Country Update - Billboard · BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 4 OF 19 Luke Combs...
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BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 1 OF 19 Country Update BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] INSIDE Combs’ ‘Better’ Chart Standing >page 4 CRS Builds Virtual Agenda >page 10 Bowl-ing With Bryan, Church >page 11 Vince Gill In Two Upcoming Albums >page 11 Makin’ Tracks: McCollum’s ‘Loved’ Rant >page 16 Country Coda: Juice Newton’s ‘Hurt’ >page 19 The United States has a new manager, and it’s a good bet you’ve noticed. The shift from Donald Trump to Joe Biden is likely the most dramatic transition we’ve seen in style between an outgoing president and an incoming one in the modern era. Forget about which politi- cal party they’re affiliated with — their approach to the job is distinctly different: Trump is more of a top-down, my-way- or-the-highway kind of boss, while Biden prefers to manage more collaboratively. Given the frequency of job-hopping or market changes within the music and broadcast businesses, most veterans in either field have experienced a 180-de- gree change in their work atmosphere, whether they transitioned to a new com- pany or had a new GM take over. The way their new manager leads has a huge im- pact on how employees view their roles. “You notice it right away,” says consul- tant John Shomby, who spent four years as Cumulus director of Nash program- ming before setting out as an advisor for radio talent and re- cording artists under the billing of “Country’s Radio Coach.” “Probably the second or third or fourth day in, it’s ‘Oh, my good- ness, I have a different person here, and I have to do this now rather than that.’ It changes the way you think.” Neither a centralized Trump approach nor a collaborative Biden style is necessarily better, says Shomby, who serves as vp on the board for the Country Radio Seminar, set for Feb. 16-19. A more forceful CEO can bring quick order to a chaotic organization, though if top-down leadership turns into micromanaging, it tends to discourage self-starting employees over the long haul. On the other hand, the collaborative executive may inspire more immediate creativity, only to see employees eventually begin to wander from the mission. The best managers, notes Shomby, are able to tailor their approach based on the dynamics within the company, leaning toward authoritarian in one period, then tilting toward teamwork when the circum- stances change. “Managers you see that are sitting at radio stations or clusters for long periods of time,” he says, are “usually the ones who are doing that and doing that well.” Broadcasters and music industry exec- utives will have a chance to reexamine and refine their own management approaches when CRS convenes virtually Feb. 16-19. Several panels are specifically geared toward management is- sues, including “ ’Til the Wellness Runs Dry: How to Handle the Anxiety of the Music Business,” “PPP: Post-Pandemic Play- book” and “TLC: Talent Loving Coaching.” “If you’re in a leadership position at your radio station, [those sessions] can help you because you’ll see that other people have gone through what you’ve gone through and how Trump Vs. Biden: A Pre-CRS Management Checklist SHOMBY
Transcript of Country Update - Billboard · BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 4 OF 19 Luke Combs...
BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 1 OF 19
Country UpdateBILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected]
Combs’ ‘Better’ Chart Standing
>page 4
CRS Builds Virtual Agenda
>page 10
Bowl-ing With Bryan, Church
>page 11
Vince Gill In Two Upcoming Albums
>page 11
Makin’ Tracks: McCollum’s
‘Loved’ Rant>page 16
Country Coda: Juice Newton’s
‘Hurt’>page 19
The United States has a new manager, and it’s a good bet you’ve noticed.
The shift from Donald Trump to Joe Biden is likely the most dramatic transition we’ve seen in style between an outgoing president and an incoming one in the modern era. Forget about which politi-cal party they’re affiliated with — their approach to the job is distinctly different: Trump is more of a top-down, my-way-or-the-highway kind of boss, while Biden prefers to manage more collaboratively.
Given the frequency of job-hopping or market changes within the music and broadcast businesses, most veterans in either field have experienced a 180-de-gree change in their work atmosphere, whether they transitioned to a new com-pany or had a new GM take over. The way their new manager leads has a huge im-pact on how employees view their roles.
“You notice it right away,” says consul-tant John Shomby, who spent four years as Cumulus director of Nash program-ming before setting out as an advisor for radio talent and re-cording artists under the billing of “Country’s Radio Coach.” “Probably the second or third or fourth day in, it’s ‘Oh, my good-ness, I have a different person here, and I have to do this now rather than that.’ It changes the way you think.”
Neither a centralized Trump approach nor a collaborative Biden style is necessarily better, says Shomby, who serves
as vp on the board for the Country Radio Seminar, set for Feb. 16-19. A more forceful CEO can bring quick order to a chaotic organization, though if top-down leadership turns into micromanaging, it tends to discourage self-starting employees
over the long haul. On the other hand, the collaborative executive may inspire more immediate creativity, only to see employees eventually begin to wander from the mission.
The best managers, notes Shomby, are able to tailor their approach based on the dynamics within the company, leaning toward authoritarian in one period, then tilting toward teamwork when the circum-stances change.
“Managers you see that are sitting at radio stations or clusters for long periods of time,” he says, are “usually the ones who are doing that and doing that well.”
Broadcasters and music industry exec-utives will have a chance to reexamine and refine their own management approaches when CRS convenes virtually Feb. 16-19.
Several panels are specifically geared toward management is-sues, including “ ’Til the Wellness Runs Dry: How to Handle the Anxiety of the Music Business,” “PPP: Post-Pandemic Play-book” and “TLC: Talent Loving Coaching.”
“If you’re in a leadership position at your radio station, [those sessions] can help you because you’ll see that other people have gone through what you’ve gone through and how
Trump Vs. Biden: A Pre-CRS Management Checklist
SHOMBY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 2 OF 19
they’ve dealt with it,” says Shomby.Americans often learn from others by seeing their own issues mirrored
in the national spotlight. The country took COVID-19 more seriously, for example, after actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson contracted it last March. Glen Campbell’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease raised people’s aware-ness of the disorder and their willingness to discuss it.
It is likewise easier to identify and evaluate the consequences of a particular management approach by seeing it play out from a distance, whether that’s in the Oval Office or in a stadium.
“You see different [management styles] in different sports all the time when a coach with a different philosophy comes in after someone else,” says Shomby. “The New York Giants were a really good football team for quite some time with Tom Coughlin’s style. He was very much a my-way-or-the-highway type of a guy. But that got old after a while, and the team started to lose. They found some-one else who could bring the team together, but it took them a while to do that.”
The following Trump/Biden management checklist — assembled by the Billboard Country Update and massaged by Shomby — highlights the chasm between the two presidents’ styles, separate from their party affiliations or policy positions. Managers should be able to gauge their own style by looking at the differences between the two leaders, and prospective employees might also benefit from examining particular traits that they desire in a boss when they interview for their next position:
• Persona Trump is a bigger-than-life character. Biden is more folksy and grandfatherly.
• Messaging Trump is a master at distilling concepts down to short slogans, and he will repeat a message to make it take hold. Biden tends to elaborate more on details and take side trips when explaining a concept.
• Workplace culture Trump encouraged competition among team mem-bers on The Celebrity Apprentice, sometimes chiding them for not being more ruthless. Biden has told administration staff that if he sees anyone disrespect a colleague, he will fire them on the spot.
• Loyalty Trump famously prioritizes it. Biden does not highlight it.• Decision-making Trump trusted his gut instinct first on topics ranging
from war tactics to health. Biden is giving his experts more room to speak publicly and has pledged to let science guide policies.
• Creating expectations Trump made bold up-front predictions, giving people immediate hope but increasing the likelihood of disappointment. Biden is showing a tendency to make pledges that are more prudent, reducing short-term enthusiasm but improving the chances that he will match or exceed expectations.
• Short-term vs. long-term plans Trump’s policies and positions were often presented with a focus on the current moment; Biden usually addresses issues with a nod to the long-term consequences.
• Speed Trump removed hurdles to get COVID-19 vaccines approved faster. The jury is out on Biden in terms of swift results, though he has been ultra quick on executive orders.
Go here for details about the CRS agenda.
During Apple Music Country’s Jan. 29 edition of Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen, Eric Church chatted about singing at the Super Bowl and his three forthcoming albums.
New Warner Music Nashville act Robyn Ottolini paid a visit to WCKN Charleston, S.C., as part of her first virtual radio tour. She met with (from left) WCKN afternoon host Hunter Meyer and WMN national director of radio and streaming James Marsh and Southeast manager of regional radio and streaming Lou Ramirez.
Singer-songwriter Skip Ewing (center) signed a booking deal with Kinkead Entertainment. The team includes CEO Bob Kinkead (left) and senior vp/head of live performance Greg Scott.
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Luke Combs scores his fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, which blends airplay, sales and streaming data, as “Better Together” (River House/Columbia Nashville) ascends 2-1 in its 34th week on the survey (dated Feb. 6).
“Better,” the fifth single from Combs’ second LP, What You See Is What You Get, was co-written by the artist with Dan Isbell and Randy Montana. The set holds at No. 2 on Top Country Albums after 37 weeks at the peak with 30,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 28, according to MRC Data.
On Countr y A irplay, “Better” is Combs’ record-extending 10th consecutive career-opening No. 1. It leads for a third week, with 33 million audience impressions in the week ending Jan. 31. It also drew 10.9 million U.S. streams and sold 4,000 downloads in the week ending Jan. 28.
“Better” marks his fourth Hot Country Songs chart-topper. He first led with “When It Rains It Pours” for two weeks, starting in November 2017, followed by “Beautiful Crazy” (11 weeks, beginning in March 2019) and “Forever After All” (one week upon its debut, November 2020).
With “Better” controlling both Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay, Combs sports the first such simultaneous reign in over a year, since the surveys dated Jan. 25, 2020, when Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber’s “10,000 Hours” doubled up.
‘OVER’ AND ABOVE Chris Stapleton nets his fourth Country Airplay top 10 as “Starting Over” (Mercury Nashville) rises 11-10 in its 23rd frame, with 17.8 million in audience. He last ranked in the region with “Millionaire,” which hit No. 2 in March 2019. Previously, “Broken Halos” led for a week in March 2018, and “Nobody To Blame” reached No. 10 in April 2016.
‘CRIME’ PAYS Taylor Swift’s “No Body, No Crime,” featuring HAIM (Republic/MCA Nashville), holds at No. 60 in its second week on Country Airplay, with 581,000 impressions. The song is her second entry on the chart since last summer; the first, “Betty,” rose to No. 32 in October. “Crime” is from Swift’s December album evermore, while “Betty” was released from last July’s folklore.
“Betty” was Swift’s first top 40 Country Airplay hit as a lead artist since 2013, after which she fully segued to pop. Country programmers playing “Crime” feel that she’s still a built-in draw, even if she has veered from the format that launched her.
“Taylor Swift has a deep-rooted connection to country. I think it’s only smart for country radio to remain in the Taylor Swift business,” says Johnny Chiang, director of operations for Country Airplay reporter KKBQ Houston.
Country stations continue to play her catalog in the genre. While “Crime” received 195 plays on Country Airplay panelists in the week ending Jan. 31, it wasn’t her most-played song at the for-mat in that span: Her 2011 hit “Mean” drew 210 plays. Among her seven No. 1s on the chart, her first leader, 2007’s “Our Song,” collected 185 plays, followed by 2009’s “You Belong With Me” (154). She last topped the tally assisting Tim Mc-Graw on 2013’s “Highway Don’t Care,” which garnered 119 plays in the tracking week.
“Her classics are in rotation,” notes Phathead, program director at Country Airplay reporter
WJVC Nassau, N.Y. “I love that we have new music from her that is considered country enough for the format. Taylor never left country. She is a star that had an opportunity to capture 100% of the world, and all genres, instead of just the piece that country is. Any one of us, and any artist, would do the same.” —Additional reporting by Gary Trust, Billboard senior director of charts
Two Is ‘Better’ Than One: Combs Tops Country Airplay And Hot Country Songs;
Swift’s ‘Crime’ Has Radio Partners
ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected]
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Sam Hunt’s second studio full-length, and first in over five years, Southside (MCA Nashville/Universal Music Group Nashville), debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart dated April 18. In its first week (ending April 9), it earned 46,000 equivalent album units, including 16,000 in album sales, ac-cording to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
Southside marks Hunt’s second No. 1 on the chart and fourth top 10. It follows freshman LP Montevallo, which arrived at the summit in No-vember 2014 and reigned for nine weeks. To date, Montevallo has earned 3.9 million units, with 1.4 million in album sales.
Montevallo has spent 267 weeks on the list, tying Luke Bryan’s Crash My Party as the sixth-longest-running titles in the chart’s 56-year history.
On the all-genre Billboard 200, Southside ar-rives at No. 5, awarding Hunt his second top 10 after the No. 3-peaking Montevallo.
Hunt first released the EP X2C, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on Top Country Albums in August 2014. Following Montevallo, Between the Pines: Acoustic Mixtape started at its No. 7 high in November 2015.
Montevallo produced five singles, four of which hit the pinnacle of Country Airplay: “Leave the Night On,” “Take Your Time,” “House Party” and “Make You Miss Me.” “Break Up in a Small Town” peaked at No. 2.
Hunt co-penned all 12 songs on Southside, including “Body Like a Back Road,” which was released in 2017. The smash hit ruled Country Airplay for three weeks and the airplay-, streaming- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart for a then-record 34 frames. It now ranks second only to Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be” (50 weeks atop the latter list in 2017-18).
“Downtown’s Dead,” which is also on the new set, reached Nos. 14 and 15 on Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay, respectively, in June 2018. “Kin-folks” led Country Airplay on Feb. 29, becoming Hunt’s seventh No. 1. It hit No. 3 on Hot Country Songs.
Latest single “Hard to Forget” jumps 17-9 on Hot Country Songs. It’s his eighth top 10, having corralled 8.2 million U.S. streams (up 96%) and 5,000 in
sales (up 21%) in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it hops 18-15 (11.9 mil-lion audience impressions, up 16%).
TRY TO ‘CATCH’ UP WITH YOUNG Brett Young achieves his fifth consecutive and total Country Airplay No. 1 as “Catch” (Big Machine Label Group) ascends
2-1, increasing 13% to 36.6 million impressions.Young’s first of six chart entries, “Sleep With-
out You,” reached No. 2 in December 2016. He followed with the multiweek No. 1s “In Case You Didn’t Know” (two weeks, June 2017), “Like I Loved You” (three, January 2018), “Mercy” (two, August 2018) and “Here Tonight” (two, April 2019).
“Catch” completes his longest journey to No. 1, having taken 46 weeks to reach the apex. It out-paces the 30-week climb of “Here Tonight.”
On Hot Country Songs, “Catch” pushes 7-5 for a new high.
COMBS ‘DOES’ IT AGAIN Luke Combs’ “Does to Me” (River House/Columbia Nashville), featuring Eric Church, ascends 11-8 on Country Airplay, up 10% to 24.7 million in audience. The song is Combs’ eighth straight career-opening top 10, following a record run of seven consecutive out-of-the-gate, properly promoted No. 1 singles.
Church adds his 15th Country Airplay top 10.
THAT TOOK QUITE ‘A FEW’ MONTHS Travis Denning shatters the record for the most weeks it has taken to penetrate the Country Airplay top 10 as “After a Few” (Mercury Nashville) climbs 12-10 in its 57th week, up 4% to 21.4 mil-lion in radio reach.
The song surpasses two tracks that took 50 weeks each to enter the top 10: Easton Corbin’s “A Girl Like You,” which reached No. 10 in January 2018 be-fore peaking at No. 6 that February, and Aaron Watson’s “Outta Style,” which achieved its No. 10 high in December 2017.
“After” is Denning’s second Country Airplay entry. “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs” traveled to No. 32 in September 2018.
SamHunt’s Southside Rules Top Country Albums; Brett Young ‘Catch’-es Fifth Airplay
Leader; Travis Denning Makes History
ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected]
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE APRIL 13, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 6 OF 19
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON
CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS
THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK
l1 1 18 BETTER TOGETHER River House/Columbia Nashville HH No. 1 (3 weeks) HH Luke Combs 32.984 -0.162 7943 -3 1
l2 2 29 HAPPY DOES Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville/WEA Kenny Chesney 25.310 +1.116 6310 108 2
l3 5 26 BEERS AND SUNSHINE Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker 24.246 +2.323 6037 428 4
l4 3 35 HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Black River Kelsea Ballerini 23.637 +1.482 6163 309 3
l5 6 16 DOWN TO ONE Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan 23.388 +2.359 5524 347 7
l6 8 37 JUST THE WAY Stoney Creek HH Most Increased Audience HH Parmalee x Blanco Brown 22.676 +2.481 5780 460 6
l7 7 42 GOOD TIME RCA Nashville Niko Moon 22.180 +1.619 5874 514 5
8 4 48 LOVE YOU LIKE I USED TO Triple Tigers Russell Dickerson 21.647 -0.452 4654 -88 10
l9 9 12 WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY SONG Valory Thomas Rhett 20.620 +0.673 4845 60 9
l10 11 23 STARTING OVER Mercury Nashville Chris Stapleton 17.773 -0.181 4877 83 8
l11 12 21 LONG LIVE BMLG Florida Georgia Line 16.762 +0.628 4115 80 11
l12 13 50 MOMMA’S HOUSE Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 14.807 +0.501 4020 -37 12
l13 14 40 LADY BMLG Brett Young 14.736 +1.448 3757 324 13
l14 15 33 HOW THEY REMEMBER YOU Big Machine Rascal Flatts 13.255 +0.377 3746 32 14
l15 16 24 7 SUMMERS Republic/Big Loud Morgan Wallen 13.159 +0.992 3479 293 16
l16 18 34 THE GOOD ONES Warner Music Nashville/WAR Gabby Barrett 12.458 +1.364 3731 192 15
l17 17 51 SOMEBODY LIKE THAT 19th & Grand Tenille Arts 11.622 +0.436 3346 61 17
l18 19 41 NOBODY Curb Dylan Scott 10.330 +0.128 3050 76 19
l19 20 35 ALMOST MAYBES MCA Nashville Jordan Davis 9.428 +0.437 3097 161 18
l20 21 37 MADE FOR YOU Big Loud Jake Owen 9.178 +1.102 2715 342 21
l21 22 13 HELL OF A VIEW EMI Nashville Eric Church 8.533 +0.755 2817 295 20
l22 25 3 UNDIVIDED McGraw/BMLG/Big Machine Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard 6.813 +0.957 1960 236 27
l23 24 19 ONE TOO MANY Hit Red/Capitol Nashville Keith Urban Duet With P!nk 6.241 +0.351 2122 81 23
l24 26 19 SETTLING DOWN Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert 6.192 +0.478 2065 89 25
l25 23 17 BREAKING UP WAS EASY IN THE 90’S MCA Nashville Sam Hunt 6.179 +0.200 2074 -13 24
l26 27 15 GONE Capitol Nashville Dierks Bentley 5.851 +0.219 2065 9 26
l27 28 37 ALL NIGHT EMI Nashville Brothers Osborne 5.484 -0.114 2210 3 22
l28 29 3 MINIMUM WAGE Warner Music Nashville/WMN Blake Shelton 5.070 +0.392 1392 222 31
l29 30 12 BLAME IT ON YOU Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 4.990 +0.547 1455 100 30
l30 31 9 FAMOUS FRIENDS RCA Nashville Chris Young + Kane Brown 4.489 +0.084 1270 102 32
Country Airplay
RANKINGSCountry Airplay is ranked by total audience impressions for the week ending Sunday based on monitored airplay of 148 stations by MRC Data. Audience totals on the chart are derived, in part, using certain Nielsen Audio- copyrighted Persons 12+ audience estimates (under license © 2021, Nielsen Audio). The list of all Country Airplay chart reporters can be viewed on MRC Data’s platforms.
BULLETSl Awarded on Country Airplay to titles gaining audience or remaining flat from the previous week. A song will also receive a bullet if its percentage loss in
audience does not exceed the percentage of monitored station downtime for the format. Titles that decline in audience but increase in detections will also receive a bullet if the total audience erosion for the week does not exceed 3%.
TIESOn Country Airplay, if two songs are tied in total audience, the song with the larger increase in audience is placed first.
RECURRENTSOn Country Airplay, descending titles below No. 10 in either audience or detections are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks, provided that they
are not still gaining enough audience points to bullet or if they rank below No. 10 and post a third consecutive week of (non-bulleted) audience decline, regardless of total chart weeks.
HOT SHOT DEBUTAwarded to the highest-ranking new entry on Country Airplay.
MOST ADDEDThe total number of new adds officially reported to Billboard by each reporting station, or by an automatic-add threshold (seven plays for the first time in a chart tracking week, according to MRC Data) for stations that do not report adds.
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCEMost Increased Audience on Country Airplay lists the songs with the greatest week-to-week increases in total audience.
AIRPOWERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles ranking inside top 20 in plays and audience rankings for the first time, with increases in both plays and audience.
BREAKERAwarded on Country Airplay to titles achieving airplay (at least one detection) at 60% of reporting stations for the first time.
© 2021 Billboard Media, LLC
COUNTRY AIRPLAY CHART LEGEND
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 7 OF 19
2/8
GRANGER SMITH Hate You Like I Love You Wheelhouse
KAMERON MARLOWE Sober As A Drunk Columbia Nashville
RICKY PAUL Just A Country Boy Ricky Paul
2/15
FILMORE Nothing’s Better Curb
51
JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR CMA
INGRID ANDRESSLady Like
The second single from Andress’ same-named set, which debuted at its No. 9 peak on Top
Country Albums in April 2020, holds at No. 51 on Country Airplay (up 11% to 1.1 million
impressions). Introductory hit “More Hearts Than Mine” reached No. 3 last May.
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THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON
CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS
THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK
l31 32 33 HARD DAYS Valory Brantley Gilbert 4.199 +0.339 1706 170 28
l32 33 15 WE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH Valory Justin Moore 3.999 +0.255 1258 61 33
l33 34 19 NEXT GIRL Big Machine Carly Pearce 3.689 +0.713 1626 129 29
l34 35 31 SINGLE SATURDAY NIGHT Warner Music Nashville/WMN Cole Swindell 2.844 +0.074 1232 21 34
l35 38 28 WINE, BEER, WHISKEY Capitol Nashville Little Big Town 2.515 +0.211 1194 -5 35
36 36 21 DEAR RODEO CoJo/Warner Music Nashville/WMN Cody Johnson & Reba McEntire 2.401 -0.249 447 2 52
l37 39 31 WE WERE RICH Wheelhouse Runaway June 2.319 +0.093 1193 17 36
38 37 19 JUST ABOUT OVER YOU inDent/Mercury Nashville Priscilla Block 2.234 -0.123 698 -26 43
l39 42 17 MY BOY Wheelhouse Elvie Shane 1.995 +0.090 939 22 37
l40 41 22 NEVER BE SORRY RCA Nashville Old Dominion 1.962 -0.033 880 1 40
41 40 14 WORSHIP YOU RCA Nashville Kane Brown 1.936 -0.226 903 -12 39
l42 44 9 DRINKIN’ BEER. TALKIN’ GOD. AMEN. Dack Janiels/BMLG/Broken Bow Chase Rice Featuring Florida Georgia Line 1.785 +0.046 845 64 41
l43 NEW FREEDOM WAS A HIGHWAY Stoney Creek HH Hot Shot Debut/Most Added HH Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley 1.702 +1.328 384 299 57
44 43 13 YOU TIME Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery 1.679 -0.069 936 -31 38
l45 47 8 COLD BEER CALLING MY NAME Combustion/River House/Columbia Nashville Jameson Rodgers Featuring Luke Combs 1.399 +0.080 459 -15 51
46 46 24 WHAT DO I KNOW Arista Nashville Robert Counts 1.309 -0.029 666 -23 44
l47 45 8 SHALLOW Pearl Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood 1.308 -0.035 569 56 48
l48 48 13 MEMORY I DON’T MESS WITH Curb Lee Brice 1.293 -0.023 698 49 42
49 49 20 WAITIN’ ON 5 Warner Music Nashville/WAR Chris Janson 1.226 -0.063 625 8 46
l50 55 2 TEQUILA LITTLE TIME Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 1.157 +0.309 355 132 58
l51 51 10 LADY LIKE Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville/WEA Ingrid Andress 1.134 +0.117 506 23 50
l52 50 20 BEERS TO CATCH UP ON Wheelhouse LOCASH 1.070 -0.016 591 0 47
l53 57 2 HOME SWEET Triple Tigers HH Breaker HH Russell Dickerson 1.067 +0.314 443 87 53
l54 52 15 WHISKEY AND RAIN Warner Music Nashville/WEA Michael Ray 1.044 +0.076 563 21 49
l55 54 9 HEAVEN ON DIRT Monument Teddy Robb 0.911 +0.042 650 38 45
56 53 6 THINGS A MAN OUGHTA KNOW Broken Bow Lainey Wilson 0.812 -0.070 434 5 54
57 56 12 IF IT WASN’T FOR TRUCKS BMLG Riley Green 0.719 -0.073 433 -21 55
58 58 10 WANT ME BACK Stoney Creek Lindsay Ell 0.615 -0.075 385 -18 56
l59 NEW NEED A BAR SOMETIMES Show Dog Nashville Clay Walker 0.589 +0.050 285 18 60
60 60 2 NO BODY, NO CRIME Republic/MCA Nashville Taylor Swift Featuring HAIM 0.581 -0.034 195 22 -
Country Airplay
GOING FOR ADDS
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
MARLOWE
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 8 OF 19
PARMALEE and BLANCO BROWN (center)
MOST ADDED®TITLE Imprint/Label Artist ADDSFREEDOM WAS A HIGHWAY Stoney Creek Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley 20MINIMUM WAGE Warner Music Nashville/WMN Blake Shelton 17GIVE HEAVEN SOME HELL Big Loud HARDY 15TEQUILA LITTLE TIME Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 12FAMOUS FRIENDS RCA Nashville Chris Young & Kane Brown 11TO BE LOVED BY YOU MCA Nashville Parker McCollum 9NEXT GIRL Big Machine Carly Pearce 8UNDIVIDED McGraw/BMLG/Big Machine Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard 7MADE FOR YOU Big Loud Jake Owen 7BLAME IT ON YOU Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 6
MOST INCREASED PLAYSTITLE Imprint/Label Artist GAINGOOD TIME RCA Nashville Niko Moon +514JUST THE WAY Stoney Creek Parmalee x Blanco Brown +460BEERS AND SUNSHINE Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker +428DOWN TO ONE Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +347MADE FOR YOU Big Loud Jake Owen +342LADY BMLG Brett Young +324HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Black River Kelsea Ballerini +309FREEDOM WAS A HIGHWAY Stoney Creek Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley +299HELL OF A VIEW EMI Nashville Eric Church +2957 SUMMERS Republic/Big Loud Morgan Wallen +293
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCETITLE Imprint/Label Artist
GAIN(IN MIILIONS)
JUST THE WAY Stoney Creek Parmalee x Blanco Brown +2.481DOWN TO ONE Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +2.359BEERS AND SUNSHINE Capitol Nashville Darius Rucker +2.323GOOD TIME RCA Nashville Niko Moon +1.619HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Black River Kelsea Ballerini +1.482LADY BMLG Brett Young +1.448THE GOOD ONES Warner Music Nashville/WAR Gabby Barrett +1.364FREEDOM WAS A HIGHWAY Stoney Creek Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley +1.328HAPPY DOES Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville/WEA Kenny Chesney +1.115MADE FOR YOU Big Loud Jake Owen +1.102
TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORTWEEK ENDING JANUARY 31, 2021
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST
TW SPINS
SPINS +/–
l1 2 15 DRINKING MONEY (Tommy Jackson Thirty Tigers) HH 1 Week at 1 HH Randy Rogers Band 2127 228
l2 3 22 ANOTHER TOWN (Independent) Jon Stork 2075 223
l3 4 12 SILVERADO SATURDAY NIGHT (BIG Label ) Aaron Watson 1868 183
l4 5 14 DEVIL’S RED HOT SAUCE (Independent) James Lann 1704 79
l5 6 16 FOOL’S LOVE AFFAIR (117 Music) Randy Travis 1565 39
l6 7 10 CALLIN’ ALL HEARTS (Independent) Terry McBride 1555 51
l7 9 23 MISSIN’ YOU, MISSISSIPPI (Independent) Dustin Sonnier 1485 83
l8 11 16 OLD SCHOOL (Independent) David Adam Byrnes 1479 145
l9 10 23 RHYTHM OF YOU (Independent) Holly Tucker 1445 60
l10 12 12 OUTSIDE LOOKIN IN (Little Red Truck) Deryl Dodd 1351 111
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST
TW SPINS
SPINS +/–
11 1 21 WANT TO WITH YOU (Independent) Jamie Richards 1277 -776
l12 14 15 HONKY TONK IN HEAVEN (Independent) Kin Faux 1249 58
13 8 16 STILL A LITTLE COUNTRY LEFT (Independent) Curtis Grimes 1180 -242
l14 15 24 ONE DAY (Independent) Triston Marez 1165 21
l15 20 12 I WILL (Independent) Darrin Morris Band 1011 91
16 16 20 DEAR RODEO (COJO/Warners Nashille) Cody Johnson 981 -60
l17 21 15 COWBOY’S DAUGHTER (Independent) Scotty Alexander 933 18
18 19 20 BAD GUY (Almost Country) Casey Donahew 881 -48
l19 25 7 LOST IN A KISS (Independent) George Navarro 864 87
l20 28 10 BRINGING COUNTRY BACK (King Hall Music) Chad Cooke Band 858 118
RECURRENTSTHIS
WEEK TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL AUD.
(IN MILLIONS)1 ONE OF THEM GIRLS Curb Lee Brice 21.093
2 BIG, BIG PLANS Big Loud Chris Lane 17.745
3 HAPPY ANYWHERE Warner Music Nashville/WMN Blake Shelton Featuring Gwen Stefani 17.429
4 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Republic/Big Loud Morgan Wallen 16.489
5 I SHOULD PROBABLY GO TO BED Warner Music Nashville/WAR Dan + Shay 12.118
6 I HOPE Warner Music Nashville/WAR Gabby Barrett 12.012
7 CHAMPAGNE NIGHT BMLG Lady A 10.655
8 CHASIN’ YOU Big Loud Morgan Wallen 10.648
9 LOVIN’ ON YOU River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 10.299
10 GOT WHAT I GOT Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 8.966
Country AirplayNEW AND ACTIVE
TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL
AUDIENCETOTAL
STATIONS ADDSTO BE LOVED BY YOU MCA Nashville Parker McCollum 0.560 14 9
GIVE HEAVEN SOME HELL Big Loud HARDY 0.520 20 15
MARTHA DIVINE Warner Music Nashville/WMN Ashley McBryde 0.406 23 0
WOULD HAVE LOVED HER RECORDS Chris Bandi 0.341 24 0
WASTE OF A WHISKEY DRINK EMI Nashville Gary Allan 0.279 20 0
OLD SCHOOL’S IN Valory Heath Sanders 0.272 0 0
Texas Regional Radio Report Top 100 is compiled from weekly online playlist reports from 86 radio stations located in Texas and surrounding states, including reports from specialty shows, internet and satellite radio outlets. Songs are ranked by total plays. For tracking, complete chart methodology and more information, visit www.texasregionalradio.com, or contact Dave Smith at 972-252-8777. Copyright 2021, Texas Regional Radio Report
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 10 OF 19
CRS’ ONLINE FOCUS EXPANDSWith Country Radio Seminar holding its entire conference via virtual hookup for the first time thanks to the pandemic, Country Radio Broadcasters is de-voting the entire first day of the four-day event to online issues.
The all-day Streaming Summit on Feb. 16 will include five back-to-back panels that focus on individual platforms, beginning with Amazon Music and followed in order by Pandora, Spotify, YouTube and TikTok.
Making sense of the info is the subject of “Talk Data To Me,” a wonky ex-ploration of how to interpret and capitalize on the reams of information that streaming yields. Stone Door Media Lab founder Jeff Green will moderate with panelists Matthew Yazge and Haley Jones, both of Nielsen/MRC, and Matt Bailey, Integr8 Research.
YouTube head of culture and trends Kevin Allocca closes the day’s educa-tional portion in a fireside chat with Billboard executive editor, West Coast and Nashville Melinda Newman.
Amazon Music rounds out the Streaming Summit with Tim McGraw head-lining an online concert, Country Heat at CRS, that also boasts Kameron Marlowe, Priscilla Block, Shy Carter and Track45.
The Feb. 17 songwriter showcase, “Bob Kingsley’s Acoustic Alley,” has ad-ditionally been expanded. Joining previously announced host Thomas Rhett are Nashville writers Rhett Akins (“Dirt on My Boots,” “I Lived It”) and Parker Welling (“Love You Like I Used To,” “What’s Your Country Song”).
Go here for more CRS info.
RADIO & RECORDS®Show Dog Nashville promoted Blake Nixon to director of promotion and streaming from regional manager/Southeast … Easy Eye Sound, a label formed by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, established a joint venture with Con-cord to distribute the label’s new albums and catalog product. That includes music by Marcus King and country veteran John Anderson … Roots Music Exporters closed shop on Jan. 31 after 25 years. The distribution company shipped physical product to outlets on three continents. Founder/president John Lomax III will continue to sell physical recordings through Lomax Global Music at Amazon Marketplace … Sony Music Nashville signed Latin country duo Kat & Alex to a recording deal. They released English and Spanish ver-sions of their debut single, “How Many Times,” in October … Indie artist Jacob Bryant pacted with Snakefarm/Universal Music Group to release Practice What I Preach — Deluxe Edition in the United Kingdom on Feb. 5 … Cox Media Group promoted Rob Babin to senior vp radio, giving him oversight of 65 sta-tions in 11 markets. He was previously regional vp for five markets … Yesenia Bello was promoted to iHeartMedia senior vp diversity and inclusion from senior vp multicultural sales … Radio/promotion vet Jim Quinton returned Feb. 1 to middays at WYYZ Jasper, Ga. He will still double as CDX Nashville new artist advisor … Midwest Communications/Knoxville, Tenn., vp/market manager Randy Ross died unexpectedly at his home on Jan. 25. He began a 38-year broadcasting career in Chattanooga, Tenn., and spent nearly two de-cades in Knoxville. Ross ran a four-station cluster that included classic country WDKW … SummitMedia/Birmingham, Ala., executive vp programming Bill Tanner died Jan. 27, The Miami Herald reported. Tanner spent a good chunk
of his career as a top 40 personality in South Florida. He oversaw eight signals for SummitMedia, including country WZZK.
’ROUND THE ROWSongf luencer, a marketing company focused on promoting music on TikTok, hired three new staffers. Incoming GM Nathan Pyle was previously Monument manager, marketing. Director of European operations Chelsea Kent served most recently as Stefan Dabruck Management/Nashville GM. Songfluencer campaign manager Sydney Kamm is a recent Belmont University graduate … Former Live Nation/Atlanta vp booking Amy Helberg joined Outback Presents as director of Atlanta operations. She can be reached here … Nashville-based royalty-free music provider Soundstripe hired Sourav Nayak as vp finance. He previously held a similar post for clean-energy startup Arcadia … Nashville-based planner Grey Boroff opened House of Grey Events. Sony Music Nashville and Big Machine Label Group are among her previous clients. Reach her here … Kris Kristofferson’s business team was adjusted concurrent with the announcement that he had quietly retired after a January 2020 performance. Morris Higham Management was enlisted to manage his estate, while John Kristofferson was appointed manager of the family’s businesses. Tamara Saviano remains PR director and teams with John as managers of Kris’ independent label, KK Records … Singer-songwriter Skip Ewing signed with Kinkead Entertainment for booking … Peter Strickland’s Marathon Talent added indie duo Presley & Taylor for management … New Universal Music Group Nashville artist Priscilla Block reached a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Nashville … Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Mark James (“Suspicious Minds,” “Always on My Mind”) extended his publishing relationship with Sony/ATV … Back Blocks Music signed songwriter Blake Pendergrass, who co-wrote Morgan Wallen’s “865,” as its first writer … SMACKSongs signed producer Lalo Guzman (Waterloo Revival, Spencer Crandall) to a publishing contract … Anthem Entertainment signed a publishing deal with singer-songwriter Jimmy Thow, of the Canadian duo Sons of Daughters … Matt Signore was appointed president of the board at nonprofit artist-counseling agency Porter’s Call. The Franklin, Tenn.-based organization has offered 55,000 hours of free therapy in its 20-year history. Signore was previously Warner Music Nashville COO … The Association of Independent Music Publishers’ Nashville chapter will host a webinar at 4:30 p.m. CT on Feb. 4 about TikTok acts signing record deals. New artists Andrew Jannakos and Priscilla Block are among the six panelists. Go here for more info … Society of Leaders in Development established its board and officers for 2021, including president Avery King, Elicity PR; vp Victoria Chaitoff, Warner Music Nashville; treasurer Luke Pierce, WORKS Entertainment; and secretary Sean Fallon, Indian Moon. Go here for the full board list … The Music Business Association established the Music Business Mental Health Fund in partnership with Music Health Alliance and the Scars Foundation. The fund assists COVID-19-affected association members in finding mental health services … Leadership Music is accepting applications for its next class through Feb. 28. Go here to apply.
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
Scotty McCreery (center) performed a limited-capacity show at Billy Bob’s Texas on Jan. 23 and donated $1 from each ticket — $2,100 total — to the Academy of Country Music’s ACM Lifting Lives. He’s flanked by Billy Bob’s GM Marty Travis (left) and creative director Terran Flusche.
LANCO received an RIAA-certified platinum single for “Born To Love You” prior to a Jan. 20 livestream performance. Clockwise from top left: band members Jared Hampton, Chandler Baldwin, Tripp Howell, Brandon Lancaster and Eric Steedly.
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 11 OF 19
Feb. 2• 2016 — Valory releases Thomas Rhett’s
“T-Shirt” to radio.• 1981 — George Strait records his first
hit, “Unwound,” at Nashville’s Music City Music Hall.
Feb. 3• 2020 — Songwriters Jimmy Yeary, Marv
Green and Lance Miller author a Tim McGraw hit, “I Called Mama,” in Nashville.
Feb. 4• 2009 — Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and session musician Charlie
McCoy are announced as the year’s inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Feb. 5• 2018 — As Chris Janson headlines Nashville’s historic Ryman Au-
ditorium for the first time, surprise guest Keith Urban invites him to become a Grand Ole Opry member. Urban and Janson collaborate on “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident).”
• 2017 — Luke Bryan sings the national anthem before Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium in Houston, where the New England Patriots down the Atlanta Falcons, 34-28, in overtime. Zac Brown Band performs “My Old Man” during pregame events.
Feb. 6• 2014 — Garth Brooks performs “The Dance” and “Friends in Low
Places” as Jay Leno hosts NBC’s The Tonight Show for the last time. Also making appearances are Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Oprah Winfrey and Larry the Cable Guy.
• 1971 — Dolly Parton scores her first No. 1 country single in Billboard with “Joshua.”
Feb. 7• 1996 — Shania Twain’s The Woman in Me becomes the first non-
greatest hits album by a female country artist certified by the RIAA for shipments of 5 million copies.
Feb. 8• 2011 — Stoney Creek releases Thompson Square’s self-titled
debut album.• 2006 — Alison Krauss + Union Station, featuring Jerry Douglas,
win three trophies during the 48th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles: best country album, for Lonely Runs Both Ways; best country vocal by a duo or group, for “Restless”; and best country instrumental, for “Unionhouse Branch.”
Source: RolandNote.com, the Ultimate Country Music Database
Much of the preamble to Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7 surrounds veteran quarter-back Tom Brady and young phenom Patrick Mahomes, but even after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs tangle, a post-Bowl event will bring more talent together for a good cause. Luke Bryan and Eric Church are both in the mix at the Big Concert for Small Business, a Verizon afterparty that’s set to air on over a dozen platforms and has pledged $10 million for small com-panies. The lineup also features Church’s national-anthem partner, Jazmine Sul-livan, plus Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, H.E.R., Christina Aguilera, Brittany Howard and Brandi Carlile. The con-cert starts at 11 p.m. ET.
Vince Gill figures in two multi-artist al-bums that have new release dates — one in bluegrass music and the other with soul connections. A vinyl version of 1994’s Rhythm Country & Blues is on the way Feb. 19, featuring Gill in a Gladys Knight collaboration. That project also boasts Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole, Marty Stuart and The Staple Singers. Addition-ally, Gill appears among 16 tracks on the March 26 Smithsonian Folkways album Industrial Strength Bluegrass that boasts Lee Ann Womack, Bobby Osborne, Dan Tyminski and Mo Pitney among the participants. Also coming March 26 are Esther Rose’s How Many Times and Sarah Watkins’ Under the Pepper Tree, which includes a track reuniting her with her Nickel Creek bandmates.
Two singer-songwriters have online Valentine’s Day efforts underway. Marcus Hummon (“Bless the Broken Road,” “Born To Fly”) will head the 15th annual Greatest Show and Auction in which Nashville songwriters impersonate superstars for charity. Past honorees have included Whitney Houston, George Michael and Freddie Mercury. Go here for more info. Meanwhile, George Ducas (“Just Call Me Lonesome,” “Always the Love Songs”) established a Valentimers Challenge to generate caring messages for seniors who are isolated amid the pandemic. Details here.
Scotty McCreery is spearheading a pandemic-altered Polar Plunge for Special Olympics North Carolina that is encouraging participants to find frigid waters in safe environs and “plunge in place” while raising money for Special Olympics. McCreery’s own plunge will be posted online Feb. 21-26. Go here for more info.
BRYAN
Chris Young (left) and Middle Tennessee State University president Sidney A. McPhee unveiled a new “Famous Friends” mural at the grand opening of the Chris Young Café on the school’s campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Jan. 27.
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
Tony Bennett’s Family Reveals Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
Super Bowl Halftime History, From Giant Jukeboxes To MJ’s Game-Changer
Sun Records, Iconic Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis Recordings Sold To Primary Wave
The Brexit Effect On European Concerts: ‘Nobody Wins From The Current Situation’
Billboard Change Agents: Leaders Stepping Up In A Year of Turmoil
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MUSIC NOTES
Top Headlines from .comClick on headlines below for more details
ON THIS DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
RHETT
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 13 OF 19
Hot Country SongsTHIS
WEEKLAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l1 2 5 34 BETTER TOGETHER HH No. 1 (1 week) HH Luke Combs S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,D.ISBELL,R.MONTANA) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
1 1
2 1 2 92 I HOPE Gabby Barrett R.COPPERMAN,Z.KALE (Z.KALE,J.M.NITE,G.BARRETT) WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WAR RC 1
3 4 4 24 7 SUMMERS Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD 15 1
4 5 3 41 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.W.HARDY,E.K.SMITH,CHARLIE HANDSOME,M.WALLEN) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD RC 2
5 3 1 3 WASTED ON YOU Morgan Wallen J.MOI,J.DURRETT (M.WALLEN,E.K.SMITH,J.THOMPSON,CHARLIE HANDSOME) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 1
l6 6 9 23 STARTING OVER Chris Stapleton D.COBB,C.STAPLETON (C.STAPLETON,M.HENDERSON) MERCURY NASHVILLE 10 4
l7 10 11 35 GOOD TIME Niko Moon N.MOON,J.MURTY (N.MOON,J.MINTON,A.MOON,J.MURTY,M.TRUSSELL) RCA NASHVILLE 7 7
l8 9 8 3 SAND IN MY BOOTS Morgan Wallen J.MOI (A.GORLEY,M.W.HARDY,J.OSBORNE) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 8
l9 11 14 33 HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Kelsea Ballerini J.FRASURE,K.BALLERINI (K.BALLERINI,S.JONES,H.LINDSEY,J.FRASURE,A.GORLEY) BLACK RIVER 4 9
10 7 6 10 SOMEBODY’S PROBLEM Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,R.CLAWSON,J.DURRETT,E.K.SMITH) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 3
l11 12 21 28 HAPPY DOES HH Streaming Gainer HH Kenny Chesney B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (B.CLAWSON,J.PAULIN,B.BERR YHILL,G.JAMES) BLUE CHAIR/WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WEA
2 11
l12 14 24 25 BEERS AND SUNSHINE Darius Rucker R.COPPERMAN (D.RUCKER,R.COPPERMAN,J.T.HARDING,J.OSBORNE) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 3 12
l13 21 30 50 JUST THE WAY HH Airplay Gainer HH Parmalee x Blanco Brown D.FANNING (M.THOMAS,K.BARD,N.W.SIPE) STONEY CREEK
6 13
l14 17 26 15 DOWN TO ONE Luke Bryan J.STEVENS,J.STEVENS (K.FISHMAN,D.DAVIDSON,J.EBACH) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 5 14
l15 13 23 12 WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY SONG Thomas Rhett D.HUFF,J.FRASURE (THOMAS RHETT,R.AKINS,J.FRASURE,A.GORLEY,P.WELLING) VALORY 9 13
l16 25 31 32 THE GOOD ONES HH Digital Gainer HH Gabby Barrett R.COPPERMAN,Z.KALE (G.BARRETT,E.LANDIS,J.MCCORMICK,Z.KALE) WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WAR
16 16
17 15 20 14 FOREVER AFTER ALL Luke Combs CHIP MATTHEWS,J.D.SINGLETON,L.COMBS (L.COMBS,D.PARKER,R.WILLIFORD) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE - 1
l18 24 25 21 LONG LIVE Florida Georgia Line C.CROWDER,T.HUBBARD,B.KELLEY (T.HUBBARD,B.KELLEY,C.CROWDER,D.A.GARCIA,J.MILLER) BMLG 11 18
19 16 12 10 STILL GOIN DOWN Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,M.W.HARDY,CHARLIE HANDSOME) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 8
20 18 15 25 COVER ME UP Morgan Wallen J.MOI,D.COHEN (M.J.ISBELL) BIG LOUD - 15
21 19 10 3 WARNING Morgan Wallen J.MOI,CHARLIE HANDSOME (E.K.SMITH,A.GORLEY,CHARLIE HANDSOME) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 10
22 22 13 3 865 Morgan Wallen J.MOI (J.BYRON,B.PENDERGRASS) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 13
l23 27 40 39 LADY Brett Young D.HUFF (B.YOUNG,R.COPPERMAN,J.M.NITE) BMLG 13 22
l24 26 37 36 MOMMA’S HOUSE Dustin Lynch Z.CROWELL (D.SCHNEIDER,M.LOTTEN,R.CLAWSON,J.T.WILSON) BROKEN BOW 12 21
l25 28 44 18 SOMEBODY LIKE THAT Tenille Arts A.KLINE (T.ARTS,A.KLINE,A.M.CRUZ) 19TH & GRAND 17 25
Hot Country Songs
1 #1 7 WKS MORGAN WALLEN
2 ERNEST KEITH SMITH
3 JOSH OSBORNE
4 CHARLIE HANDSOME
5 HARDY
6 ASHLEY GORLEY
7 LUKE COMBS
8 JON NITE
TIE 9 GABBY BARRETT
TIE 9 ZACH KALE
1 #1 39 WKS JOEY MOI
2 ROSS COPPERMAN
3 DANN HUFF
4 SCOTT MOFFATT
5 JAY JOYCE
6 ZACH KALE
7 ZACH CROWELL
8 JESSE FRASURE
9 DAVID FANNING
10 JACOB DURRETT
COUNTRY PRODUCERSTMCOUNTRY SONGWRITERSTM
The weekly Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Country Songs chart. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 14 OF 19
The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by MRC Data, sales data as compiled by MRC Data and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by MRC Data. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.
Hot Country SongsTHIS
WEEKLAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l26 30 35 14 HELL OF A VIEW Eric Church J.JOYCE (E.CHURCH,C.BEATHARD,M.CRISWELL) EMI NASHVILLE 21 23
27 29 36 20 ONE TOO MANY Keith Urban Duet With P!nk K.URBAN,PHD,CUTFATHER (D.H.DAVIDSEN,P.WALLEVIK,M.H.HANSEN,J.NORTON,C.TIGHE) HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 23 13
l28 35 43 37 ALMOST MAYBES Jordan Davis P.DIGIOVANNI (J.DAVIS,J.FRASURE,H.LINDSEY) MCA NASHVILLE 19 24
29 31 17 3 DANGEROUS Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,E.K.SMITH) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 17
30 23 — 2 UNDIVIDED Tim McGraw & Tyler Hubbard C.CROWDER,T.HUBBARD,T.MCGRAW,B.GALLIMORE (T.HUBBARD,C.LOOCKE) MCGRAW/BMLG/BIG MACHINE 22 23
31 32 18 3 NEON EYES Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,M.L.HOLMAN,B.BURGESS) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 18
32 33 19 3 MORE SURPRISED THAN ME Morgan Wallen J.MOI (N.MOON,B.BURGESS,L.T.MILLER) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 19
l33 45 50 15 BREAKING UP WAS EASY IN THE 90’S Sam Hunt Z.CROWELL (S.L.HUNT,C.LA CORTE,Z.CROWELL,E.K.SMITH,J.OSBORNE) MCA NASHVILLE 25 32
l34 46 — 20 HOW THEY REMEMBER YOU Rascal Flatts D.HUFF (M.BEESON,J.OSBORNE,A.SHAMBLIN) BIG MACHINE 14 31
l35 44 49 15 GONE Dierks Bentley D.GARCIA (N.GALYON,B.JOHNSON,N.MOON) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 26 30
l36 43 — 16 SETTLING DOWN Miranda Lambert J.JOYCE (M.LAMBERT,L.DICK,N. HEMBY) VANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 24 32
l37 RE-ENTRY 10 NOBODY Dylan Scott M.ALDERMAN,C.GIBBS,J.E.NORMAN (D.SCOTT,M.ALDERMAN,D.WILSON) CURB 18 36
38 34 22 10 LIVIN’ THE DREAM Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,B.BURGESS,J.DURRETT,M.W.HARDY) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 19
39 36 28 3 YOUR BARTENDER Morgan Wallen J.MOI,M.DRAGSTREM (M.DRAGSTREM,R.AKINS,THOMAS RHETT,J.THOMPSON) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 28
40 37 27 3 WHISKEY’D MY WAY Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.DRAGSTREM,J.MILLER,THOMAS RHETT,J.THOMPSON) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 27
l41 RE-ENTRY 9 WORSHIP YOU Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,A.IZQUIERDO,M.J.MCGINN,CHARLIE HANDSOME) RCA NASHVILLE 41 24
42 40 34 3 SILVERADO FOR SALE Morgan Wallen J.MOI (D.DAVIDSON,M.GREEN,B.HAYSLIP) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 34
l43 RE-ENTRY 4 MADE FOR YOU Jake Owen J.MOI (B.DAVIS,J.HYDE,N.A.MEDLEY) BIG LOUD 20 42
44 38 29 3 OUTLAW Morgan Wallen Featuring Ben Burgess J.MOI (B.BURGESS,P.DAVIS,J.KERR,J.REYNOLDS) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 29
l45 49 — 10 LIL BIT Nelly & Florida Georgia Line J.M.SCHMIDT (T.HUBBARD,J.M.SCHMIDT,B.REDFERRIN,C.HAYNES, JR.) RECORDS/COLUMBIA - 28
46 47 — 25 WINE, BEER, WHISKEY Little Big Town LITTLE BIG TOWN (T.BROWN,K.FAIRCHILD,S.MCCONNELL,K.SCHLAPMAN,P.SWEET,J.WESTBROOK) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 35 23
47 39 33 3 WONDERIN’ BOUT THE WIND Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.WALLEN,E.K.SMITH) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 33
48 41 32 3 ONLY THING THAT’S GONE Morgan Wallen Featuring Chris Stapleton J.MOI (M.WALLEN,R.C.MCGILL,M.DRAGSTREM,J.THOMPSON) REPUBLIC/BIG LOUD - 32
49 50 — 13 SHALLOW Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood G.BROOKS (S.G.GERMANOTTA,M.D.RONSON,A.ROSSOMANDO,ANDREW WYATT) PEARL 47 35
l50 RE-ENTRY 22 ALL NIGHT Brothers Osborne J.JOYCE (J. OSBORNE,T.J. OSBORNE,A.DEROBERTS) EMI NASHVILLE 27 25
For inquiries about any MRC Data, please contact Josh Bennett at 615-807-1338 or [email protected]
COUNTRY MARKET WATCHA Weekly National Music Sales Report
ALBUM CONSUMPTION
AUDIO ON-DEMAND
VIDEO ON-DEMAND
This Week 1,222,000 1,376,188,000 131,054,000
Last Week 1,252,000 1,386,310,000 131,410,000
Change -2.4% -0.7% -0.3%
This Week Last Year 1,054,000 1,101,871,000 148,961,000
Change 15.9% 24.9% -12.0%
WEEKLY UNIT COUNT YEAR-OVER-YEAR
2019 2021 CHANGE
Album Consumption 4,133,000 4,946,000 19.7%
Album Sales 651,000 693,000 6.5%
Audio On-Demand 4,360,133,000 5,405,870,000 24.0%
Video On-Demand 598,942,000 508,448,000 -15.1%
YEAR-TO-DATE
ALBUM CONSUMPTION’20
’21
TOTAL ON-DEMAND STREAMS’20
’21
49.59 billion
41.33 million
59.14 billion
49.46 million
SALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
All data measures U.S. activity as of the week ending January 28, 2021. All units counts are rounded to the nearest thousand. Album consumption units — also known as albums plus TEA plus SEA — consists of album sales; track-equivalent album (TEA) sales whereby 10 tracks equal one consumption unit; and stream equivalent albums (SEA) whereby 1,250 paid and/or 3,750 ad-supported audio on-demand streams (OAD) equal one consumption unit.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 15 OF 19
The week’s top-streamed and top-selling paid download country songs, respectively, from sales reports collected and provided by MRC Data. Charts update weekly on Tuesdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2021, Billboard Media, LLC and MRC Data. All rights reserved.
TOP COUNTRY ALBUMS COUNTRY DIGITAL SONG SALES
Top Country Albums ranks the most popular country albums of the week, as compiled by MRC Data, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2021, Billboard Media, LLC and MRC Data. All rights reserved.
Americana/Folk Albums ranks the most popular Americana/folk albums of the week, as compiled by MRC Data, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2021, Billboard Media, LLC and MRC Data. All rights reserved.
AMERICANA/ FOLK ALBUMS
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ARTIST TITLEIMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL
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1 1 1 3 MORGAN WALLEN DANGEROUS: THE DOUBLE ALBUMBIG LOUD 033180*/REPUBLIC 1
2 2 2 64 LUKE COMBS WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GETRIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 595687*/SMN 1 1
3 3 6 191 LUKE COMBS THIS ONE’S FOR YOURIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 538883*/SMN 3 1
4 4 5 139 MORGAN WALLEN IF I KNOW MEBIG LOUD 783* 1 1
5 5 4 11 CHRIS STAPLETON STARTING OVERMERCURY NASHVILLE 032689*/UMGN 1
6 6 7 300 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY NASHVILLE 019405*/UMGN 4 1
7 7 9 32 GABBY BARRETT GOLDMINEWARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 629930/WMN 4
8 8 8 10 LEE BRICE HEY WORLDCURB 79537* 7
9 9 10 24 KANE BROWN MIXTAPE, VOL. 1 (EP)RCA NASHVILLE DIGITAL EX/SMN 2
10 11 12 246 GEORGE STRAIT 50 NUMBER ONESMCA NASHVILLE 000459/UMGN (25.98) 7 1
l11 13 13 43 SAM HUNT SOUTHSIDEMCA NASHVILLE 031776*/UMGN 1
12 15 — 97 ELVIS PRESLEY THE ESSENTIAL ELVIS PRESLEYRCA/SONY STRATEGIC MARKETING GROUP 89048*/LEGACY (25.98) 1 11
13 14 14 159 EAGLES HOTEL CALIFORNIAASYLUM/ELEKTRA 103*/RHINO (18.98) 5
14 10 3 3 BARRY GIBB BARRY GIBB & FRIENDS: GREENFIELDS: THE GIBB BROTHERS SONGBOOK, VOL. ICAPITOL 032878* 3
15 12 11 34 DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER I: SNAKE OILMAD DECENT DIGITAL EX/COLUMBIA 6
16 16 16 62 JASON ALDEAN 9MACON/BROKEN BOW/BMG 32944*/BBMG 1
17 17 17 286 ZAC BROWN BAND GREATEST HITS SO FAR...HOME GROWN 546369*/BMG 3
18 18 18 81 TYLER CHILDERS PURGATORYHICKMAN HOLLER 001*/THIRTY TIGERS 0 12
19 21 21 65 MIRANDA LAMBERT WILDCARDVANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 597873*/SMN 1
l20 25 27 243 TIM MCGRAW NUMBER ONE HITSCURB 79205 (13.98) 1 6
21 22 23 25 LUKE BRYAN BORN HERE LIVE HERE DIE HERECAPITOL NASHVILLE 031777/UMGN 1
22 20 22 217 KANE BROWN KANE BROWNZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 530947*/SMN 2 1
23 19 19 59 BLAKE SHELTON FULLY LOADED: GOD’S COUNTRYWARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 607343*/WMN 0 1
l24 RE-ENTRY 6 KELSEA BALLERINI BALLERINIBLACK RIVER DIGITAL EX 9
l25 28 26 269 TAYLOR SWIFT REDBIG MACHINE 310400A*/BMLG (18.98) 7 1
COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS
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1 2 3 WASTED ON YOU MORGAN WALLEN
2 1 3 UNDIVIDED TIM MCGRAW & TYLER HUBBARD
l3 4 3 SAND IN MY BOOTS MORGAN WALLEN
l4 NEW STEP BY STEP BRANDON DAVIS
5 5 31 BETTER TOGETHER LUKE COMBS
l6 8 14 THE GOOD ONES GABBY BARRETT
7 7 22 STARTING OVER CHRIS STAPLETON
8 12 18 GOOD TIME NIKO MOON
9 10 74 I HOPE GABBY BARRETT
10 9 31 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN MORGAN WALLEN
11 11 23 7 SUMMERS MORGAN WALLEN
12 15 14 FOREVER AFTER ALL LUKE COMBS
l13 17 11 WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY SONG THOMAS RHETT
14 16 254 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
l15 18 11 LIL BIT NELLY & FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l16 RE-ENTRY VILLAIN LILY ROSE
17 19 30 WINE, BEER, WHISKEY LITTLE BIG TOWN
l18 24 8 HELL OF A VIEW ERIC CHURCH
19 21 16 ONE TOO MANY KEITH URBAN DUET WITH P!NK
20 23 7 HOLE IN THE BOTTLE KELSEA BALLERINI
l21 RE-ENTRY WORSHIP YOU KANE BROWN
l22 25 3 DOWN TO ONE LUKE BRYAN
l23 RE-ENTRY RIDE CHASE RICE
l24 RE-ENTRY BEERS AND SUNSHINE DARIUS RUCKER
25 20 5 SOMEBODY’S PROBLEM MORGAN WALLEN
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1 1 3 WASTED ON YOU MORGAN WALLEN
2 2 24 7 SUMMERS MORGAN WALLEN
3 3 10 SOMEBODY’S PROBLEM MORGAN WALLEN
l4 4 3 SAND IN MY BOOTS MORGAN WALLEN
l5 6 18 BETTER TOGETHER LUKE COMBS
6 5 38 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN MORGAN WALLEN
l7 13 22 STARTING OVER CHRIS STAPLETON
8 10 14 FOREVER AFTER ALL LUKE COMBS
l9 12 66 I HOPE GABBY BARRETT
10 8 7 STILL GOIN DOWN MORGAN WALLEN
l11 16 199 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
12 7 3 WARNING MORGAN WALLEN
13 11 8 COVER ME UP MORGAN WALLEN
14 14 73 HEARTLESS DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY FEAT. MORGAN WALLEN
15 9 3 865 MORGAN WALLEN
16 15 22 I SHOULD PROBABLY GO TO BED DAN + SHAY
l17 17 3 GOOD TIME NIKO MOON
l18 18 33 GOT WHAT I GOT JASON ALDEAN
l19 19 101 WHISKEY GLASSES MORGAN WALLEN
l20 20 4 HOLE IN THE BOTTLE KELSEA BALLERINI
l21 22 30 ONE OF THEM GIRLS LEE BRICE
l22 RE-ENTRY BEAUTIFUL CRAZY LUKE COMBS
l23 RE-ENTRY CHASIN’ YOU MORGAN WALLEN
24 23 3 DANGEROUS MORGAN WALLEN
l25 RE-ENTRY THE BONES MAREN MORRIS
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1 1 2 11 CHRIS STAPLETON STARTING OVERMERCURY NASHVILLE 032689*/UMGN 1
2 2 3 246 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY NASHVILLE 019405*/UMGN 4 1
3 5 4 292 HOZIER HOZIERRUBYWORKS/COLUMBIA 309996*/LEGACY 3 1
4 4 1 3 BARRY GIBB BARRY GIBB & FRIENDS: GREENFIELDS: THE GIBB BROTHERS SONGBOOK, VOL. ICAPITOL 032878* 1
l5 7 — 3 BLACK PUMAS BLACK PUMASATO 0500* 4
6 6 5 98 TYLER CHILDERS PURGATORYHICKMAN HOLLER 001*/THIRTY TIGERS 0 2
7 8 6 251 THE LUMINEERS CLEOPATRADUALTONE 1738* 1 1
l8 NEW 1 WARDRUNA KVITRAVNFIMBULLJOD 016*/BY NORSE 8
9 9 8 209 SIMON & GARFUNKEL SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S GREATEST HITSCOLUMBIA 31350/LEGACY 3
10 11 9 148 KACEY MUSGRAVES GOLDEN HOURMCA NASHVILLE 027921*/UMGN 0 1
Bluegrass Albums ranks the most popular bluegrass albums of the week, as compiled by MRC Data, based on album sales. Copyright 2021, Billboard Media, LLC and MRC Data. All rights reserved.
SALES, DATA COMPILED BY
STREAMING & SALES DATA COMPILED BY
SALES DATA COMPILED BY
SALES DATA COMPILED BY
BLUEGRASS ALBUMS
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1 1 1 15 STURGILL SIMPSON CUTTIN’ GRASS, VOL. 1: THE BUTCHER SHOPPE SESSIONSHIGH TOP MOUNTAIN 58784*/THIRTY TIGERS (56285) 1
l2 2 2 30 GARY BREWER & THE KENTUCKY RAMBLERS 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONSTRETCH GRASS 4050 1
3 3 4 70 BILLY STRINGS HOMEROUNDER 610063*/CONCORD 1
4 4 3 7 STURGILL SIMPSON CUTTIN’ GRASS, VOL. 2: THE COWBOY ARMS SESSIONSHIGH TOP MOUNTAIN DIGITAL EX/THIRTY TIGERS 2
5 5 5 32 YO-YO MA/STUART DUNCAN/EDGAR MEYER/CHRIS THILE NOT OUR FIRST GOAT RODEOSOUND POSTINGS/SONY CLASSICAL 973855*/SONY MASTERWORKS 1
l6 6 8 68 THE DEAD SOUTH SUGAR & JOYSIX SHOOTER 129* 1
l7 12 12 51 THE STEELDRIVERS BAD FOR YOUROUNDER 610080*/CONCORD 1
l8 RE-ENTRY 38 THE WHITE BUFFALO ON THE WIDOW’S WALKSNAKEFARM 862780* 1
l9 15 9 5 STRUNG LIKE A HORSE WHOA!TRANSOCEANIC 100770107005 2
l10 11 14 14 STEEP CANYON RANGERS ARM IN ARMYEP ROC 2698* 2
BLUEGRASS ALBUMS
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 16 OF 19
Country has earned a reputation as a genre where storytelling reigns, and one of the key traits is the placement of visible, tangible props around the songs’ characters.
“The House That Built Me” features an oak-tree burial plot and handprints fossilized in concrete. “The Gambler” employs an almost-empty whiskey bottle and a crushed cigarette. “Chattahoochee” weaves in Georgia asphalt and a “pyramid of cans in the pale moonlight.”
That background makes Parker McCollum’s “To Be Loved by You” remarkably rebellious. The entire three-minute-18-second foray includes just one physical item — a telephone in the second verse — beyond the man and woman at the heart of the tale.
Instead, “To Be Loved by You” is a ball of emotion, an angst-filled exercise in frustra-tion over a relationship in turmoil. “Why,” he asks at the end of the first verse, “does this have to be so hard?”
“I feel like everything I’ve written the past year or two — really, everything I’ve proba-bly written ever — is in the vein of trying to figure it out, whether it’s love or business or what you do for a living or growing up,” says McCollum. “Whatever it is, I’m always try-ing to figure it out and do it the right way. And I think a lot of that frustration comes out in those songs.”
It uses an appropriate texture — ’90s alt-rock attitude and banging guitars — to underscore the anger, which found its voice in 2019. McCollum and then-girlfriend Hallie Ray Light (whose name became the title of a song on his Hollywood Gold EP) were at odds, and as he drove to meet the bus at the start of a tour, he blurted out the hook: “What does a man have to do to be loved by you?”
“I genuinely said that out of frustration,” recalls McCollum. “Actually, my merch guy, Lane Peace, was with me, and he was like, ‘Man, you have to re-member that.’ So I went right to the bus, sat in the back for a couple of hours and just kind of hashed it out.”
McCollum didn’t finish it, but he got the first verse and chorus in place, including a series of piercing questions: “Why are you always angry?/Why are you always quiet?/Why do you sleep alone when I know you don’t like it?”
That last question puts McCollum in a vulnerable place — the singer is likely the reason she chooses to sleep alone — but that unflattering bit of info is part of what makes the song so compelling.
“It’s so honest, and it’s so how I felt at the time and — probably, honestly — still feel now,” he says.
A short while later, McCollum had his first writing appointment with Rhett Akins (“What’s Your Country Song,” “What Happens in a Small Town”), who let him lead the process.
“It’s easy to walk into a room and just try to bombard somebody with ideas and tell them what you think should happen,” says Akins. “But I try to sit back for 15, 30 minutes and kind of see where I think they’re at and what they’re doing. I figured out real quick with Parker that he definitely knows who he is and what he wants to do. He wasn’t an artist coming into the room hoping that I had something. He was very confident in what he wanted to say.”
Which made Akins more of a coach or an editor.“A Rhett-itor!” he deadpans.The telephone, that lone tangible item in the song, found its way into
the lyrics that day as McCollum recounted some of the f lashpoints in his relationship. In one of those tales, he signed autographs after a show for a line of fans that ran longer than usual. As a result, he called his girlfriend two hours late, and she didn’t take it well.
“I think a lot of the frustration that Parker and his girlfriend had [was because] she didn’t understand what goes on out there,” observes Akins.
“Nothing happens on time, you know. It’s hard to talk over the phone, and there’s people in the background. I just think a lot of the song is relationship frustration from a girl who lives a normal life dating a singer.”
There must have been a lot of frustration: McCollum estimates he wrote eight verses for “To Be Loved by You” and ultimately settled on the two most powerful stanzas.
They recorded a guitar/vocal work tape, and McCollum brought it to his band, who speeded the song up a bit and gave it more of an angry framework.
In turn, McCollum cut it with producer Jon Randall (Dierks Bentley, Jack Ingram) on Nov. 4, 2019, at Zac Brown’s Southern Ground Studios with a studio band well-suited to bring out the song’s rock components: guitarists Stanton Adcock (The Wallflowers) and Rob McNelley (Bob Seger), drummer Doug Belote (The Nevilles), bassist Lex Price (k.d. lang) and keyboardist Jimmy Wallace (Joe Walsh).
Initially, Adcock and McNelley both played electric guitars, but the sound was so fiercely aligned with The Rolling Stones or The Black Crowes that Randall put Adcock on acoustic. McNelley bashed out some repetitive chords that became a simple instrumental hook for the intro, and though the attitude leaned a little more country, it still faintly resembled Collective Soul or Matchbox Twenty. Like the ’90s rock it approximates, the melody and the production are both fairly linear — the only real change comes with McNelley’s fuzzed-up guitar solo — but that matches the emotion at the heart of “To Be Loved by You.”
“The way that he writes is just not what we’re used to, but it works,” says Randall. “I’m trying not to ‘Nashville’ him too much. He’s got a thing, and the way he delivers it, it works.”
The song was pitched high enough that Randall could not attack the even-higher harmonies with any power, so he called on John Cowan (The Doobie Brothers) to handle backing vocals. Cowan became a McCollum booster.
“He spent the whole time on the headphones going, ‘Man, I love this guy’s voice,’ ” recalls Randall. “He was going, ‘Man, this guy’s like the next Tom Petty.’ That’s exactly what he said.”
Originally, “To Be Loved by You” was targeted for the Hollywood Gold EP, though MCA Nashville was so convicted of the song’s potential that the label held it back, believing it could make a bigger splash if it was spotlighted in an-other way. MCA released it to country radio on Jan. 11 via PlayMPE, expanding beyond the ballad tone of his major-label debut, “Pretty Heart,” which topped Country Airplay on Dec. 26. The sound, and the story, are helping McCollum establish his own niche in the format.
“I knew I needed to be on the radio to get where I’m trying to go,” he says, “but I didn’t necessarily want to come in and sound just like everything else and not stand out at all or not really have anything to say. I feel like we’re get-ting there.”
MAKIN’ TRACKS TOM ROLAND [email protected]
McCOLLUM
Parker McCollum Stands Out With A Rock-Solid Relationship Rant
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 17 OF 19
Country Airplay IndexCountry Airplay Index7 SUMMERS Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace
Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Tempo Investments-Smack Hits, GMR/Smackstreet Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (M.Wallen, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 15
A
ALL NIGHT All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/Songs In The Key Of Claire, ASCAP/Patriot Games Publishing, ASCAP/DTCM Ave, ASCAP (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, A.DeRoberts) 27
ALMOST MAYBES Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/Anthem Entertainment, ASCAP/Roc Nation WC Publishing Designee, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (J.Davis, J.Frasure, H.Lindsey) 19
B
BEERS AND SUNSHINE Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/GrowingMusic Publishing, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Iris In The Sky With Diamonds, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Detroit Records And Tapes, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (D.Rucker, R.Copperman, J.T.Harding, J.Osborne) 3
BEERS TO CATCH UP ON Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Real Big Red Tunes, ASCAP/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP (R.Akins, J.S.Stover, P.DiGiovanni) 52
BETTER TOGETHER Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (L.Combs, D.Isbell, R.Montana) 1
BLAME IT ON YOU Makena Cove Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Zona Blue Music, BMI/Lee 45 Music Publishing, BMI/Irishsonmusic, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/SB21 Music Publishing, SESAC/BW Tunes, SESAC (K.M.Allison, J.Edwards, T.Kennedy, M.Tyler, B.White) 29
BREAKING UP WAS EASY IN THE 90’S Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Between the Pines, LLC, ASCAP/BIPOD, ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Miller Crow Music, ASCAP/Kyler’s Kinda Night, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (S.L.Hunt, C.La Corte, Z.Crowell, E.K.Smith, J.Osborne) 25
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COLD BEER CALLING MY NAME Highly Combustible Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/One77 Songs, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sonofgroceries Music, BMI/Extremely Combustible Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Castle Bound Music, Inc., SESAC (J.Rodgers, H.Phelps, Brett Tyler, A.Vanderheym) 45
D
DEAR RODEO Songs From The Couch, BMI/Cori’s Daddy’s Publishing, BMI (D.Couch, C.D.Johnson) 36
DOWN TO ONE Play It Again Entertainment, BMI/Kyle Fishman Music, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Memory Days, SESAC/Curb Wordspring Music, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (K.Fishman, D.Davidson, J.Ebach) 5
DRINKIN’ BEER. TALKIN’ GOD. AMEN. Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Nontypical Music, ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP/Cale Dodds Publishing, ASCAP (C.Rice, C.Crowder, H.Phelps, C.Dodds) 42
F
FAMOUS FRIENDS Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/They’ve Gone To Plaid Publishing, BMI/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Roc Nation US Music, SESAC/Bennett’s Dad’s Songs, SESAC/Songs Of Rhythm House Black, SESAC/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP (C.Young, C.R.Barlowe, C.Crowder) 30
FREEDOM WAS A HIGHWAY Not Listed (J.Allen, A.Bowers, M.Rogers) 43
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
G
GONE Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Boy Named Ford, BMI/Ben There Wrote That Publishing, BMI/Artist 101 Publishing Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Hits From The Tape Room, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC (N.Galyon, B.Johnson, N.Moon) 26
THE GOOD ONES GBF Music Global, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/BMG Blue, BMI/Fox Landis Lyrics, BMI/Songs Of Jim McCormick, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Revinyl House, BMI (G.Barrett, E.Landis, J.McCormick, Z.Kale) 16
GOOD TIME W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Here Comes The Boom Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Anna Moon Publishing, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Joshua Murty Publishing, ASCAP/Mark Trussell Music, ASCAP/Future Heartbeat Publishing, ASCAP (N.Moon, J.Minton, A.Moon, J.Murty, M.Trussell) 7
H
HAPPY DOES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Murphy The Wolf Music, BMI/Five Miles West Songs, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Songsfortatum Publishing, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music, BMI (B.Clawson, J.Paulin, B.Berryhill, G.James) 2
HARD DAYS Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Indiana Angel Music, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Spirit Of Nashville One, BMI (B.Gilbert, J.Bell, B.Berryhill, J.Brunswick, L.Wall) 31
HEAVEN ON DIRT Haus Of Kings, ASCAP/Twin Spires, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/King Pen Songs, SESAC/Smackworks Music, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/Ben Lau, BMI (B.Ratcliff, P.Good, A.J.Babcock, B.Foster) 55
HELL OF A VIEW Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Seven Ring Circus Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Spirit Of Nashville One, BMI/Tunes Of Fluid, BMI/Rust And Chrome Music, BMI (E.Church, C.Beathard, M.Criswell) 21
HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Vistaville Music, ASCAP/Steph Jones Who Music, ASCAP/Big Deal Hits, ASCAP/410 Music, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Roc Nation WC Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, S.Jones, H.Lindsey, J.Frasure, A.Gorley) 4
HOME SWEET BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Music That Is Russelled, BMI/Blue Corolla Oklahoma, SESAC/Feel Your Creative Pulse Music, SESAC/The Best I Could Do Publishing, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP (R.Dickerson, C.Brown, C.Kelley) 53
HOW THEY REMEMBER YOU Son Of Ron Songs, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Built On Rock Music, ASCAP (M.Beeson, J.Osborne, A.Shamblin) 14
I
IF IT WASN’T FOR TRUCKS Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI/Back 40 Publishing International, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (R.Green, Erik Dylan, R.Montana) 57
J
JUST ABOUT OVER YOU Scilla’s Song Shop Publising, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/91 Dogs Publishing, BMI/Emily Kroll Music, ASCAP (P.Block, S.Jones, E.K.Kroll) 38
JUST THE WAY Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/JM Thomas Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, ASCAP/Kevin Bard Music, ASCAP/Margetts Road Music, ASCAP/Nolan W. Sipe Music, ASACP (M.Thomas, K.Bard, N.W.Sipe) 6
L
LADY Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Iris In The Sky With Diamonds, BMI/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP (B.Young, R.Copperman, J.M.Nite) 13
LADY LIKE Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/What Is An Ingrid, BMI/Straight From The Art Music, BMI/Songs For A Stone Heart, BMI/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Happy Rock Publishing, ASCAP (I.Andress, S.Ellis, D.Southerland) 51
LONG LIVE Big Loud Mountain, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/Pranch Ringle Music, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Spirit Two Music Inc., ASCAP/4TheKidz Music, ASCAP/Spirit Vault Songs, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI (T.Hubbard, B.Kelley, C.Crowder, D.A.Garcia, J.Miller) 11
LOVE YOU LIKE I USED TO BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Kailey’s Dream, BMI/Blue Corolla Oklahoma, SESAC/Feel Your Creative Pulse Music, SESAC/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of Home Team Music, BMI/Tunes Of TrailerParker, BMI (R.Dickerson, C.Brown, P.Welling) 8
M
MADE FOR YOU Plaid Flag Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Dixie Stars Music, ASCAP/Son Of a Carl Music, ASCAP/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., ASCAP (B.Davis, J.Hyde, N.A.Medley) 20
MEMORY I DON’T MESS WITH Love Cannons Publishing, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Mike Curb Music, BMI/Is That The Train Music, BMI/Anthem Music Publishing I, BMI/Twangville Music, BMI/Songs About Jack, BMI/Write Or Die Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (L.Brice, B.Montana, B.Davis) 48
MINIMUM WAGE A Boy Named Ford, BMI/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (C.Crowder, N.Galyon, J.Frasure) 28
MOMMA’S HOUSE Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Two Black Dogs, ASCAP/ole Music Of Parallel, BMI/Lucky Mic Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Ford Drives A Chevy, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC (D.Schneider, M.Lotten, R.Clawson, J.T.Wilson) 12
MY BOY Rome Phrey Songs, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Rome Phrey Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Nick Columbia Publishing, ASCAP/Block Of Marble Music, BMI/Lee Starr Publishing, BMI/SNG Music, LLP, BMI (E.Shane, R.Sutton, N.Columbia, L.Starr) 39
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NEED A BAR SOMETIMES Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/Marlow Sinclair Songs, SESAC/Reservoir Media Music, ASCAP/Mirendawrites, ASCAP/Raincreek Publishing, ASCAP/Espiritu de Leon, BMI (C.Walker, J.Boyer, J.Mirenda, G.Birge) 59
NEVER BE SORRY Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Rezsongs, ASCAP/MeGusta Music, ASCAP/Reehits World, ASCAP/Smacktown Music, ASCAP/Smack Blue, LLC, ASCAP/Unfair Entertainment, ASCAP/We’re Really Doin’ It Publishing, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Tempo Investments-Smack Hits, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Universal Music Corp., ASCAP (M.Ramsey, T. Rosen, B.F.Tursi, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 40
NEXT GIRL Smackborne Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Tempo Investments-Smack Hits, GMR/Smackwood Music, GMR/For The Kids Gold, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (C.Pearce, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 33
NOBODY Curb Congregation Songs, SESAC/Good Vibes, Good Times Music, SESAC/Curb Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Riser House, BMI (D.Scott, M.Alderman, D.Wilson) 18
NO BODY, NO CRIME TASRM Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI (T.Swift) 60
O
ONE TOO MANY Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Reservoir 416, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/James Norton Publishing Designee, ASCAP (D.H.Davidsen, P.Wallevik, M.H.Hansen, J.Norton, C.Tighe) 23
S
SETTLING DOWN Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Wrucke For You Publishing, BMI (M.Lambert, L.Dick, N. Hemby) 24
SHALLOW Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Warner-Barham Music LLC, BMI/SG Songs Worldwide, BMI/Warner-Olive Music LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Concord Publishing, BMI/Zelig Publishing, BMI/Stephaniesays Music, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/White Bull Music Group, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI (S.G.Germanotta, M.D.Ronson, A.Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt) 47
SINGLE SATURDAY NIGHT Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Art In The Fodder Music, BMI/Hark Molman Songs, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Ju Jettsu Music, BMI/Rednecker Music, BMI (A.Gorley, M.W.Hardy, M.L.Holman) 34
SOMEBODY LIKE THAT Oven Music Inc., BMI/Ziggys Z Music, SESAC/Tunes Of Big Deal Music, SESAC/Songs Of Porterfied Music, SESAC (T.Arts, A.Kline, A.M.Cruz) 17
STARTING OVER I Wrote These Songs, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Straight Six Music, BMI/Wixen Music Publishing, BMI (C.Stapleton, M.Henderson) 10
T
TEQUILA LITTLE TIME Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Cowboy And Gus Publishing, BMI/Happy Song Factory, BMI/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Suzanne James Songs, GMR (J.Pardi, R.Akins, L.Laird) 50
THINGS A MAN OUGHTA KNOW Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI (L.Wilson, J.D.Singleton, J.Nix) 56
U
UNDIVIDED T Tree Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Straight Outta Georgia Songs, SESAC/Tree Vibez Bus Vibez, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (T.Hubbard, C.Loocke) 22
W
WAITIN’ ON 5 ole Red Vinyl Music, BMI/Buckkilla Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Toe Rocker, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Songs Of XO, BMI/We In Good Company, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI (C.Janson, Shy Carter, T.Cecil, C.Wiseman) 49
WANT ME BACK Magic Mustang Music, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Koala T Tunes, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/McGinntellectual Property, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/True Blue Works, SESAC (L.Ell, K.Brown, L.Rimes, M.J.McGinn) 58
WE DIDN’T HAVE MUCH Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Paulywood Music, ASCAP/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Tunes From The Red White And Blue School, ASCAP/Anthem Music Publishing II, ASCAP (P.DiGiovanni, R.Montana, J.S.Stover) 32
WE WERE RICH EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Endurance Romeo Charlie, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Combustion Engine Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (R.Copperman, A.Gorley, N.Galyon) 37
WHAT DO I KNOW Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Dos Hobos Music, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/West Pass Music, BMI (R.Counts, M.W.Hardy, J.Mitchell) 46
WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY SONG EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Tunes by TrailerParker, BMI/Songs Of Home Team Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP (Thomas Rhett, R.Akins, J.Frasure, A.Gorley, P.Welling) 9
WHISKEY AND RAIN Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (J.Frasure, J.Thompson) 54
WINE, BEER, WHISKEY Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Tofer The Musical, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Silent Desert Music, BMI/Self Made Entertainment, BMI (T.Brown, K.Fairchild, S.McConnell, K.Schlapman, P.Sweet, J.Westbrook) 35
WORSHIP YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/AIX Publishing, ASCAP/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/McGinntellectual Property, SESAC/True Blue Works, SESAC/Krispy Pork Gang, BMI (K.Brown, A.Izquierdo, M.J.McGinn, Charlie Handsome) 41
Y
YOU TIME Dagum Music, BMI/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Fluid Tunes, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (S.McCreery, F.Rogers, A.Eshuis) 44
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 18 OF 19
Hot Country Songs IndexHot Country Songs Index7 SUMMERS Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace
Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Tempo Investments-Smack Hits, GMR/Smackstreet Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (M.Wallen, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 3
865 Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Blake Pendergrass Publishing Designee, BMI (J.Byron, B.Pendergrass) 22
A
ALL NIGHT All The Kings Pens, ASCAP/Trampy McCauley, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Songstein Publishing, ASCAP/Songs In The Key Of Claire, ASCAP/Patriot Games Publishing, ASCAP/DTCM Ave, ASCAP (J. Osborne, T.J. Osborne, A.DeRoberts) 50
ALMOST MAYBES Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/Anthem Entertainment, ASCAP/Roc Nation WC Publishing Designee, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (J.Davis, J.Frasure, H.Lindsey) 28
B
BEERS AND SUNSHINE Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/GrowingMusic Publishing, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Iris In The Sky With Diamonds, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Detroit Records And Tapes, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (D.Rucker, R.Copperman, J.T.Harding, J.Osborne) 12
BETTER TOGETHER Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (L.Combs, D.Isbell, R.Montana) 1
BREAKING UP WAS EASY IN THE 90’S Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Between the Pines, LLC, ASCAP/BIPOD, ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/Miller Crow Music, ASCAP/Kyler’s Kinda Night, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (S.L.Hunt, C.La Corte, Z.Crowell, E.K.Smith, J.Osborne) 33
C
COVER ME UP Fame Publishing Company LLC, BMI/Songs Of Emchant, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (M.J.Isbell) 20
D
DANGEROUS Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI (M.Wallen, E.K.Smith) 29
DOWN TO ONE Play It Again Entertainment, BMI/Kyle Fishman Music, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Memory Days, SESAC/Curb Wordspring Music, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (K.Fishman, D.Davidson, J.Ebach) 14
F
FOREVER AFTER ALL Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works For RHA Music, BMI/Rowdy Rob Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Oak Tree Swing Publishing, BMI (L.Combs, D.Parker, R.Williford) 17
G
GONE Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/A Boy Named Ford, BMI/Ben There Wrote That Publishing, BMI/Artist 101 Publishing Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Hits From The Tape Room, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC (N.Galyon, B.Johnson, N.Moon) 35
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
THE GOOD ONES GBF Music Global, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/BMG Blue, BMI/Fox Landis Lyrics, BMI/Songs Of Jim McCormick, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Revinyl House, BMI (G.Barrett, E.Landis, J.McCormick, Z.Kale) 16
GOOD TIME W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Here Comes The Boom Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Anna Moon Publishing, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Joshua Murty Publishing, ASCAP/Mark Trussell Music, ASCAP/Future Heartbeat Publishing, ASCAP (N.Moon, J.Minton, A.Moon, J.Murty, M.Trussell) 7
H
HAPPY DOES Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Murphy The Wolf Music, BMI/Five Miles West Songs, BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Songsfortatum Publishing, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI/Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music, BMI (B.Clawson, J.Paulin, B.Berryhill, G.James) 11
HELL OF A VIEW Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Longer And Louder Music, BMI/Seven Ring Circus Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Spirit Of Nashville One, BMI/Tunes Of Fluid, BMI/Rust And Chrome Music, BMI (E.Church, C.Beathard, M.Criswell) 26
HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Vistaville Music, ASCAP/Steph Jones Who Music, ASCAP/Big Deal Hits, ASCAP/410 Music, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Roc Nation WC Publishing Designee, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP (K.Ballerini, S.Jones, H.Lindsey, J.Frasure, A.Gorley) 9
HOW THEY REMEMBER YOU Son Of Ron Songs, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Built On Rock Music, ASCAP (M.Beeson, J.Osborne, A.Shamblin) 34
I
I HOPE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/GBF Music Global, BMI/Revinyl House, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI (Z.Kale, J.M.Nite, G.Barrett) 2
J
JUST THE WAY Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/JM Thomas Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, ASCAP/Kevin Bard Music, ASCAP/Margetts Road Music, ASCAP/Nolan W. Sipe Music, ASACP (M.Thomas, K.Bard, N.W.Sipe) 13
L
LADY Super Big Music, ASCAP/Caliville Publishing, ASCAP/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/Iris In The Sky With Diamonds, BMI/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP (B.Young, R.Copperman, J.M.Nite) 23
LIL BIT Big Loud Mountain, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Pile Of Schmidt Songs, ASCAP/The Money Tree Vibez, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (T.Hubbard, J.M.Schmidt, B.Redferrin, C.Haynes, Jr.) 45
LIVIN’ THE DREAM Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/This Songs For You Pops, BMI (M.Wallen, B.Burgess, J.Durrett, M.W.Hardy) 38
LONG LIVE Big Loud Mountain, BMI/T Hubb Publishing, BMI/Pranch Ringle Music, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Spirit Two Music Inc., ASCAP/4TheKidz Music, ASCAP/Spirit Vault Songs, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI (T.Hubbard, B.Kelley, C.Crowder, D.A.Garcia, J.Miller) 18
M
MADE FOR YOU Plaid Flag Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Dixie Stars Music, ASCAP/Son Of a Carl Music, ASCAP/HoriPro Entertainment Group, Inc., ASCAP (B.Davis, J.Hyde, N.A.Medley) 43
MOMMA’S HOUSE Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Two Black Dogs, ASCAP/ole Music Of Parallel, BMI/Lucky Mic Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Ford Drives A Chevy, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Legends Of Magic Mustang Music, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC (D.Schneider, M.Lotten, R.Clawson, J.T.Wilson) 24
MORE SURPRISED THAN ME W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Niko Moon Publishing, SESAC/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI/Mr. Buck Lucky, BMI/The Country And Western Music, BMI (N.Moon, B.Burgess, L.T.Miller) 32
MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Em Dog Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI (M.W.Hardy, E.K.Smith, Charlie Handsome, M.Wallen) 4
N
NEON EYES Big Loud Mountain, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Ju Jettsu Music, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Art In The Fodder Music, BMI/Hark Molman Songs, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Bump Into Genius Music, BMI (M.Wallen, M.L.Holman, B.Burgess) 31
NOBODY Curb Congregation Songs, SESAC/Good Vibes, Good Times Music, SESAC/Curb Songs, ASCAP/Songs Of Riser House, BMI (D.Scott, M.Alderman, D.Wilson) 37
O
ONE TOO MANY Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Reservoir 416, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/James Norton Publishing Designee, ASCAP (D.H.Davidsen, P.Wallevik, M.H.Hansen, J.Norton, C.Tighe) 27
ONLY THING THAT’S GONE Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Bandana Publishing, BMI/MV2 Music, BMI (M.Wallen, R.C.McGill, M.Dragstrem, J.Thompson) 48
OUTLAW Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/This Songs For You Pops, BMI/Patrick Davis Music, BMI/Tunes Of Black River, BMI/BNA Bangers, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Jreynmusic, ASCAP/Buckeye26, ASCAP (B.Burgess, P.Davis, J.Kerr, J.Reynolds) 44
S
SAND IN MY BOOTS Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP (A.Gorley, M.W.Hardy, J.Osborne) 8
SETTLING DOWN Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Wrucke For You Publishing, BMI (M.Lambert, L.Dick, N. Hemby) 36
SHALLOW Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Warner-Barham Music LLC, BMI/SG Songs Worldwide, BMI/Warner-Olive Music LLC, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Concord Publishing, BMI/Zelig Publishing, BMI/Stephaniesays Music, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/White Bull Music Group, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI (S.G.Germanotta, M.D.Ronson, A.Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt) 49
SILVERADO FOR SALE Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/All Night Linda Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Pinetucky Road Publishing, ASCAP (D.Davidson, M.Green, B.Hayslip) 42
SOMEBODY LIKE THAT Oven Music Inc., BMI/Ziggys Z Music, SESAC/Tunes Of Big Deal Music, SESAC/Songs Of Porterfied Music, SESAC (T.Arts, A.Kline, A.M.Cruz) 25
SOMEBODY’S PROBLEM Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Ford Drives A Chevy, BMI/Shirt At Work, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Em Dog Music, BMI (M.Wallen, R.Clawson, J.Durrett, E.K.Smith) 10
STARTING OVER I Wrote These Songs, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Straight Six Music, BMI/Wixen Music Publishing, BMI (C.Stapleton, M.Henderson) 6
STILL GOIN DOWN Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI (M.Wallen, M.W.Hardy, Charlie Handsome) 19
U
UNDIVIDED T Tree Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Straight Outta Georgia Songs, SESAC/Tree Vibez Bus Vibez, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (T.Hubbard, C.Loocke) 30
W
WARNING Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI (E.K.Smith, A.Gorley, Charlie Handsome) 21
WASTED ON YOU Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Em Dog Music, BMI/Red Bandana Publishing, BMI/MV2 Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI (M.Wallen, E.K.Smith, J.Thompson, Charlie Handsome) 5
WHAT’S YOUR COUNTRY SONG EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Tunes by TrailerParker, BMI/Songs Of Home Team Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP (Thomas Rhett, R.Akins, J.Frasure, A.Gorley, P.Welling) 15
WHISKEY’D MY WAY Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (M.Dragstrem, J.Miller, Thomas Rhett, J.Thompson) 40
WINE, BEER, WHISKEY Razor And Tie Music Publishing, BMI/Tofer The Musical, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Silent Desert Music, BMI/Self Made Entertainment, BMI (T.Brown, K.Fairchild, S.McConnell, K.Schlapman, P.Sweet, J.Westbrook) 46
WONDERIN’ BOUT THE WIND Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Bo Wallace Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI (M.Wallen, E.K.Smith) 47
WORSHIP YOU Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/AIX Publishing, ASCAP/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/McGinntellectual Property, SESAC/True Blue Works, SESAC/Krispy Pork Gang, BMI (K.Brown, A.Izquierdo, M.J.McGinn, Charlie Handsome) 41
Y
YOUR BARTENDER Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Ritten By Rhettro, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Red Bandana Publishing, BMI/MV2 Music, BMI (M.Dragstrem, R.Akins, Thomas Rhett, J.Thompson) 39
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 | PAGE 19 OF 19
On Feb. 8, 1986, Juice Newton’s “Hurt” topped Hot Country Songs.
Written in 1954 by Jimmie Crane and Al Jacobs, the song also has been recorded by artists including Timi Yuro and Roy Hamilton, while Elvis Presley’s version hit No. 6 on the chart in 1976.
“Hurt” became Newton’s third of four Hot Country Songs No. 1s. She posted nine top 10s on the list from 1976-89, starting with her first chart-topper, “The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known),” in 1982. The song also marked her third Bill-board Hot 100 top 10 — it reached No. 7 — after “Angel of the Morn-
ing” (No. 4, May 1981) and “Queen of Hearts” (No. 2, September 1981). She subsequent ly top p ed Hot Country Songs with “You Make Me Want To Make You Mine” in Octo-ber 1985 and “Both To Each Other (Friends & Lovers),” with Eddie Rabbitt, in October 1986.
Born Judy Kay Newton on Feb. 18, 1952, in Lakehurst, N.J., the artist — who is now 68 and based in San Diego — released her most recent LP, Duets: Friends & Memories, which includes collab-orations with Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson, in 2010.
—JIM ASKER
Newton at the Hands Across America
promotional taping in Taft, Calif., in January 1986.
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35 Years AgoJuice Newton’s ‘Hurt’ Hit No. 1In 1986, the oft-covered tune became the pop and country star’s third leader on the Hot Country Songs chart
