bans out

I got some rust on my Chevy but it's ready to roll
I got a rhinestone sky and a song in my soul
It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Yeah, it feels like gold (Yeah, it does)
Yeah, it feels like gold

It ain't a smooth ride life, it's a winding road
Yeah, it might be gravel, but it feels like gold

Credit: Image by Lunchbox LP, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

King Charles III Wore Two Historic Crowns During His Coronation Ceremony

If you got up early on Saturday to watch the coronation of Charles III, Britain's first new monarch in 70 years, you may have noticed a curious accessory swap at the tail end of the ceremony.

The St Edward’s Crown was lowered onto King Charles III's head at the "moment of coronation," but then the royal switched to the Imperial State Crown for the final procession from Westminster Abbey back to Buckingham Palace. He also wore it when he appeared on the palace balcony to wave to supporters with other members of his family shortly after.

Considered the centerpiece of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, the St Edward's Crown dates back to the 17th century and was, ironically, fabricated for King Charles II in 1661.

The lavish headpiece glistens with 444 gemstones set in 22-karat yellow gold, but despite its opulence, the piece tips the scales at just under 5 pounds (the weight of a football helmet).

Because of its bulk, the St Edward’s Crown has seen little use during its 362-year-old history and has spent most of its time in the Tower of London. Only six monarchs prior to Charles III had chosen to wear the St Edward’s Crown on their coronations: Charles II (1661), James II (1685), William III (1689), George V (1911), George VI (1937) and Elizabeth II (1953).

Others monarchs opted for more wearable royal crowns. Queen Victoria (1838) and Edward VII (1902), for instance, decided to forego the honor of using the St Edward’s Crown and chose the Imperial State Crown, which weighs just over 2 pounds and features 2,868 diamonds and colored gemstones, including 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls.

Charles III decided to wear both. At the end of the coronation ceremony, he switched to the less ominous Imperial State Crown, also called the "working crown." He also chose to wear it for his official portrait, shown above. The photo, above, shows the king in full regalia, holding the Sovereign’s Scepter in one hand and the Sovereign’s Orb in the other.

Jewelry experts put the value of the three bejeweled items at more than $6 billion.

Designed by Garrard & Co in 1937, the Imperial State Crown is highlighted by three noteworthy gems. At the front of the crown band is the famous Cullinan II, a 317-carat cushion-shaped diamond that is also known as the Second Star of Africa. The diamond is set just below the 170-carat Black Prince's Ruby (actually a spinel). At the back of the band is the 104-carat "Stuart Sapphire."

Earlier in its history, the irregularly shaped Black Prince's Ruby had been drilled so it could be worn as a pendant. As seen in the photo, the unsightly hole was filled with a cabochon-cut ruby in a bezel setting.

Cullinan II is the second largest stone cut from the 3,025-carat Cullinan Diamond, the largest diamond ever discovered. The Cullinan I, also known as the Star of Africa, weighs an incredible 530 carats and is mounted atop the Sovereign's Sceptre.

The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross dates back to 1661 and is adorned with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, spinels and amethysts. The sceptre comprises a golden rod, formed in three sections, with enameled collars at the intersections. The enameled heart-shaped structure that holds the Cullinan I is hinged so that the stone may be removed and worn separately, although this has been done rarely, according to the Royal Collection Trust.

Mounted with clusters of emeralds, rubies and sapphires surrounded by rose-cut diamonds and single rows of pearls, the Sovereign's Orb also dates back to 1661. It symbolizes the Christian world with its cross mounted on a globe. During the coronation service, the Orb is placed in the right hand of the monarch and then on the altar before the moment of crowning.

Credits: Official portrait by Hugo Burnand, courtesy of Royal Household 2023. Crown photos courtesy of Buckingham Palace.

Queen Camilla Wears Historic 'Coronation Necklace' at Saturday's Royal Ceremony

All eyes were on Queen Consort Camilla's 26-diamond necklace during Saturday's coronation of her husband, King Charles III, at Westminster Abbey in London. Dubbed the "Coronation Necklace," the dazzling neckwear was originally made by British Crown Jeweler Garrard in 1858 for Queen Victoria and has been worn at every coronation since.

The necklace features 26 cushion-cut diamonds, including the head-turning 22.48-carat dangling pendant called the "Lahore" diamond. According to the Royal Trust, the impressive gem had been part of the Lahore Treasure in the Punjab region of what is now Pakistan. After being taken over by British colonists in 1849, the gem was “presented to Queen Victoria in 1851.”

Despite its size, the Lahore diamond was used as an accent stone on the 352.5-carat "Timur Ruby" necklace. Interestingly, the Timur Ruby is actually a spinel.

In 1858, Garrard refashioned the Timur Ruby necklace so the three large diamond accents could be detached and used for other purposes. The smaller two diamonds doubled as earrings and the Lahore diamond became the centerpiece of the Coronation Necklace.

Queen Victoria had been coronated in 1838, so the first time the Coronation Necklace was actually worn at a coronation was in 1902 during the crowning of Edward VII and Alexandra. The necklace appeared again in 1911 at the coronation of George V and Mary, and then a third time at the 1937 coronation of George VI and Elizabeth.

The 27-year-old Queen Elizabeth II famously wore the necklace during her coronation in 1953 and adored the jewelry so much she frequently wore it to state events, such as the opening of the New Zealand parliament in 1963 (photo inset, above).

Although King Charles, 74, instantly became a monarch upon his mom's passing in September of 2022, the coronation did not take place until this past Saturday to respect a period of mourning and to allow enough time to plan the elaborate ceremony.

Credits: Screen grab of coronation ceremony via today.com. Inset, Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Coronation Necklace at the opening of the New Zealand parliament in 1963 by Archives New Zealand, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.