Songfacts®:

• This song finds Dierks Bentley singing about the morning after an alcohol-fueled night out. "'What the Hell Did I Say' is a pretty rocking song off the record that a lot of people can relate to because we all know what happens when phones, alcohol and regrets mix together," the singer shared. "Everyone's wondered what they may have said the night before or on a bender."
• The song was written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins, along with Dierks Bentley's producer Ross Copperman.
  
  "'What the Hell Did I Say' is one of the first songs that I heard that I didn't write, that I fell in love with and knew I wanted it to be on this record. It's actually written by two of the guys that I wrote 'Drunk on a Plane.' They didn't call me up, but they wrote it with my producer, Ross [Copperman], and they knew it'd be a great song for me and that I'd love it," said Bentley.
  
  "You know, I've learned over the years of making records that, really in the last couple of years, it's okay to have some of those fun songs on there," he continued. "Sometimes when I go into album-making mode, I get so serious, and I almost didn't cut 'Drunk on a Plane,' even though I wrote it. I look back at that now and I think, 'What was I thinking not to have?' That song is one of my favorite songs to sing every night. So, I didn't make that mistake this time around. I knew 'What the Hell' was gonna be a really fun song on the album. I just didn't know where it was going to fit on the album."
• The song's release as the fourth single from Bentley's Black album, coincided with the singer's What the Hell summer 2017 trek with Cole Swindell and Jon Pardi. "We named the tour after this song hoping that it would be a single this summer because it perfectly captures the anything-goes spirit out there this year," Bentley said.
• Dierks Bentley told Billboard that he loves playing the song live, saying it "really describes the kind of night that I'm hoping my fans have."
  
  He added, "You know, 'What the hell did I do last night? What the hell did I say?' Might have had one too many drinks and had a little too much fun, and that's what we want - everyone to come out to our show and to have a great time and have a lot of fun and be safe getting home, but while you're here, live it up with us."