country update · on country airplay in september 2018. on hot country songs, which blends airplay,...
TRANSCRIPT
BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 19
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected]
Country UpdateINSIDE
Denning Ascends ‘After A Few’ Weeks
>page 4
Jody Williams’ New Pub House
>page 10
Stars Line Up For John Prine
>page 11
Willie Nelson’s Austin Benefit
>page 11
Makin’ Tracks: Tim McGraw’s
‘Mama’>page 16
Country Coda: When Strait Gave Chart An ‘Amen’
>page 19
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When Wheelhouse releases a new Runaway June single, “We Were Rich,” it will mark a big moment for the trio, which man-aged to regroup after the departure of Hannah Mulholland.
Remaining members Naomi Cooke and Jennifer Wayne could have dissolved the act, or they could have moved forward as a duo, and both of those options were considered before Natalie Stovall ultimately filled the vacant position.
It’s a level of complication that solo acts never face, but that also represented an extra layer of drama for Runaway June’s manager, F2 Entertainment president/CEO Fletcher Foster. He essentially gets the same commission he would receive from a solo artist after assisting the trio through a transition t hat fo c u s ed on p ers ona l it y a nd compatibility as much as it did on sound.
“The music elements, all of those kinds of things that [are apparent] in the front, you can figure those out,” he says, “but it’s the behind-the-scenes things that really make the machine work.”
Groups are like a marriage, since each individual has his or her own entity while the relationship between any two people can have its own separate dynamic. Because of that complexity, bands were pariahs in country music for years because of the potential issues that Runaway June’s lineup shift represents. Managers — as well as labels and booking agencies — staked their own careers on an act’s reliability, and as an act’s size
increases, so does the likelihood that it will suffer from some career-ending pitfall.
Alabama, a quartet that made its Top Country Albums debut with My Home’s in Alabama 40 years ago on the chart dated June 14, 1980, made managers more willing to gamble on
bands when it launched a series of mul-tiplatinum titles and arena sellouts. But some of the fears about bands played out during the group’s run: Drummer Mark Herndon was a hired hand rather than a shareholder, and the internal strife dur-ing Alabama’s tours was significant, ac-cording to Herndon’s autobiography.
Those sa me doubt s st i l l ex ist . Nashville record labels turned down Old Dominion — which has won the Country Music Association’s vocal g roup honor t he last t wo yea rs — specifically because it was a group. And Morris Higham Management president Clint Higham repeatedly resisted when producer Shane McAnally (Midland,
Sam Hunt) approached him about managing the act. Higham gave in only after he was persuaded that Old Dominion had the stability and dedication to match its talent.
“He just kept after me,” notes Higham. “When the guys came in and I realized, ‘OK, they’re a unit, and they’re committed to their craft by touring in a van and doing it all themselves,’ that was inspiring.”
The challenges in band management are numerous. In
How Runaway June’s Realignment Hints At The Peaks And Perils Of Band Management
The new Runaway June lineup (from left): Wayne, Cooke and Stovall.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 19
addition to dealing with more personalities, larger circles of influence from friends and family, and the occasional possibility of a lineup change, decision-making can take longer and it’s more difficult to establish a brand. A solo artist can use the cult of personality to drive their story — every country fan has a sense of who Carrie Underwood or Luke Bryan is. But it’s often difficult for that same consumer to identify all the different members of a group beyond the lead singer, let alone develop a composite sense of their characters.
That’s an issue Red Light Management executive Mary Hilliard Harrington encounters daily while guiding LANCO.
“They all have very distinct personalities, but the reason that they’re con-necting with fans is the live experience. It isn’t because of what they ate for breakfast,” she observes. “And by the way, as a manager, that’s what I want because that’s building longevity and a touring career that can go on for 20 years if we keep building it one show at a time versus it being based on what-ever they’re doing in their yard at home or whatever the shtick of the day is.”
The difference between the group dynamic and managing a solo artist is particularly apparent to Harrington now as she continues to handle Dierks Bentley’s career while overseeing the management of his pet project, Hot Country Knights.
“Choosing what the album cover is going to be is way easier when it’s just me and Dierks,” she says. “When there’s six opinions, obviously that’s going to take a whole lot longer. And when there’s six opinions in what I guess you would call a comedy project, all of the opinions are often off-color, and they’re really just oftentimes doing things to get a rise out of me. I’ve learned a lot more patience.”
Working through the financial components is likewise an issue. Morris Higham client Kenny Chesney keeps all his profits after he pays commis-sions, fees and expenses, while Old Dominion divvies up its receipts among five participants. As a result, a change in production costs can have a larger effect on each band member and his family, and that puts even more stress on a band during its developmental stages. Attitudes during that period are key.
“We try to focus our business model on growing the pie versus talking about slicing the pie,” says Higham.
Ultimately, though building a band is more difficult than managing a solo career, the very nature of focusing on music rather than personality offers large potential rewards even when a founding member leaves. Higham points to country/rock’s Eagles, rock ensemble Journey and country trio-turned-duo Sugarland as acts that were able to survive key lineup changes, mostly because the quality of their music outshined any individual contributor.
That makes a key crossroads, such as Stovall’s arrival in Runaway June, that much more crucial. For both the group and the manager, the critical element in an ensemble’s success still comes down to finding the right individual.
“You go through the list of who’s musically fit for this, you know, who is visually fit for this, and then you get to this hard part,” says Foster. “Who do you want to have in the bunk above you or beside you on a day-to-day basis on this journey? That becomes the biggest part.”
Former Country Music Association executive director Ed Benson and Jeannie Seely were among six panelists who attended a June 4 CMA webinar, CMA Fest Through the Years.
Little Big Town performed “Bluebird” during the June 3 telecast of CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special. From left: group members Phillip Sweet, Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild.
Lady Antebellum sang “Champagne Night” on the June 3 airing of CMT Celebrates Our Heroes: An Artists of the Year Special. From left: Lady A members Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley.
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 19
Travis Denning notches his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “After a Few” (Mercury) ascends 2-1 on the ranking dated June 13, up by 10% to 32.1 million audience impressions in the week ending June 7, accord-ing to Nielsen Music/MRC Data.
The aptly titled track crosses the finish line in its 65th week on the chart, breaking the record for the longest journey to No. 1 in the history of the list, which launched in January 1990. It passes Jimmie Allen’s “Make Me Want To,” which took 58 weeks to lead the list dated March 7.
“This is a great testament that sometimes great things take time,” says Denning, who cowrote “After” with Kelly Archer and Justin Weaver. “I’m so proud of this song for fighting its way up the chart and even more grateful for how much steam it still had once it hit the top 10 [eight weeks ago]. The support from country radio and the fans is without a doubt what got it to No. 1.”
“After” also owns the record for the most total weeks ever logged on Country Airplay. In second place is Scotty McCreery’s “In Be-tween” (Triple Tigers), which bumps 8-7 in its 61st week (19.9 million, up 6%). Allen’s “Make” ranks third with 59 total charted frames.
“After” is the second single from Denning’s six-song EP Beer’s Better Cold, which debuted at No. 20 on Top Country Albums on May 30. Maiden release “David Ashley Parker From Powder Springs” peaked at No. 32 on Country Airplay in September 2018.
On Hot Country Songs, which blends airplay, streaming and sales data, “After” holds at its No. 7 high. It drew 6.8 million U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads in the week ending June 4.
BUFFETT IS BACK Jimmy Buffett’s Life on the Flip Side (Mailboat) blasts onto Top Country Albums at No. 1 with 75,000 first-week equivalent album
units, with almost all (74,000) from album sales.A concert ticket/album sale redemption offer tied to upcoming Buffett
shows helped the new title. The bundle offer was originally attached to a string of dates meant to run from May 16 through Oct. 15, 2020. Some of those shows were ultimately canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, while the
remaining dates were rescheduled for July 10 through Sept. 2, 2021. Only the postponed and rescheduled shows are part of the ticket bundle offer that contributes to Life on the Flip Side’s chart total.
The album, Buffett’s first non-holiday studio effort since Songs From St. Somewhere in 2013, marks his third Top Country Albums No. 1, and third No. 1 debut, after License to Chill in July 2004 and Take the Weather With You in Octo-ber 2006. Life on the Flip Side also is his 16th top 10 on the tally.
On the all-genre Billboard 200, the new album starts at No. 2, marking Buffett’s best rank since License to Chill became his f irst No. 1 in 2004. He banks his 12th top 10 among 40 entries dating to his first, Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, in March 1974. (Beyond the charts, Buffett’s Billboard career stretches back even further: He served as Nashville correspondent in 1969-70.)
AS THE ‘BLUEBIRD’ FLIES Miranda Lambert scores her 13th Country Airplay top 10, and first on her own since 2014, as “Bluebird” (Vanner/RCA Nash-ville) f lutters 11-10 (18.2 million, up 14%). She last reached that region of the chart when she was featured on Jason Aldean’s “Drowns the Whiskey,” which led for two weeks in August-September 2018, becoming her fifth No. 1 (and Aldean’s 19th of 21 to date).
Lambert lands her first Country Airplay top 10 with no other billed acts since “Automatic,” which peaked at No. 3 in June 2014.
Travis Denning’s ‘After A Few’ Completes Record Run To Country Airplay Peak; ‘Life’ Is Good For
Jimmy Buffett On Top Country Albums
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 JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 6 OF 19
RANKINGSCountry Airplay is ranked by total audience impressions for the week ending Sunday based on monitored airplay of 148 stations by Nielsen Music. Audience totals on the chart are derived, in part, using certain Nielsen Audio- copyrighted Persons 12+ audience estimates (under license © 2020, Nielsen Audio). The list of all Country Airplay chart reporters can be viewed on Nielsen Music’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 Nielsen Music) 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.
© 2020 Prometheus Global Media, LLC
COUNTRY AIRPLAY CHART LEGEND
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON
CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS
THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK
l1 2 65 AFTER A FEW Mercury HH No. 1 (1 week) HH Travis Denning 32.090 +3.012 8268 535 1
2 1 20 DOES TO ME River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs Featuring Eric Church 27.612 -3.666 7093 -1156 3
l3 5 35 I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW Curb/Big Machine Carly Pearce & Lee Brice 27.103 +3.462 7322 730 2
4 3 45 CHASIN’ YOU Big Loud Morgan Wallen 26.547 -1.543 6545 -269 4
5 4 23 NOBODY BUT YOU Warner Music Nashville/WMN Blake Shelton Duet With Gwen Stefani 24.504 -1.975 6008 -393 5
l6 7 16 HERE AND NOW Blue Chair/Warner Music Nashville/WEA Kenny Chesney 21.879 +0.441 5859 73 6
l7 8 61 IN BETWEEN Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery 19.877 +1.121 5560 178 7
l8 10 11 ONE MARGARITA Row Crop/Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan 19.394 +3.300 4881 648 10
l9 9 15 HARD TO FORGET MCA Nashville Sam Hunt 18.842 +0.413 5284 202 8
l10 11 25 BLUEBIRD Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert 18.204 +2.210 5174 418 9
l11 12 56 ONE BIG COUNTRY SONG Wheelhouse LOCASH 16.352 +1.342 4560 242 11
l12 15 11 I LOVE MY COUNTRY BMLG Florida Georgia Line 14.871 +0.795 3998 152 15
l13 13 15 GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME Hit Red/Capitol Nashville Keith Urban 14.722 +0.224 4174 63 13
l14 16 36 WHY WE DRINK Valory Justin Moore 14.418 +0.956 4014 112 14
l15 14 31 DRINKING ALONE Capitol Nashville Carrie Underwood 14.395 -0.052 4298 49 12
l16 19 10 BE A LIGHT Valory Thomas Rhett Featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban 14.251 +2.183 3806 454 18
l17 17 28 DONE Warner Music Nashville/WAR Chris Janson 13.499 +0.420 3856 102 17
l18 18 44 DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART Mercury Maddie & Tae 12.696 +0.281 3885 42 16
l19 20 7 COOL AGAIN RCA Nashville HH Airpower HH Kane Brown 8.975 +0.526 2729 139 20
l20 21 30 ONE NIGHT STANDARDS Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville/WAR HH Airpower HH Ashley McBryde 8.853 +0.783 2940 303 19
l21 22 5 I CALLED MAMA McGraw/Big Machine Tim McGraw 8.697 +1.465 2621 436 21
l22 23 49 LONELY IF YOU ARE Dack Janiels/Broken Bow Chase Rice 6.859 +0.277 2591 22 22
l23 24 8 NO I IN BEER Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 5.878 +0.617 1948 142 25
l24 25 29 SOME GIRLS Combustion/River House/Columbia Nashville Jameson Rodgers 5.565 +0.422 2146 97 23
l25 26 39 SHE’S MINE MCA Nashville Kip Moore 4.549 +0.407 1975 126 24
l26 29 9 GOT WHAT I GOT Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 4.452 +0.512 1572 100 29
l27 28 22 PRETTY HEART MCA Nashville Parker McCollum 4.381 +0.392 1402 228 31
l28 30 26 EVERYWHERE BUT ON RECORDS/Arista Nashville Matt Stell 4.369 +0.469 1752 80 27
l29 31 18 ONE BEER Big Loud HARDY Featuring Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson 4.348 +0.568 1532 248 30
l30 27 40 WHAT COULD’VE BEEN Triple Tigers Gone West 3.958 -0.036 1764 22 26
Country Airplay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 7 OF 19
Co-penned by Brown, the track makes a call for peace and togetherness. Released
June 4 and helped by hourly plays that day on participating iHeartMedia stations, it arrives on Country Airplay at No. 34 with 3.5 million
in audience. Proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of America.
34
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KANE BROWNWorldwide
Beautiful
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON
CHART TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistAUDIENCE (IN MILLIONS) PLAYS
THIS WEEK +/– THIS WEEK +/– RANK
l31 33 9 ONE OF THEM GIRLS Curb Lee Brice 3.704 +0.430 1579 279 28
32 32 20 CHEATIN’ SONGS Big Machine Midland 3.660 -0.073 1340 -4 32
l33 34 12 AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY Capitol Nashville Jon Pardi 3.560 +0.288 1251 141 33
l34 NEW WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL RCA Nashville HH Hot Shot Debut/Most Increased Audience/Breaker HH Kane Brown 3.538 +3.538 709 709 46
l35 35 15 SOME PEOPLE DO RCA Nashville HH Breaker H Old Dominion 3.284 +0.028 997 58 37
l36 36 6 SIX FEET APART River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 2.957 +0.018 723 3 45
l37 39 7 CHAMPAGNE NIGHT BMLG Lady Antebellum 2.865 +0.604 952 130 40
l38 37 35 NOW YOU KNOW 32 Bridge/EMI Nashville Jon Langston 2.566 +0.142 1220 -2 34
l39 NEW HARD DAYS Valory HH Most Added HH Brantley Gilbert 2.428 +2.428 492 492 53
40 38 16 MOMMA’S HOUSE Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 2.118 -0.175 966 45 38
l41 41 14 LOVE YOU LIKE I USED TO Triple Tigers Russell Dickerson 2.057 +0.085 958 58 39
l42 40 34 GETTING GOOD 19/Mercury Lauren Alaina 1.930 -0.053 1124 45 35
43 42 28 BIG, BIG PLANS Big Loud Chris Lane 1.815 -0.093 787 -33 43
l44 43 17 SOMEBODY LIKE THAT 19th & Grand Tenille Arts 1.801 -0.010 861 11 41
l45 46 26 WHAT I SEE Arista Nashville LANCO 1.738 +0.179 1000 39 36
46 44 8 GABRIELLE Warner Music Nashville/WMN Brett Eldredge 1.722 -0.080 807 18 42
l47 45 10 TO HELL & BACK Columbia Nashville Maren Morris 1.656 +0.060 698 22 47
l48 47 3 ALL NIGHT EMI Nashville Brothers Osborne 1.624 +0.213 559 36 50
l49 48 8 GOOD TIME RCA Nashville Niko Moon 1.565 +0.178 517 32 52
l50 51 6 LADY BMLG Brett Young 1.315 +0.065 532 31 51
l51 49 7 NOBODY Curb Dylan Scott 1.310 +0.014 772 122 44
l52 53 3 MADE FOR YOU Big Loud Jake Owen 1.291 +0.308 421 68 55
l53 55 2 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Big Loud Morgan Wallen 1.179 +0.219 302 68 59
l54 56 6 THIS IS US RECORDS/Columbia/Stoney Creek Jimmie Allen & Noah Cyrus 1.171 +0.371 570 99 49
l55 54 24 THAT’S WHY I LOVE DIRT ROADS Wheelhouse Granger Smith 1.012 +0.046 623 24 48
56 52 5 SENIOR YEAR Patoka Sounds Drew Baldridge 0.966 -0.096 250 -8 -
l57 NEW HOLE IN THE BOTTLE Black River Kelsea Ballerini 0.877 +0.499 282 150 -
l58 NEW ALMOST MAYBES MCA Nashville Jordan Davis 0.841 +0.304 391 145 56
l59 58 3 JUST THE WAY Stoney Creek Parmalee x Blanco Brown 0.793 +0.044 424 30 54
l60 RE-ENTRY WHATCHA DRINKIN ‘BOUT Rebel Engine Stephanie Quayle 0.579 +0.021 255 4 -
Country Airplay AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
6/15
AUSTIN HOPKINS Right Now A5H R3cords
BRANTLEY GILBERT Hard Days Valory
6/22
ALIANA Love’s Unknown Bar Frog
BAND STEELE You’re Gonna Have To Miss Me Fire River
KYLIE FREY Spur Of The Moment Deep Frey’d
6/29
BRYAN FOX FEAT. NAPPY ROOTS That’s About Me Not Listed
DARLINGHURST So Long So Long Helium
EMMA WHITE That’s Why I Drink Not Listed
LOCKELAND Made For Mornings Grassroots
GOING FOR ADDS
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 8 OF 19
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MOST ADDED®TITLE Imprint/Label Artist ADDSHARD DAYS Valory Brantley Gilbert 51WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL RCA Nashville Kane Brown 40ONE BEER Big Loud HARDY Feat. Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson 27PRETTY HEART MCA Nashville Parker McCollum 23ALMOST MAYBES MCA Nashville Jordan Davis 23NO I IN BEER Arista Nashville Brad Paisley 22ALL NIGHT EMI Nashville Brothers Osborne 22MOMMA’S HOUSE Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 20NOBODY Curb Dylan Scott 18GOT WHAT I GOT Macon/Broken Bow Jason Aldean 15
MOST INCREASED PLAYSTITLE Imprint/Label Artist GAINI HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW Curb/Big Machine Carly Pearce & Lee Brice +730WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL RCA Nashville Kane Brown +709ONE MARGARITA Row Crop/Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +648AFTER A FEW Mercury Travis Denning +535HARD DAYS Valory Brantley Gilbert +492BE A LIGHT Valory Thomas Rhett Feat. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban +454I CALLED MAMA McGraw/Big Machine Tim McGraw +436BLUEBIRD Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert +418ONE NIGHT STANDARDS Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville/WAR Ashley McBryde +303ONE OF THEM GIRLS Curb Lee Brice +279
MOST INCREASED AUDIENCETITLE Imprint/Label Artist
GAIN(IN MIILIONS)
WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL RCA Nashville Kane Brown +3.538I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW Curb/Big Machine Carly Pearce & Lee Brice +3.462ONE MARGARITA Row Crop/Capitol Nashville Luke Bryan +3.300AFTER A FEW Mercury Travis Denning +3.012HARD DAYS Valory Brantley Gilbert +2.428BLUEBIRD Vanner/RCA Nashville Miranda Lambert +2.210BE A LIGHT Valory Thomas Rhett Feat. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban +2.183I CALLED MAMA McGraw/Big Machine Tim McGraw +1.465ONE BIG COUNTRY SONG Wheelhouse LOCASH +1.343IN BETWEEN Triple Tigers Scotty McCreery +1.121
AIRPLAY MONITORED BY
TEXAS REGIONAL RADIO REPORTWEEK ENDING JUNE 7, 2020
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST
TW SPINS
SPINS +/–
l1 2 20 EVERY DAMN TIME (Independent) HH 1 Week at 1 HH Drew Fish Band 1974 165
l2 3 12 RODEO CLOWN (Independent) Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen 1756 7
l3 4 18 I ONLY SEE YOU WITH MY EYES CLOSED (Independent) Reckless Kelly 1709 47
l4 5 17 FAMILY NAME (Independent) Cross Rags and Young 1642 119
l5 8 14 YOU, ME AND A BOTTLE (Independent) Randy Rogers Band 1463 63
6 7 24 THIS MORNING IT WAS TOO LATE (State Fair Records) Eleven Hundred Springs 1418 -2
l7 10 16 BURY MY BONES (Independent) Whiskey Myers 1365 49
8 9 25 COWBOY & THE GYPSY (Independent) Mark Winston Kirk 1337 -8
l9 12 8 NEON TOWN (Independent) David Adam Byrnes 1314 184
l10 11 12 RADIO COWBOY (Independent) Jon Stork 1277 145
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
WKS ON CHART TITLE (Label) ARTIST
TW SPINS
SPINS +/–
l11 14 9 LET ME HOLD YOU TONIGHT (Little Red Truck) Deryl Dodd 1221 113
12 1 21 GOTTA GO BACK TO WORK (Independent) Jody Booth 1218 -642
l13 13 21 NO HANDLE (Independent) The Panhandlers 1175 66
l14 15 20 WE DON’T CARE ENOUGH TO FIGHT ANYMORE (Independent) Casey Baker 1138 54
15 6 18 FOUR MINUTES (King Hall Music) Chad Cooke Band 1120 -370
l16 19 7 AS SOON AS YOU (Ten X Music Group) Bri Bagwell 1119 137
17 16 20 RED DIRT TEXAS (Independent) Hayden Haddock 1057 -22
18 17 24 FAR FROM GOOD (Independent) Triston Marez 1009 -10
l19 23 12 FEELS LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC (Independent) Jon Wolfe 1002 104
20 18 21 THROUGH THE JUKEBOX (Independent) Donice Morace 984 -18
RECURRENTSTHIS
WEEK TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL AUD.
(IN MILLIONS)1 BEER CAN’T FIX Valory Thomas Rhett Featuring Jon Pardi 20.330
2 I HOPE Warner Music Nashville/WAR Gabby Barrett 17.965
3 THE BONES Columbia Nashville Maren Morris 15.883
4 HOMEMADE Big Loud Jake Owen 11.862
5 KINFOLKS MCA Nashville Sam Hunt 11.663
6 EVEN THOUGH I’M LEAVING River House/Columbia Nashville Luke Combs 11.350
7 ONE MAN BAND RCA Nashville Old Dominion 10.774
8 RIDIN’ ROADS Broken Bow Dustin Lynch 10.465
9 CATCH BMLG Brett Young 9.205
10 WHISKEY GLASSES Big Loud Morgan Wallen 8.777
Country AirplayNEW AND ACTIVE
TITLE Imprint/Label ArtistTOTAL
AUDIENCETOTAL
STATIONS ADDSONLY TRUCK IN TOWN Night Train/Broken Bow Tyler Farr 0.485 35 2
NO MATTER WHAT 24 Entertainment/Stoney Creek King Calaway 0.457 24 1
FAMOUS Arista Nashville Adam Doleac 0.444 28 2
EVERY OTHER MEMORY RCA Nashville Ryan Hurd 0.424 16 10
THE FATHER, MY SON, AND THE HOLY GHOST Tripple Shoes/Broken Bow Craig Morgan 0.419 6 0
THE STRANGER Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville/WEA Ingrid Andress 0.373 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 2020, Texas Regional Radio Report
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 10 OF 19
JODY WILLIAMS LAUNCHES PUB HOUSEFormer BMI vp creative Jody Williams has formed a new publishing com-pany, Jody Williams Songs (JWS), as a joint venture with Warner Chappell Music Nashville.
Last September, the highly regarded executive announced he was leaving the performing rights organization at year’s end after a 14-year run to return to music publishing. He previously ran MCA Music Publishing Nashville and his own pub-lishing company, Jody Williams Music, be-tween two previous stints at BMI.
Among the songwriters signed to JWS are Ashley McBryde, Nathan Chapman (“Homegrown Honey”), Jeremy Spillman (“Hell on the Heart”) and Greg Bates. The company also will represent Pat McLaugh-lin (“Firecracker”) in a writer management/publishing role.
Williams and Warner Chappell Nashville president/CEO Ben Vaughn met at the be-ginning of the year and “pretty quickly put a deal together,” says Vaughn. “Jody is the gold standard for me. He is someone you want to emulate as a publisher. He’s some-one who has an amazing track record working with artists and songwriters.”
Williams always planned to link with a major publisher, as he had when Jody Williams Music operated as a joint venture with Sony/ATV from 1999-2007. “I love the partnership aspect,” he says. “I knew that the financial backing and creative support from a major would be helpful in building a company from scratch.”
In addition to funding, Warner Chappell will provide administrative sup-port for JWS and co-own the copyrights. Through the collaboration, Williams will develop writers and writer/artists, secure covers, source legacy catalogs, and represent select WCM catalogs for pitching.
The contract for the partnership took effect April 1 in the midst of the shut-down from the coronavirus pandemic. After employees are allowed to return to work, Williams and former Curb/Word Music Publishing executive Nina Jenkins, whom he hired as JWS’s creative director, will operate from an office on Music Row. For now, they are working from their homes and, occasionally, on Williams’ back porch at a safe social distance.
Williams envisions his company staying small, with no more than a dozen writers. “I’m open to songwriters of any genre. There’s so much diversity in Nashville,” he says. “I am all about creating copyrights that are going to have some kind of historical significance, not just a revenue stream.”
Read the full version of this story here. —Melinda Newman
RADIO & RECORDS®Universal Music Group Nashville promoted Lori Christian to senior vp mar-keting from senior vp media marketing. The new role expands her influence, adding brands and sponsorship, international marketing and creative ser-vices to her PR oversight … Big Loud hired Paul Logan as vp sync and visual strategy for both its label and publishing divisions. He was previously Spo-tify lead of playlist video operations. Reach Logan here … Copperline Music
Group added three new employees: director of radio promotions Seth Neces-sary, director of social content and videography Justin Mayotte and social media coordinator Jessica Korver. The Texas-based Necessary was previously Riser House director of Midwest/Texas promotions, Mayotte was formerly a Boston-based independent photographer, and Korver climbs aboard after several years as an indie executive assistant. Reach Necessary here, Mayo-tte here and Korver here … KFDI Wichita, Kan., laid off several staff mem-bers, including assistant PD/music director Carol Hughes, The Wichita Eagle reported … iHeartMedia/Syracuse, N.Y., operations manager Rich Lauber parted ways with the cluster, The Syracuse Post-Standard reported. He was also the afternoon host on country WBBS. That daypart has been filled by a personality named Shanna. Her photo resembles that of WMIL assistant PD/music director Shanna “Quinn” Hoy, who is believed to be voice-tracking the WBBS shift … MacDonald/Saginaw, Mich., hired operations manager/PD Jason Addams, according to the Michigan Association of Broadcasters. The cluster includes country WKCQ, where he also will occupy the afternoon shift. Addams was formerly WGH Virginia Beach, Va., brand manager/after-noon host … Magnum Media is purchasing three stations in La Crosse, Wis., from the La Crosse Media Group, WKBT-TV La Crosse reported. The signals include country WQCC … Gulf South/Dothan, Ala., hired “Big Rick” Daniels as digital brands manager for the cluster and PD for country WTVY, according to InsideRadio.com. He was most recently a morning personality at country WGGC Bowling Green, Ky. … WKLB Boston PD David Corey will depart his position at the end of June, according to RadioInk.com, after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract.
’ROUND THE ROWSNG Music promoted three staffers. Senior director of licensing and administration Kathleen Mullet rose from director, senior director of creative Aubrey Schwartz was upped from director, and manager of creative and marketing Sierra Crider was previously an associate. Reach Mullet here, Schwartz here and Crider here … The Americana Music Association launched a foundation with 11 initial board members, including Jackson Browne, Rhiannon Giddens, Brandi Carlile and T Bone Burnett. Go here for the full board list … GrassRoots Promotion launched FanTheJam.com, a digital fan club site. Members pay $4.95 to access artist content. Its eight initial clients include Aaron Goodvin and Joe & Martina … Producer-engineer Drew Long (Chris Stapleton, Judah & The Lion) signed a management agreement with Rock Ridge Music … The Circle TV network has launched twice-weekly one-minute video entertainment news packages for media outlets and Circle affiliates … A public memorial for guitarist Jimmy Capps will be livestreamed at 1 p.m. CT on June 9 at WSMOnline.com. Capps died June 1 after more than 50 years in Nashville’s music business, much of it spent as a member of the Grand Ole Opry house band. A 2014 inductee in the Musicians Hall of Fame, he was also an on-camera regular on the RFD-TV series Larry’s Country Diner. Capps particularly excelled in the recording studio, participating in such classics as George Strait’s “Unwound,” Alan Jackson’s “Here in the Real World,” Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” and George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
Ashley McBryde (right) chatted remotely with ABC host Amy Robach when she appeared on the June 1 edition of Good Morning America to perform “Hang in there Girl.”
Indie artist Dallas Remington (left) chatted with RFD-TV host Janet Adkinson as she promoted her current single, “Uncommon Man.”
JO
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AU
L B
RU
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WILLIAMS
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 11 OF 19
June 9• 2017 — Capitol releases the Lady Ante-
bellum album Heart Break.• 1993 — Reba McEntire and Linda Davis
record “Does He Love You.”
June 10• 2018 — Brothers Osborne, LANCO and
a group of Grand Ole Opry members perform at the multigenre Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn. The Opry participants include Bobby Bare, Del McCoury, Old Crow Medicine Show and Riders in the Sky.
June 11• 2019 — Craig Morgan, Chris Janson and John Conlee invite Luke
Combs to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
June 12• 2015 — Little Big Town sings “Elvira” with The Oak Ridge Boys
during the CMA Music Festival at LP Field in Nashville.• 2010 — Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” starts a
four-week ride at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
June 13• 2016 — Columbia releases Maren Morris’ single “80s Mercedes”
to radio.
June 14• 2001 — Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson are inducted into the Song-
writers Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Sheraton New York Hotel, along with Eric Clapton, Diane Warren and Paul Williams.
• 1990 — Trisha Yearwood showcases for Nashville record labels at Douglas Corner, leading directly to a recording deal with MCA. Among the eight songs in her set list: “She’s in Love With the Boy.”
June 15• 2007 — The Rascal Flatts hit “What Hurts the Most” earns a plati-
num single from the RIAA.• 1952 — Hank Williams writes “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
Source: RolandNote.com, the Ultimate Country Music Database
Two months after his death, one of Nashville’s songwriting icons will receive a major online sendoff with the June 11 premiere of Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine. Produced by his family and his Oh Boy label, the event features more than three dozen participants, including Eric Church, Vince Gill, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, TV host Stephen Colbert and comedian Bill Murray. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. CT on Prine’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels. He died April 7 following a bout with COVID-19, and his widow, Fiona Whelan Prine, addressed the Tennessee state legislature on June 2 in a push for absentee balloting to help reduce the spread of the virus. A federal judge essentially ratified her position by ruling that the state must allow all citizens to vote by mail.
Willie Nelson’s Luck Productions offers its own online benefit with A Night for Austin, a two-hour concert on June 10 that also will air on KEYE-TV Austin, raising money for the Texas capital’s community foundation. The show amasses at least 30 acts and personalities, including Paul Simon, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, James Taylor, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt and Renée Zellweger. The music rolls at ANightForAustin.com at 8 p.m. CT.
Eric Paslay will release a four-song EP, Heartbeat Higher, on July 3 in collabo-ration with engineer-producer F. Reid Shippen (Toby Keith, Dierks Bentley) and producer Tofer Brown (Little Big Town). Also on the way are Orville Peck’s Show Pony, an EP with a guest appearance by Shania Twain (due June 12), John Carter Cash’s Hey Crow! (June 19), a vinyl Barbara Mandrell album, After All These Years: A Collection (July 10) and Charley Crockett’s Welcome to Hard Times (July 31).
My Darling Vivian arrives in 16 select virtual theaters beginning June 19. The documentary delves into the life of Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash. Daughter Rosanne Cash has participated in some of the promotion surrounding the film, which lends to its credibility. Go here for market availability.
PRINE
Caylee Hammack (left) cooked up conversation with host Trisha Yearwood during the May 30 episode of the Food Network’s Trisha’s Southern Kitchen.
NASHVILLE & NATIONAL TOM ROLAND
Americana Music Assn. Forms Foundation With Rhiannon Giddens, Jackson Browne & More On Board
Artists Urge Music Companies To Donate To Fight Racial Injustice: Here Are The Ones That Have
Zoom Meetings, Google Hangouts, Cameo & More: The New Guest Appearance
Republic Records Bans The Term ‘Urban’ Within Label: ‘We Encourage The Music Industry To Follow Suit’
AEG to Make Significant Layoffs and Furlough Employees, Staff Memo Says
MUSIC NOTES
Top Headlines from .comClick on headlines below for more details
ON THIS DATE IN COUNTRY MUSIC
DAVIS
CO N TAC T: Joe Maimone 212.493.4427 | [email protected]
Ryan O’Donnell +447843437176 | [email protected]
Lee Ann Photoglo 615.376.7931 | [email protected]
Cynthia Mellow 615.352,0265 | [email protected]
Gene Smith 973.452.3528 | [email protected]
Marcia Olival 786.586.4901 | [email protected]
Debra Fink 213.448.5157 | [email protected]
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This special Gaming issue will highlight how artists, labels and promoters are harnessing major gaming platforms to market their music to a larger - and more engaged - audience. The editorial package will also spotlight other pioneering companies,executives and innovation at the intersection of music and gaming.
Behind every artist, songwriter and music producer is a trusted group of advisers who provide guidance, advice and negotiate deals. Billboard’s 6th annual Top Music Lawyers list will recognize the biggest names and most prominent legal mindsin the world of music and entertainment law. They are the deal makers behind the major contracts and lawsuits in the music industry.
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BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 13 OF 19
THOMPSON
Hot Country SongsHot Country SongsSALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
1 1 1 66 THE BONES HH No. 1 (14 weeks) HH Maren Morris G.KURSTIN (M.MORRIS,J.M.ROBBINS,L.J.VELTZ) COLUMBIA NASHVILLE
RC 1
2 2 2 42 CHASIN’ YOU Morgan Wallen J.MOI (J.MOORE,M.WALLEN,C.WISEMAN) BIG LOUD 4 2
3 3 3 58 I HOPE Gabby Barrett R.COPPERMAN (Z.KALE,J.M.NITE,G.BARRETT) WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WAR RC 2
4 4 4 21 DOES TO ME Luke Combs Featuring Eric Church S.MOFFATT (L.COMBS,R.M.L.FULCHER,T.M.REEVE) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 2 4
l5 6 6 34 I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW HH Airplay Gainer HH Carly Pearce & Lee Brice BUSBEE (C.PEARCE,L.COMBS,R.MONTANA,J.SINGLETON) CURB/BIG MACHINE
3 5
l6 8 9 17 HARD TO FORGET Sam Hunt Z.CROWELL,L.LAIRD (S.L.HUNT,A.GORLEY,L.LAIRD,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE,A.GRISHAM,M.J.SHURTZ,R.HULL) MCA NASHVILLE 9 6
l7 7 7 34 AFTER A FEW Travis Denning J.S.STOVER (T.DENNING,K.ARCHER,J.WEAVER) MERCURY 1 7
8 5 5 25 NOBODY BUT YOU Blake Shelton Duet With Gwen Stefani S.HENDRICKS (T.L.JAMES,R.COPPERMAN,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WMN 5 2
l9 10 10 12 ONE MARGARITA Luke Bryan J.STEVENS,J.STEVENS (M.R.CARTER,M.DRAGSTREM,J.THOMPSON) ROW CROP/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 8 9
l10 11 11 27 BLUEBIRD Miranda Lambert J.JOYCE (M.LAMBERT,L.DICK,N.HEMBY) VANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 10 10
l11 13 12 15 HERE AND NOW HH Streaming Gainer HH Kenny Chesney B.CANNON,K.CHESNEY (C.WISEMAN,D.L.MURPHY,D.A.GARCIA) BLUE CHAIR/WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WEA
6 11
12 9 8 23 BEER CAN’T FIX Thomas Rhett Featuring Jon Pardi D.HUFF,J.BUNETTA,THOMAS RHETT (THOMAS RHETT,J.BUNETTA,Z.SKELTON,R.B.TEDDER) VALORY RC 6
l13 18 18 10 BE A LIGHT HH Digital Gainer HH Thomas Rhett Featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban D.HUFF (THOMAS RHETT,M.DRAGSTREM,J.MILLER,J.THOMPSON) VALORY
16 13
14 12 16 11 I LOVE MY COUNTRY Florida Georgia Line C.CROWDER,T.HUBBARD,B.KELLEY (K.BROWN,C.CROWDER,R.C.MCGILL,E.K.SMITH,CHARLIE HANDSOME,W.WEATHERLY) BMLG 12 12
l15 15 13 31 IN BETWEEN Scotty McCreery F.ROGERS (S.MCCREERY,F.ROGERS,J.L.ALEXANDER,J.SINGLETON) TRIPLE TIGERS 7 13
l16 16 15 46 DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART Maddie & Tae J.M.ROBBINS,D.WELLS (M.MARLOW,T.DYE,J.SINGLETON,D.RUTTAN) MERCURY 18 15
l17 14 14 14 GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME Keith Urban K.URBAN,D.MCCARROLL (C.AUGUST,M.CARTER,SHY CARTER,J.T.SLATER) HIT RED/CAPITOL NASHVILLE 13 14
l18 17 17 25 DRINKING ALONE Carrie Underwood D.GARCIA,C.UNDERWOOD (C.UNDERWOOD,D.A.GARCIA,BRETT JAMES) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 15 17
l19 23 28 17 GOT WHAT I GOT Jason Aldean M.KNOX (M.TYLER,A.PALMER,T.ARCHER) MACON/BROKEN BOW 26 19
l20 19 21 25 ONE BIG COUNTRY SONG LOCASH 770 PRODUCTIONS (J.FRASURE,A.GORLEY,M.W.HARDY) WHEELHOUSE 11 19
l21 20 24 18 WHY WE DRINK Justin Moore J.S.STOVER,S.BORCHETTA (J.MOORE,C.BEATHARD,D.L.MURPHY,J.S.STOVER) VALORY 14 20
l22 26 26 8 ONE OF THEM GIRLS Lee Brice B.GLOVER,K.JACOBS,L.BRICE (A.GORLEY,B.JOHNSON,D.DAVIDSON,L.BRICE) CURB 31 22
l23 24 25 23 ONE BEER HARDY Featuring Lauren Alaina & Devin Dawson J.MOI,D.WELLS (M.W.HARDY,H.LINDSEY,J.MITCHELL) BIG LOUD 29 23
24 21 20 7 COOL AGAIN Kane Brown D.HUFF (K.BROWN,J.HODGES,M.MCGINN,L.RIMES) RCA NASHVILLE 19 12
l25 25 27 23 ONE NIGHT STANDARDS Ashley McBryde J.JOYCE (A.MCBRYDE,S.MCANALLY,N.HAYFORD) ATLANTIC/WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WAR 20 23
Hot Country Songs
1 #1 10 WKS LUKE COMBS
2 CRAIG WISEMAN
3 SHANE MCANALLY
4 JOSH THOMPSON
5 JONATHAN SINGLETON
TIE 6 LAURA VELTZ
TIE 6 MAREN MORRIS
8 MORGAN WALLEN
9 JIMMY ROBBINS
10 JON NITE
1 #1 12 WKS JOEY MOI
2 DANN HUFF
3 GREG KURSTIN
4 ROSS COPPERMAN
5 JEREMY STOVER
6 JAY JOYCE
7 SCOTT MOFFATT
8 BUSBEE
9 SCOTT HENDRICKS
10 ZACH CROWELL
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).
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 14 OF 19
The week’s most popular country songs, ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen Music, sales data as compiled by Nielsen Music and streaming activity data from online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. Descending titles below No. 25 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks.
Hot Country SongsSALES, AIRPLAY & STREAMING DATA COMPILED BY
THIS WEEK
LAST WEEK
TWO WEEKS
AGOWKS ON CHART
TITLE Artist PRODUCER (SONGWRITER) IMPRINT / PROMOTION LABEL
COUNTRY AIRPLAY
RANKPEAK
POSITION
l26 28 30 15 DONE Chris Janson C.JANSON,T.CECIL (C.JANSON,M.OGLESBY,J.PAULIN,M.ROY) WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE/WAR 17 26
27 22 19 5 SIX FEET APART Luke Combs C.MATTHEWS,L.COMBS (L.COMBS,B.COBB,R.SNYDER) RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 36 10
l28 27 23 7 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Morgan Wallen J.MOI (M.W.HARDY,E.K.SMITH,CHARLIE HANDSOME,M.WALLEN) BIG LOUD 53 12
l29 38 41 12 SHE’S MINE Kip Moore K.MOORE (K.MOORE,D.COUCH,S.STEPAKOFF) MCA NASHVILLE 25 29
l30 36 36 5 I CALLED MAMA Tim McGraw T.MCGRAW,B.GALLIMORE (M.GREEN,L.MILLER,J.YEARY) MCGRAW/BIG MACHINE 21 22
l31 32 47 11 LOVE YOU LIKE I USED TO Russell Dickerson D.HUFF,C.BROWN,R.DICKRESON (R.DICKERSON,C.BROWN,P.WELLING) TRIPLE TIGERS 41 31
l32 33 32 8 CHAMPAGNE NIGHT Lady Antebellum S.MCANALLY,A.DEROBERTS (D.HAYWOOD,C.KELLEY,H.SCOTT,P.CONROY,E.R.DEAN,A.DEROBERTS,T.A.GEMZA,S.MCANALLY,M.R.MERLO,R.B.TEDDER,D.THOMSON) BMLG 37 27
l33 31 33 6 AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY Jon Pardi B.BUTLER,R.GORE,J.PARDI (B.KINNEY,J.THOMPSON) CAPITOL NASHVILLE 33 31
l34 35 34 17 MY TRUCK Breland KAL V,T.TAYLOR (D.BRELAND,T.TAYLOR,K.AUSTIN,D.BARTON,T.ZEIGLER) BAD REALM/ATLANTIC - 26
l35 39 39 11 SOME GIRLS Jameson Rodgers C.FARREN,M.J.CONES (M.W.HARDY,J.MITCHELL,C.J. SOLAR) COMBUSTION/RIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 24 35
36 30 31 11 THE OTHER GIRL Kelsea Ballerini x Halsey R.COPPERMAN,S.MCANALLY,K.BALLERINI (K.BALLERINI,S.MCANALLY,R.COPPERMAN,A.FRANGIPANE) BLACK RIVER RC 19
l37 41 40 5 LADY Brett Young D.HUFF (B.YOUNG,R.COPPERMAN,J.M.NITE) BMLG 50 22
l38 45 44 17 GETTING GOOD Lauren Alaina D.GARCIA (E.L.WEISBAND) 19/MERCURY 42 33
l39 46 45 5 PRETTY HEART Parker McCollum JON RANDALL (P.MCCOLLUM,R.MONTANA) MCA NASHVILLE 27 39
40 34 — 3 ALMOST MAYBES Jordan Davis P.DIGIOVANNI (J.DAVIS,J.FRASURE,H.LINDSEY) MCA NASHVILLE 58 34
41 37 37 16 JUST THE WAY Parmalee x Blanco Brown D.FANNING (M.THOMAS,K.BARD,N.W.SIPE) STONEY CREEK 59 31
l42 43 38 27 WHAT COULD’VE BEEN Gone West J.KENNEY (C.CAILLAT,J.K.YOUNG,J.REEVES,D.J.REEVES,J.KENNEY) TRIPLE TIGERS 30 34
l43 44 43 11 EVERYWHERE BUT ON Matt Stell A.BOWERS,M.STELL (M.STELL,P.SIKES,L.MILLER) RECORDS/ARISTA NASHVILLE 28 37
44 40 42 11 SOME PEOPLE DO Old Dominion S.MCANALLY (M.RAMSEY,J.FRASURE,S.MCANALLY,THOMAS RHETT) RCA NASHVILLE 35 39
l45 47 46 4 NO I IN BEER Brad Paisley L.WOOTEN,D.HUFF (B.PAISLEY,K.LOVELACE) ARISTA NASHVILLE 23 45
l46 RE-ENTRY 4 MOMMA’S HOUSE Dustin Lynch Z.CROWELL (D.SCHNEIDER,M.LOTTEN,R.CLAWSON,J.T.WILSON) BROKEN BOW 40 46
l47 49 49 6 TO HELL & BACK Maren Morris BUSBEE,M.MORRIS (M.MORRIS,J.J.DILLON,L.J.VELTZ) COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 47 44
l48 48 48 4 CHEATIN’ SONGS Midland D.HUFF,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE (J.CARSON,C.DUDDY,M.WYSTRACH,S.MCANALLY,J.OSBORNE) BIG MACHINE 32 45
l49 50 — 3 GOOD TIME Niko Moon N.MOON,J.MURTY (N.MOON,J.MINTON,A.MOON,J.MURTY,M.TRUSSELL) RCA NASHVILLE 49 45
l50 RE-ENTRY 7 THIS IS US Jimmie Allen & Noah Cyrus A.BOWERS (N.CYRUS,T.HUBBARD,J.M.SCHMIDT,I.JUBER,D.EMILE II) RECORDS/COLUMBIA/STONEY CREEK 54 43
For inquiries about any Nielsen Music 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 1,284,000 1,340,416,000 127,461,000
Last Week 1,264,000 1,527,431,000 133,634,000
Change 1.6% -12.2% -4.6%
This Week Last Year 1,141,000 1,123,654,000 280,874,000
Change 12.5% 19.3% -54.6%
WEEKLY UNIT COUNT YEAR-OVER-YEAR
2019 2020 CHANGE
Album Consumption 22,369,000 24,792,000 10.8%
Album Sales 4,391,000 3,675,000 -16.3%
Audio On-Demand 21,888,667,000 26,518,573,000 21.2%
Video On-Demand 5,736,212,000 3,088,739,000 -46.2%
YEAR-TO-DATE
ALBUM CONSUMPTION’19
’20
TOTAL ON-DEMAND STREAMS’19
’20
27.62 billion
22.36 million
29.60 billion
24.79 million
All data measures U.S. activity as of the week ending June 4, 2020. 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. Nielsen Music/MRC Data has reprocessed year-to-date figures to account for a change in methodology, resulting in a restatement in streaming data from a provider, which has resulted in a shift in some previously reported data, most notably for video streams.
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 15 OF 19
The week’s top-streamed and top-selling paid download country songs, respectively, from sales reports collected and provided by Nielsen Music. Charts update weekly on Tuesdays at www.Billboard.Biz/charts. Copyright 2020, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. 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 Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2020, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
Americana/Folk Albums ranks the most popular Americana/folk albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums). Copyright 2020, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
AMERICANA/ FOLK ALBUMS
SALES, DATA COMPILED BY
THIS
W
EEK
LAST
W
EEK
2 W
EEKS
A
GO
WEE
KS
ON
CH
T
ARTIST TITLEIMPRINT & NUMBER / DISTRIBUTING LABEL
CERT
.
PEA
K
POS.
l1 NEW 1 JIMMY BUFFETT LIFE ON THE FLIP SIDEMAILBOAT 2173 (*) 1
2 1 2 30 LUKE COMBS WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GETRIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 595687*/SMN 1
3 2 3 105 MORGAN WALLEN IF I KNOW MEBIG LOUD 783* 0 2
4 3 4 157 LUKE COMBS THIS ONE’S FOR YOURIVER HOUSE/COLUMBIA NASHVILLE 538883*/SMN 3 1
l5 NEW 1 KIP MOORE WILD WORLDMCA NASHVILLE 032058/UMGN (*) 5
6 4 5 9 SAM HUNT SOUTHSIDEMCA NASHVILLE 031776*/UMGN 1
l7 NEW 1 DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY CHAPTER I: SNAKE OILMAD DECENT DIGITAL EX/COLUMBIA 7
8 6 6 25 BLAKE SHELTON FULLY LOADED: GOD’S COUNTRYWARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 607343/WMN 0 1
9 7 7 266 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY 019405*/UMGN 4 1
10 8 8 65 MAREN MORRIS GIRLCOLUMBIA NASHVILLE 590186*/SMN 0 1
l11 14 9 5 KENNY CHESNEY HERE AND NOWBLUE CHAIR/WARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 631374/WMN 1
12 10 13 252 ZAC BROWN BAND GREATEST HITS SO FAR...ROAR/SOUTHERN GROUND/ATLANTIC 546369/AG 3
13 9 10 53 THOMAS RHETT CENTER POINT ROADVALORY TR0400A*/BMLG 0 1
14 11 11 82 KANE BROWN EXPERIMENTZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE /SMN 1 1
15 12 12 102 DAN + SHAY DAN + SHAYWARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 570796/WMN 1 1
16 15 15 32 OLD DOMINION OLD DOMINIONRCA NASHVILLE 589183*/SMN 1
17 17 14 183 KANE BROWN KANE BROWNZONE 4/RCA NASHVILLE 530947*/SMN 2 1
l18 30 28 28 JASON ALDEAN 9MACON/BROKEN BOW/BMG 32944*/BBMG 1
l19 RE-ENTRY 217 TIM MCGRAW NUMBER ONE HITSCURB 79205 (13.98) 1 6
20 19 17 64 ELVIS PRESLEY THE ESSENTIAL ELVIS PRESLEYRCA/SONY STRATEGIC MARKETING GROUP 89048*/LEGACY (25.98) 1 12
21 18 19 214 GEORGE STRAIT 50 NUMBER ONESMCA NASHVILLE 000459/UMGN (25.98) 7 1
22 20 21 241 BLAKE SHELTON RELOADED: 20 #1 HITSWARNER MUSIC NASHVILLE 551788/WMN 2
23 22 16 11 KELSEA BALLERINI KELSEABLACK RIVER 2020* 2
24 5 — 2 FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE 6-PACK (EP)BMLG DIGITAL EX 5
25 23 23 31 MIRANDA LAMBERT WILDCARDVANNER/RCA NASHVILLE 597873*/SMN 1
COUNTRY STREAMING SONGS
STREAMING & SALES DATA COMPILED BY
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1 1 9 ONE MARGARITA LUKE BRYAN
l2 4 13 HARD TO FORGET SAM HUNT
l3 15 10 BE A LIGHT THOMAS RHETT F/R. MCENTIRE, H. SCOTT, C. TOMLIN & K. URBAN
4 5 25 NOBODY BUT YOU BLAKE SHELTON DUET WITH GWEN STEFANI
l5 6 18 CHASIN’ YOU MORGAN WALLEN
l6 7 18 DOES TO ME LUKE COMBS FEAT. ERIC CHURCH
l7 10 42 THE BONES MAREN MORRIS
l8 11 12 BLUEBIRD MIRANDA LAMBERT
9 8 40 I HOPE GABBY BARRETT
l10 13 8 CHAMPAGNE NIGHT LADY ANTEBELLUM
l11 NEW WHEN LIFE IS GOOD AGAIN DOLLY PARTON
12 9 5 SIX FEET APART LUKE COMBS
13 12 17 BEER CAN’T FIX THOMAS RHETT FEAT. JON PARDI
l14 19 6 GOT WHAT I GOT JASON ALDEAN
l15 NEW WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL KANE BROWN
l16 16 27 I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE
l17 RE-ENTRY HEARTLESS DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY FEAT. MORGAN WALLEN
l18 NEW HOMETOWN DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY FEAT. ZAC BROWN & DANIELLE BRADBERY
19 17 35 MY WISH RASCAL FLATTS
20 14 5 I LOVE MY COUNTRY FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
21 18 224 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
l22 21 9 GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME KEITH URBAN
23 3 3 SECOND GUESSING FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l24 25 5 ONE OF THEM GIRLS LEE BRICE
l25 24 2 WHY WE DRINK JUSTIN MOORE
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l1 3 42 HEARTLESS DIPLO PRESENTS THOMAS WESLEY FEAT. MORGAN WALLEN
2 1 32 I HOPE GABBY BARRETT
3 2 22 CHASIN’ YOU MORGAN WALLEN
l4 4 48 THE BONES MAREN MORRIS
l5 5 10 DOES TO ME LUKE COMBS FEAT. ERIC CHURCH
l6 8 9 HARD TO FORGET SAM HUNT
7 6 17 I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW CARLY PEARCE & LEE BRICE
l8 10 68 WHISKEY GLASSES MORGAN WALLEN
9 7 165 TENNESSEE WHISKEY CHRIS STAPLETON
l10 13 5 BLUEBIRD MIRANDA LAMBERT
11 9 41 ONE MAN BAND OLD DOMINION
l12 15 109 BEAUTIFUL CRAZY LUKE COMBS
13 12 8 AFTER A FEW TRAVIS DENNING
14 11 19 NOBODY BUT YOU BLAKE SHELTON DUET WITH GWEN STEFANI
l15 17 132 MEANT TO BE BEBE REXHA & FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE
l16 NEW HERE AND NOW KENNY CHESNEY
17 16 35 10,000 HOURS DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER
18 14 6 BEER CAN’T FIX THOMAS RHETT FEAT. JON PARDI
19 18 56 BEER NEVER BROKE MY HEART LUKE COMBS
l20 NEW GOT WHAT I GOT JASON ALDEAN
21 19 3 ONE MARGARITA LUKE BRYAN
l22 22 6 MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN MORGAN WALLEN
l23 NEW ONE OF THEM GIRLS LEE BRICE
l24 RE-ENTRY ONE BEER HARDY FEAT. LAUREN ALAINA & DEVIN DAWSON
l25 23 111 TEQUILA DAN + SHAY
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l1 NEW 1 JIMMY BUFFETT LIFE ON THE FLIP SIDEMAILBOAT 2173 (*) 1
2 1 2 212 CHRIS STAPLETON TRAVELLERMERCURY NASHVILLE 019405*/UMGN 4 1
3 4 5 64 TYLER CHILDERS PURGATORYHICKMAN HOLLER 001*/THIRTY TIGERS 3
4 3 3 114 KACEY MUSGRAVES GOLDEN HOURMCA NASHVILLE 027921*/UMGN 0 1
5 7 7 258 HOZIER HOZIERRUBYWORKS 309996*/COLUMBIA 2 1
6 6 6 175 SIMON & GARFUNKEL SIMON AND GARFUNKEL’S GREATEST HITSCOLUMBIA 31350/LEGACY 3
7 9 8 169 JACK JOHNSON IN BETWEEN DREAMSJACK JOHNSON/BRUSHFIRE /REPUBLIC (13.98) 2 6
8 12 9 217 THE LUMINEERS CLEOPATRADUALTONE 1738* 1 1
9 11 4 141 JAMES TAYLOR GREATEST HITSWARNER BROS. 78094/RHINO (11.98) 4
10 10 10 80 JOHN MELLENCAMP THE BEST THAT I COULD DO 1978 - 1988MERCURY 536738*/UME (11.98/17.98) 3 6
Bluegrass Albums ranks the most popular bluegrass albums of the week, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on album sales. Copyright 2020, Prometheus Global Media, LLC and Nielsen Music, Inc. All rights reserved.
BLUEGRASS ALBUMS
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l1 6 6 7 THE WHITE BUFFALO ON THE WIDOW’S WALKSNAKEFARM 862780* 1
l2 NEW 1 JAKE BLOUNT SPIDER TALESJAKE BLOUNT 0097*/FREE DIRT 2
3 1 1 36 BILLY STRINGS HOMEROUNDER 610063*/CONCORD 1
l4 NEW 1 DOC WATSON AND GAITHER CARLTON DOC WATSON AND GAITHER CARLTONSMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS 40235* 4
l5 RE-ENTRY 2 JIM WHITE AND MARISA ANDERSON THE QUICKENINGTHRILL JOCKEY 511* 4
l6 4 5 17 THE STEELDRIVERS BAD FOR YOUROUNDER 610080*/CONCORD 1
7 2 2 34 THE DEAD SOUTH SUGAR & JOYSIX SHOOTER 129* 1
8 3 3 70 MANDOLIN ORANGE TIDES OF A TEARDROPYEP ROC 2638* 1
l9 RE-ENTRY 8 WU FEI & ABIGAIL WASHBURN WU FEI & ABIGAIL WASHBURNSMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS 40236* 1
l10 RE-ENTRY 3 CHOSEN ROAD APPALACHIAN WORSHIP: DELUXE EDITIONSONG GARDEN 1255 5
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 16 OF 19
Ask Tim McGraw about the birds singing in his new single, “I Called Mama,” and he’ll give you an amused look that essentially says there are no birds.
“I know what you’re talking about,” he says. “The little squeaky thing in the front.”
Yes, that’s it. But no, there are no birds.Instead, it’s acoustic guitarist Ilya Toshinsky, who creates some high-
pitched noise as his fingers slip across the nylon strings in the opening bars. Some might con-sider the sound an imperfection, but there’s something apropos about it, supporting a lyric that revolves around the serenity of nature’s greenery and a reflection about the cycle of life.
Two of the three “I Called Mama” song-writers — Jimmy Yeary (“I Drive Your Truck,” “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”) and Lance Miller (“Beer With Jesus,” “Drink to That All Night”) — thought the squeak was birds, too, underscoring just how sensitively the produc-tion works.
“The first time I heard the cut, I was blown away at the simplicity of it,” says Yeary. “And I thought Tim sounded genuinely emotional. You could tell that he was totally believing these lyrics, and that was so important.”
That Yeary holds that view is significant: “I Called Mama” is an account of his own effort to find real-world peace during an emotionally difficult moment. Around the beginning of the year, he got word that a mentor from out of state had been found dead in the shower. The loss hit him hard, and he drove from his Hendersonville, Tenn., home to Old Hickory Lake so he could spend a little time alone and try to make sense of things.
“I just parked and started thinking about how fleeting life is and how unex-pected, you know, like nothing’s guaranteed,” recalls Yeary. “I was kind of caught up in the blessings of life and feeling gratitude for things that are important to me, not the least of which is my mom. I started thinking, ‘This could have been her, but it wasn’t.’ So I just decided to call her. I didn’t tell her that I had lost a good friend, but I did tell her that I was thinking about what was important.”
Afterward, the experience struck Yeary as something worth document-ing in a song, so he sketched out a good portion of the “I Called Mama” cho-rus and put it aside for another day. On Feb. 3, he had a writing appointment scheduled with Miller and Marv Green (“Shotgun Rider,” “Wasted”), and he went for a run, a ritual Yeary uses to clear his mind and organize his thoughts before a cowrite. The preparation was a good investment of time, since the story about his late friend and the musical bones he already had developed were enough to interest his cohorts.
“This guy was in his early 50s,” notes Miller. “Jimmy started telling that story and playing that little Glen Campbell kind of [guitar] melody, and that first verse started coming to him and we were off to the races.”
The first verse recounted the fateful phone call about Yeary’s friend and slipped effortlessly into the chorus, which is notable for its understated open-ing. The first line had him stopping at a Kwik Sak for a Slim Jim and a Coke — they later changed the store to a Texaco — and followed the drive to a quiet place that allowed the singer to focus on the natural environment: the water, a blue sky and a couple of live oak trees — the latter a phrase that harkens to another introspective story song, Don Williams’ “Good Ole Boys Like Me.”
“When I said that, all I could do was think about the Santa Ana Valley, where I grew up,” says Green of those oak trees.
But that also made “I Called Mama” a little more universal.“Live oak trees are true to a lot of places,” observes Green. “I’ve seen mes-
sages on my Instagram or Facebook, and they’re like, ‘I know what you were thinking of on that live oak tree line.’ They’re around.”
The second verse detailed the actual phone call: the wait while it rings on the other end, the upbeat reception when Mom picks up the call and the emotional
tone of the conversation. The guy is clearly aware it’s a benefit that his parents are still here.
“The landing strip of the song being that call to Mom, and just wanting to hear Mom’s voice, it seemed really relevant to go deeper into how special those calls are,” says Yeary.
They gave it a t wo-line bridge to em-phasize the life-changing sentiment of the friend’s death and the subsequent phone call, then captured it all with Yeary singing lead on a quick work tape that left a lot of room for interpretation.
“It’s got a couple of guys playing acous-tic guitar and me doing what I call my drunk bass-player harmony,” says Green. “It could go anywhere.”
Within hours, it went to McGraw. Miller had thought it would be a match in the middle of the writing session, and it wasn’t long before he received confirmation.
“It took him about 15 minutes, and he hit me back and said, ‘This is great. Don’t play it for anybody quite yet. I want some time with it,’ ” remembers Miller.
The family sentiment moved McGraw, but he also felt a connection to the part that had so clearly represented California to Green.
“I grew up in the middle of oak trees, and I grew up on the bayou, and I mean literally 20 feet from my back door,” says McGraw. “It was just part of my childhood. The first thing I thought of when that part of that chorus came up was Louisiana for sure.”
Five weeks later — on March 10, which happens to be McGraw’s mother’s birthday — he recorded the track with co-producer Byron Gallimore (Faith Hill, Sugarland), focusing on the sensitivity that was suggested by the song’s lyrics and the spare work tape.
“I wanted the song to have this sort of shimmer to it,” says McGraw. “I wanted it to feel almost like the sun shining on a lake, if you can picture that.”
Toshinsky’s birdlike finger noise and Shannon Forrest’s hypnotic shaker create some of that natural atmosphere. The outdoorsy feel and the personal message were timely — the session took place the day before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, forcing most Americans to begin living in self-isolation. Since then, many citizens have been reconsid-ering their priorities, mirroring the sentiment that led Yeary to initiate the song in the first place.
“It just kept speaking to everybody — I mean everybody — in my camp,” notes McGraw. “There was something cathartic and magical about it in a way. I think that that’s why we all just sort of decided that this was the song to go with.”
McGraw conveyed the choice to Miller in an April 20 FaceTime chat — “I felt like I’d won the Publishers Clearing House,” says Miller — and Big Machine released it to country radio on May 8, the same day that American Greetings unveiled a Mother’s Day card that incorporates “I Called Mama.” It rises to No. 21 on the Country Airplay chart dated June 13 in its fifth week on the list.
“It has a simple message to it,” says McGraw, “but it just means so much.”
MAKIN’ TRACKS TOM ROLAND [email protected]
McGRAW
‘I Called Mama’: Tim McGraw’s Simple Message For A Challenging Time
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 17 OF 19
Country Airplay IndexA
AFTER A FEW I’m About To Go RED On Ya Music, BMI/Travis Denning Music, BMI/ole, BMI/Crack The Glass Songs, BMI/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Sound Wagon Songs, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP (T.Denning, K.Archer, J.Weaver) 1
AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Whiskey Tub Music, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (B.Kinney, J.Thompson) 33
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) 48
ALMOST MAYBES Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/Anthem Entertainment, ASCAP/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (J.Davis, J.Frasure, H.Lindsey) 58
B
BE A LIGHT EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (Thomas Rhett, M.Dragstrem, J.Miller, J.Thompson) 16
BIG, BIG PLANS Magic Mustang Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI (J.Durrett, C.Lane, E.K.Smith) 43
BLUEBIRD Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Wrucke For You Publishing, BMI (M.Lambert, L.Dick, N.Hemby) 10
C
CHAMPAGNE NIGHT WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Haywoodja Cut That Song, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/RADIOBULLETSPublishing, BMI/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/EKT Publishing, SESAC/Sllaight Music Publishing, SOCAN/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Dat Damn Dean Music, BMI/Songs In The Key Of Claire, ASCAP/Patriot Games Publishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/G23 Publishing, SESAC/Eligible Music dba Songland Television Publishing, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC/Tempo Investments, GMR/Smackwood Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/MerloJamsPublishing, ASCAP/Deluge Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Write Me A Song Publishing, GMR/Downtown Global Two, GMR (D.Haywood, C.Kelley, H.Scott, P.Conroy, E.R.Dean, A.DeRoberts, T.A.Gemza, S.McAnally, M.R.Merlo, R.B.Tedder, D.Thomson) 37
CHASIN’ YOU BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Team Destiny, ASCAP/JMZL Music, ASCAP/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Toe Rocker, ASCAP (J.Moore, M.Wallen, C.Wiseman) 4
CHEATIN’ SONGS WC Music Corp., ASCAP/TipTop Music, ASCAP/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Kitt Cass Publishing Corporation, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 32
COOL AGAIN Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Songs For Owen Music, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/McGinntellectual Property, SESAC/True Blue Works, SESAC/RP Music, SESAC/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Koala T Tunes, BMI (K.Brown, J.Hodges, M.McGinn, L.Rimes) 19
D
DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART Super Big Music, ASCAP/Seven Red Brids Publishing, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Jehovah Nissi Music, BMI/Jett Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Doc And Maggie Music, SOCAN/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (M.Marlow, T.Dye, J.Singleton, D.Ruttan) 18
DOES TO ME Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Larkin Hill Publishing, BMI/Kirbfinder’s Mucho Love Music, BMI (L.Combs, R.M.L.Fulcher, T.M.Reeve) 2
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
DONE ole Red Vinyl Music, BMI/Buckkilla Music, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Songsfortatum Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Rounding Third Publishing, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Mitchell Marlow Music, ASCAP/KJM Music Publishing, ASCAP (C.Janson, M.Oglesby, J.Paulin, M.Roy) 17
DRINKING ALONE Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood-Benson Songs, BMI/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 15
E
EVERYWHERE BUT ON Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Presley Jake Music, SESAC (M.Stell, P.Sikes, L.Miller) 28
G
GABRIELLE One O’Clock Road, Inc., BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Bearkiller Music, BMI/Concord Publishing, BMI/International Dog Music, BMI/Royal Peach Publishing, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI (B.Eldredge, I.Fitchuk, D.Tashian) 46
GETTING GOOD Weistribe Publishing, ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (E.L.Weisband) 42
GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Gold Leaf Pages, ASCAP/Micah Carter Publishing Designee, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, BMI/Worldwide EMG Music B, BMI/Bro 2 Bro Publishing, BMI (C.August, M.Carter, Shy Carter, J.T.Slater) 13
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) 49
GOT WHAT I GOT Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Alexander Palmer Songs, BMI/MV2 Music, BMI/Hits Like Hurricane, BMI (M.Tyler, A.Palmer, T.Archer) 26
H
HARD DAYS Not Listed (Not Listed) 39
HARD TO FORGET Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Between the Pines, LLC, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Suzanne James Songs, GMR/Unichappell Music, Inc., BMI/Smackstreet Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP/Jamie Music Publishing Co., BMI (S.L.Hunt, A.Gorley, L.Laird, S.McAnally, J.Osborne, A.Grisham, M.J.Shurtz, R.Hull) 9
HERE AND NOW Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Toe Rocker, ASCAP/Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/4TheKidz Music, ASCAP (C.Wiseman, D.L.Murphy, D.A.Garcia) 6
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/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, 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) 57
I
I CALLED MAMA All Night Linda Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC/Still Working For All Inc., SESAC/Sonic Style Music, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC/Cedar Church Music, BMI (M.Green, L.Miller, J.Yeary) 21
I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/For The Kids Gold, ASCAP/Redfeather Publishing, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (C.Pearce, L.Combs, R.Montana, J.Singleton) 3
I LOVE MY COUNTRY Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Big Tree Vibez Music, BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI (K.Brown, C.Crowder, R.C.McGill, E.K.Smith, Charlie Handsome, W.Weatherly) 12
IN BETWEEN Dagum Music, BMI/Austintatious Tunes, BMI/Spirit Cataloge Holdings, S.A.R.L./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Party Of Five Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP (S.McCreery, F.Rogers, J.L.Alexander, J.Singleton) 7
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) 59
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) 50
LONELY IF YOU ARE Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Dack Janiels Publishing, BMI/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Koala T Tunes, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Who Wants To Buy My Publishing, ASCAP (C.Rice, L.Rimes, H.Phelps) 22
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) 41
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) 52
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) 40
MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, 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) 53
N
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) 51
NOBODY BUT YOU EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Endurance Romeo Charlie, BMI/Smack Of Ham Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP/Still Working For The Man Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (T.L.James, R.Copperman, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 5
NO I IN BEER New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Own My Own Music Publishing, ASCAP (B.Paisley, K.Lovelace) 23
NOW YOU KNOW Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Murphy The Wolf Music, BMI/Five Miles West Songs, BMI/Don’t Be A Gypsy, BMI (J.Langston, B.Clawson, B.Berryhill) 38
O
ONE BEER Relative Music Group, BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/West Pass Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (M.W.Hardy, H.Lindsey, J.Mitchell) 29
ONE BIG COUNTRY SONG Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (J.Frasure, A.Gorley, M.W.Hardy) 11
ONE MARGARITA Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/243 Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (M.R.Carter, M.Dragstrem, J.Thompson) 8
ONE NIGHT STANDARDS Canned Biscuit Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/I Love RHA, SESAC/Smackworks Music, SESAC/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC (A.McBryde, S.McAnally, N.Hayford) 20
ONE OF THEM GIRLS Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Big Blue Nation Music, ASCAP/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Love Cannons Publishing, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (A.Gorley, B.Johnson, D.Davidson, L.Brice) 31
P
PRETTY HEART Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Parkermac Publishing, BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (P.McCollum, R.Montana) 27
S
SENIOR YEAR Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Combustion Music, BMI (D.Baldridge, T.Nichols, J.Walker) 56
SHE’S MINE Music Of Stage Three, BMI/Songs Of Cornman, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Songs From The Couch, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (K.Moore, D.Couch, S.Stepakoff) 25
SIX FEET APART Luke Combs Publishing Designee, BMI/Tiltawhirl Music, BMI/Teefus Criley’s Tunes, BMI/Carnival Music Publishing, BMI/Works Of 50 Egg Music, BMI/Catch Your Dream Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/(SKMP), BMI (L.Combs, B.Cobb, R.Snyder) 36
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) 44
SOME GIRLS Harding Road Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Watsky Music, LLC, BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/West Pass Music, BMI/New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP (M.W.Hardy, J.Mitchell, C.J. Solar) 24
SOME PEOPLE DO WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI (M.Ramsey, J.Frasure, S.McAnally, Thomas Rhett) 35
T
THAT’S WHY I LOVE DIRT ROADS Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Climbing Windmills Music, BMI/EMI April Music, Inc., ASCAP/CDS Words And Music, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/Spruce Road Publishing, GMR/Nite Writer Music, ASCAP (C. DeStefano, J.M.Nite, B.Rempel, G.Smith) 55
THIS IS US KMR II GT Publishing Limited, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Sparko Phone Music, BMI/Medina Sound, BMI/DII Music LLC, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP (N.Cyrus, T.Hubbard, J.M.Schmidt, I.Juber, D.Emile II) 54
TO HELL & BACK International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Jay Gatsby Music, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (M.Morris, J.J.Dillon, L.J.Veltz) 47
W
WHATCHA DRINKIN ‘BOUT Rebel Engine Publishing LLC, BMI/Music Of Travellers Hollow, BMI/EbachMusic Publishing, ASCAP/Ryland Fisher Music, ASCAP/VibeCity Music, ASCAP (S.Quayle, R.Fisher, J.Ebach) 60
WHAT COULD’VE BEEN Maliburrito Music, BMI/Elehala Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/MRMD Music, BMI/Songs From Outter Space Music, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Carver Music, ASCAP (C.Caillat, J.K.Young, J.Reeves, D.J.Reeves, J.Kenney) 30
WHAT I SEE Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Neon Cross Music, BMI/Concession 114 Music, BMI/Sony/ATV Countryside, BMI/Songs Of Freetown, BMI/Me Gusta Music, BMI/Abundantiam Publishing, BMI (T.Howell, B.Lancaster, C.B.Baldwin, J.N.Spillman) 45
WHY WE DRINK Big Music Machine, BMI/Double Barrel Ace Music, BMI/Seven Ring Circus Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP/Carol Vincent And Associates, LLC., ASCAP/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Real Big Red Tunes, ASCAP (J.Moore, C.Beathard, D.L.Murphy, J.S.Stover) 14
WORLDWIDE BEAUTIFUL Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Worldwide EMG Music B, BMI/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, BMI/hurdjamz, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP (K.Brown, Shy Carter, R.J.Hurd, J.M.Schmidt) 34
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 18 OF 19
Hot Country Songs IndexA
AFTER A FEW I’m About To Go RED On Ya Music, BMI/Travis Denning Music, BMI/ole, BMI/Crack The Glass Songs, BMI/Stars And Stripes And Maple Leaf Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Sound Wagon Songs, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Music Of The Corn, ASCAP (T.Denning, K.Archer, J.Weaver) 7
AIN’T ALWAYS THE COWBOY Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Whiskey Tub Music, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (B.Kinney, J.Thompson) 33
ALMOST MAYBES Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Jordan Davis Music, ASCAP/Anthem Entertainment, ASCAP/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (J.Davis, J.Frasure, H.Lindsey) 40
B
BE A LIGHT EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Jack 10 Publishing, BMI/Songs Of The Corn, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (Thomas Rhett, M.Dragstrem, J.Miller, J.Thompson) 13
BEER CAN’T FIX EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI/Music Of Big Family, BMI/Dragon Bunny Music, BMI/Patriot Games Publishing, ASCAP/Write Me A Song Publishing, GMR/Downtown Global Two, GMR (Thomas Rhett, J.Bunetta, Z.Skelton, R.B.Tedder) 12
BLUEBIRD Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/Pink Dog Publishing, BMI/Emileon Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Wrucke For You Publishing, BMI (M.Lambert, L.Dick, N.Hemby) 10
THE BONES International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Jammy Rabbins Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs Jimmy Robbins, ASCAP/Extraordinary Alien Publishing, ASCAP/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Heroes And Halos Music, BMI (M.Morris, J.M.Robbins, L.J.Veltz) 1
C
CHAMPAGNE NIGHT WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Haywoodja Cut That Song, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/RADIOBULLETSPublishing, BMI/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/EKT Publishing, SESAC/Sllaight Music Publishing, SOCAN/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Dat Damn Dean Music, BMI/Songs In The Key Of Claire, ASCAP/Patriot Games Publishing, ASCAP/Downtown DLJ Songs, ASCAP/G23 Publishing, SESAC/Eligible Music dba Songland Television Publishing, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC/Tempo Investments, GMR/Smackwood Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/MerloJamsPublishing, ASCAP/Deluge Music, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Write Me A Song Publishing, GMR/Downtown Global Two, GMR (D.Haywood, C.Kelley, H.Scott, P.Conroy, E.R.Dean, A.DeRoberts, T.A.Gemza, S.McAnally, M.R.Merlo, R.B.Tedder, D.Thomson) 32
CHASIN’ YOU BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Team Destiny, ASCAP/JMZL Music, ASCAP/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Toe Rocker, ASCAP (J.Moore, M.Wallen, C.Wiseman) 2
CHEATIN’ SONGS WC Music Corp., ASCAP/TipTop Music, ASCAP/Tropical Cowboy Publishing, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Kitt Cass Publishing Corporation, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP (J.Carson, C.Duddy, M.Wystrach, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 48
COOL AGAIN Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Songs For Owen Music, SESAC/Kobalt Group Music Publishing, SESAC/McGinntellectual Property, SESAC/True Blue Works, SESAC/RP Music, SESAC/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Koala T Tunes, BMI (K.Brown, J.Hodges, M.McGinn, L.Rimes) 24
TITLE Publishing-Licensing Org. (Songwriter) Chart Position
D
DIE FROM A BROKEN HEART Super Big Music, ASCAP/Seven Red Brids Publishing, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/Jehovah Nissi Music, BMI/Jett Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/Doc And Maggie Music, SOCAN/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (M.Marlow, T.Dye, J.Singleton, D.Ruttan) 16
DOES TO ME Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Works Of RHA, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Larkin Hill Publishing, BMI/Kirbfinder’s Mucho Love Music, BMI (L.Combs, R.M.L.Fulcher, T.M.Reeve) 4
DONE ole Red Vinyl Music, BMI/Buckkilla Music, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Songsfortatum Publishing, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Rounding Third Publishing, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Mitchell Marlow Music, ASCAP/KJM Music Publishing, ASCAP (C.Janson, M.Oglesby, J.Paulin, M.Roy) 26
DRINKING ALONE Carrie-Okie Music, BMI/Universal Music - Brentwood-Benson Songs, BMI/D Soul Music, ASCAP/Capitol CMG Genesis, ASCAP/Songs Of Brett, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP (C.Underwood, D.A.Garcia, Brett James) 18
E
EVERYWHERE BUT ON Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Pedal Down Music, ASCAP/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC/Presley Jake Music, SESAC (M.Stell, P.Sikes, L.Miller) 43
G
GETTING GOOD Weistribe Publishing, ASCAP/Thankful For This Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (E.L.Weisband) 38
GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/Gold Leaf Pages, ASCAP/Micah Carter Publishing Designee, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/You Want How Much Of What Publishing, BMI/Worldwide EMG Music B, BMI/Bro 2 Bro Publishing, BMI (C.August, M.Carter, Shy Carter, J.T.Slater) 17
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) 49
GOT WHAT I GOT Peertunes, Ltd., SESAC/MTNoize, SESAC/Peermusic III, Ltd., BMI/Alexander Palmer Songs, BMI/MV2 Music, BMI/Hits Like Hurricane, BMI (M.Tyler, A.Palmer, T.Archer) 19
H
HARD TO FORGET Universal Music Corp., ASCAP/Between the Pines, LLC, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Sony/ATV Story Music Publishing, GMR/We Are Creative Nation, GMR/Suzanne James Songs, GMR/Unichappell Music, Inc., BMI/Smackstreet Music, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP/Jamie Music Publishing Co., BMI (S.L.Hunt, A.Gorley, L.Laird, S.McAnally, J.Osborne, A.Grisham, M.J.Shurtz, R.Hull) 6
HERE AND NOW Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Red Toe Rocker, ASCAP/Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP/Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/4TheKidz Music, ASCAP (C.Wiseman, D.L.Murphy, D.A.Garcia) 11
I
I CALLED MAMA All Night Linda Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, BMI/BMG Silver Songs, SESAC/Still Working For All Inc., SESAC/Sonic Style Music, SESAC/BMG Cicada, SESAC/Cedar Church Music, BMI (M.Green, L.Miller, J.Yeary) 30
I HOPE Sony/ATV Countryside, 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) 3
I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY NOW BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP/For The Kids Gold, ASCAP/Redfeather Publishing, ASCAP/Big Music Machine, BMI/50 Egg Music, BMI/Straight Dimes Publishing, BMI/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (C.Pearce, L.Combs, R.Montana, J.Singleton) 5
I LOVE MY COUNTRY Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Kane Brown Music, BMI/Plum Nelly, BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Big Tree Vibez Music, BMI/Ern Dog Music, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Big Crowd Publishing, ASCAP/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Mandy’s Favorite Songs, BMI/Track House Worldwide Entertainment, BMI (K.Brown, C.Crowder, R.C.McGill, E.K.Smith, Charlie Handsome, W.Weatherly) 14
IN BETWEEN Dagum Music, BMI/Austintatious Tunes, BMI/Spirit Cataloge Holdings, S.A.R.L./Spirit Two Nashville, ASCAP/House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/Party Of Five Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Super Big Music, ASCAP/Jett Music, ASCAP (S.McCreery, F.Rogers, J.L.Alexander, J.Singleton) 15
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) 41
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) 37
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) 31
M
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) 46
MORE THAN MY HOMETOWN Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Tree Vibez Music, LLC, 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) 28
MY TRUCK Daniel Preland Publishing Designee, BMI/No Quincydence Music Publishing, BMI/Kalvin Austin, Publishing Designee, BMI/Devon Barton, Publishing Designee, BMI/E.MilesMusic, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI/Tatiana Zeigler Publishing Designee, BMI (D.Breland, T.Taylor, K.Austin, D.Barton, T.Zeigler) 34
N
NOBODY BUT YOU EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Endurance Romeo Charlie, BMI/Smack Of Ham Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Smackborne Music, ASCAP/Still Working For The Man Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (T.L.James, R.Copperman, S.McAnally, J.Osborne) 8
NO I IN BEER New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Own My Own Music Publishing, ASCAP (B.Paisley, K.Lovelace) 45
O
ONE BEER Relative Music Group, BMI/BIRB Music, ASCAP/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/West Pass Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/BMG Gold Songs, ASCAP (M.W.Hardy, H.Lindsey, J.Mitchell) 23
ONE BIG COUNTRY SONG Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Relative Music Group, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI (J.Frasure, A.Gorley, M.W.Hardy) 20
ONE MARGARITA Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP/243 Music, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs BLS JV, ASCAP/Matt Drag Music, ASCAP/Big Loud Proud Songs, ASCAP/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Big Music Machine, BMI/Two Laine Collections, BMI (M.R.Carter, M.Dragstrem, J.Thompson) 9
ONE NIGHT STANDARDS Canned Biscuit Songs, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/I Love RHA, SESAC/Smackworks Music, SESAC/Smack Blue, LLC, SESAC (A.McBryde, S.McAnally, N.Hayford) 25
ONE OF THEM GIRLS Caleb’s College Fund, ASCAP/Round Hill Songs II, ASCAP/Big Blue Nation Music, ASCAP/Natalia’s Music Money, BMI/Round Hill Compositions, BMI/Love Cannons Publishing, SESAC/W.C.M. Music Corp., SESAC (A.Gorley, B.Johnson, D.Davidson, L.Brice) 22
THE OTHER GIRL Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP/Influence Media Music SPV, LLC, GMR/Warner Geo Met Ric Music, GMR/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Endurance Romeo Charlie, BMI/Smack Of Ham Songs, BMI/17Black Music, BMI/Songs Of Universal, Inc., BMI (K.Ballerini, S.McAnally, R.Copperman, A.Frangipane) 36
P
PRETTY HEART Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Parkermac Publishing, BMI/Sullivan S Guns Music, BMI (P.McCollum, R.Montana) 39
S
SHE’S MINE Music Of Stage Three, BMI/Songs Of Cornman, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Songs From The Couch, BMI/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP (K.Moore, D.Couch, S.Stepakoff) 29
SIX FEET APART Luke Combs Publishing Designee, BMI/Tiltawhirl Music, BMI/Teefus Criley’s Tunes, BMI/Carnival Music Publishing, BMI/Works Of 50 Egg Music, BMI/Catch Your Dream Publishing, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/(SKMP), BMI (L.Combs, B.Cobb, R.Snyder) 27
SOME GIRLS Harding Road Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Watsky Music, LLC, BMI/New Writers Of Sea Gayle Music, BMI/West Pass Music, BMI/New House Of Sea Gayle Music, ASCAP (M.W.Hardy, J.Mitchell, C.J. Solar) 35
SOME PEOPLE DO WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Smackville Music, ASCAP/Smack Songs LLC, ASCAP/Kobalt Songs Music Publishing LLC, ASCAP/Telemitry Rhythm House Music, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/Songs Of Roc Nation Music, BMI/Smack Hits, GMR/Smack Songs LLC, GMR/Kobalt Music Group Ltd., GMR/EMI Blackwood Music Inc., BMI/Cricket On The Line, BMI (M.Ramsey, J.Frasure, S.McAnally, Thomas Rhett) 44
T
THIS IS US KMR II GT Publishing Limited, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Big Loud Mountain, BMI/Round Hill Works, BMI/Georgia Song Vibez, ASCAP/We-Volve Music, ASCAP/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Sony/ATV Songs LLC, BMI/Sparko Phone Music, BMI/Medina Sound, BMI/DII Music LLC, BMI/BMG Platinum Songs US, BMI/Sony/ATV Accent, ASCAP (N.Cyrus, T.Hubbard, J.M.Schmidt, I.Juber, D.Emile II) 50
TO HELL & BACK International Dog Music, BMI/Downtown DMP Songs, BMI/Jay Gatsby Music, BMI/Revelry Music, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Oh Denise Publishing, BMI/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI (M.Morris, J.J.Dillon, L.J.Veltz) 47
W
WHAT COULD’VE BEEN Maliburrito Music, BMI/Elehala Music, ASCAP/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI/MRMD Music, BMI/Songs From Outter Space Music, BMI/WC Music Corp., ASCAP/Carver Music, ASCAP (C.Caillat, J.K.Young, J.Reeves, D.J.Reeves, J.Kenney) 42
WHY WE DRINK Big Music Machine, BMI/Double Barrel Ace Music, BMI/Seven Ring Circus Songs, BMI/Little Louder Songs, BMI/Songs Of Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., BMI/Old Desperados, LLC, ASCAP/N2D Publishing Company, Inc., ASCAP/Carol Vincent And Associates, LLC., ASCAP/Ole Red Cape Songs, ASCAP/Real Big Red Tunes, ASCAP (J.Moore, C.Beathard, D.L.Murphy, J.S.Stover) 21
BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE JUNE 8, 2020 | PAGE 19 OF 19
On June 9, 1990, George Strait’s “ L o v e W i t h o u t E n d , A m e n ”
ascended 3-1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, starting a five-week reign.
Written by Aaron Barker, the song became the 19th of Strait’s re-cord 44 No. 1s. It also stands as his longest-ruling hit, later matched by
“I’ve Come to Expect It From You” in 1990-91 and “One Night at a Time” in 1997.
Strait, a member of the Country Mu sic Ha l l of Fa me si nce h is induction in 2012, has postponed
h i s S t r a i t t o Ve g a s c o n c e r t s originally scheduled for August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, he’s holding a contest via online fundraising platform Omaze for a virtual happy hour/meet-and-greet with a lucky fan.
“This is going to be over at some point, and we’re going to be back to the way things were a couple of months ago. I really believe that,” Strait, 68, recently told Billboard.
“It will take a little time, but we can do it. Keep your chin up. Pray hard.” —JIM ASKER
Strait at the 25th annual Academy of Country Music
Awards in April 1990.
CODA
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C O U N T RY C H A R T S
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30 Years AgoGeorge Strait Got An ‘Amen’ — And A No. 1In 1990, the legend earned his 19th of a record 44 Hot Country Songs No. 1s