Dierks Bentley has a Top 40 hit with “She Hates Me.” Written by Bentley, along with Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman and Chase McGill, Bentley released the humorous song on Valentine’s Day, a comedic twist on the standard love song.

“’She Hates Me’ is just a really fun song I wrote with a few friends of mine back here in Nashville,” Bentley tells his record label. “I think it’s a song that everybody can relate to, guys and girls. We’ve all been in a relationship where you know no matter what you do that person just does not like you. And you can’t figure it out and you have these great plans for what your life might look like together but they never come to fruition because she just doesn’t like you.”

When the writers crafted “She Hates Me,” the Arizona native had no idea that it would become his next single.

“We were goofing around with this idea before diving into our next ‘serious’ song, really just trying to make each other laugh. It just fell out, and I didn’t think much more about it after that,” Bentley recalls. “But then it really came to life in the studio, and then my kids were requesting it and then I was getting texts from friends who had heard it, so I started taking it more seriously! I love any opportunity to laugh at myself – especially my younger self, and ‘She Hates Me’ definitely provides that.”

The Grand Ole Opry member is still a bit surprised that “She Hates Me” was not only recorded, but released as a single as well.

“This is one of those songs that was never meant to be written,” Bentley tells American Songwriter. “It just fell out between two ‘real’ songs we were working on that day. … We were just having fun and writing for the love of writing. We were goofing around with this idea before diving into our next ‘serious’ song. It just fell out, and I didn’t think much more about it after that.”

If not for Bentley’s two daughters and one son, it’s unlikely “She Hates Me” would have ever even been released.

“We didn’t plan on this happening, but I played it for my kids, and they loved the song,” Bentley says on Country Countdown USA. “We went in and recorded it, and had so much fun in the studio. This song rose to the top, and it’s sort of the anti-Valentine’s Day song.”

Bentley just announced he will embark on his Broken Branches Tour on May 29 in Austin, Texas, joined by Zach Top. The singer’s favorite place to be is on the road, even after all these years.

“I’ve been doing it for a while. We still as a band love being on the road this summer,” Bentley says on Good Morning America. “It doesn’t get old, touring. It actually gets more exciting every year we get a chance to do it. I don’t take it for granted. I just love this time of year, love being out on the road. It’s so fun.”

Find “She Hates Me” and all of Bentley’s music and upcoming shows at Dierks.com.