Wallen debuted "Wasted on You" on January 11, 2021, as part of an acoustic set released on YouTube in advance of the album's release. In this acoustic set, he performed the song with his touring band: drummer Mark Annino, bassist Luke Rice, and guitarists Tyler Tomlinson and Dominic Frost. Wallen wrote the song with Ernest K. Smith, Josh Thompson, and Ryan Vojtseak.[1]
Owen Myers of Pitchfork stated that the song is "a blend of trap snares and guitar twang that isn't quite as fluid as the country/hip-hop hybrids of, say, [Sam] Hunt".[2] Pip Ellwood-Hughes thought that the song had a "modern" sound, contrasting it with Wallen's collaboration with Diplo on "Heartless".[3]
"Wasted on You" debuted at number one on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart dated the week ending January 23, 2021, alongside the album tracks "Somebody's Problem", "Warning", and "Sand in My Boots" and the singles "7 Summers" and "More Than My Hometown". In doing so, Wallen became the first artist ever to chart six songs within the top ten of Hot Country Songs at the same time.[4] The song's debut at the top of the chart coincided with Dangerous: The Double Album debuting at the number-one position on the Top Country Albums chart, making Wallen the first ever artist to debut at the top of both charts simultaneously. Furthermore, it was Wallen's second debut at the top, making him the first artist to have multiple songs debut at number one on the country chart. "Wasted on You" also debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100.[5]