Country
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Performances by Brittney Spencer, Chris Janson, Clay Aiken, Jonathan McReynolds and Tyler Hubbard highlight the United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief, a one-hour special which is set to air on Saturday (Nov. 2) at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS and CMT.
Proceeds from the special, which was taped Oct. 27-28 in Nashville, will raise funds for relief and recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which caused an estimated $50 billion in damage.
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The special will also include “messages and appearances” by Backstreet Boys, Billy Bob Thornton, Billy Burke, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cedric The Entertainer, Cody Alan, Jackson Dean, JB SMOOVE, Kelsea Ballerini, Max Thieriot, Nate Burleson, Stephen Colbert, Taye Diggs and Zac Brown Band.
The United Way Benefit for Hurricane Relief special is produced by Black & Bespoke (executive producer Myiea Coy), 5X Media (executive producers Gil Goldschein and Maria Pepin), Digital Cinema Collective (executive producer Aaron Cooke) and Berman Productions (executive producer Al Berman) for CBS and CMT. The special was created by Byron V. Garrett, chief revenue officer at United Way Worldwide, and Melissa C. Potter, executive director of Content for Change at Paramount Global.
In the last four years, United Way around the world has responded to more than 200 disasters, including droughts, water crises, hurricanes, fires and floods, and mobilized resources by facilitating more than $219 million in outside investments to support local needs.
Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers will be able to stream the show live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service.
When Reba McEntire was caring for her sick mother, the last thing she expected was to accidentally get way too high.
The country legend stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where she recalled a hilarious story she experienced with her late mother, who died in 2020 from bladder cancer. While taking a break from prepping a tour, McEntire flew to her home state of Oklahoma to look after her mom.
“When I got to Stringtown, Oklahoma, [her sister] Alice told me, ‘Now, if Mama starts hurting tonight when y’all go to sleep, give her one of these gummies. I said, ‘OK, alright. The whole thing?’ She said ‘Yes, the whole thing,’” she recalled of the marijuana gummies she was given. “Well, I wasn’t really comfortable with that, so when we started going to bed, I said, ‘Mama, let’s get ahead of this pain. I’m going to give you half of this.’”
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McEntire noted that after her mother took the gummy, she fell asleep right away, which inspired the “Fancy” singer to take the other half of the dose herself. “I thought, ‘Well shoot, Mama’s taking it. I need to see what she’s experiencing,’” she explained.
However, that decision quickly took an unexpected turn when McEntire was awoken in the middle of the night by her mother getting up to use the restroom. “I said, ‘Mama, hang on I’ll be right there,’ and she said, ‘I’m good.’ So, I threw back the covers and that’s about as far as I got,” she recalled. “I thought I’m either going to crawl over the bed or walk right around.”
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McEntire then recreated the hilariously slow, creeping motion she made to get herself to the other side of the bed, and when she arrived, her mother requested ice water. “You know how you can fast forward on something real quick? Reba McEntire found in her mother’s kitchen, ice all around. I thought, ‘Ain’t no way I’m going that way,’” she said, noting that she gave her mother regular water and told her they were out of ice.
She continued, “I laid down and I swear there was weeds and flowers growing out of my head. So the next day, I asked everybody, ‘How many milligrams were in those things?’ 50! I took 25 milligrams with my mother.”
However, McEntire noted, “I still took care of mama!”
Watch McEntire tell the full story below.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was on the verge of scoring a landmark 16th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the longest run atop the chart this decade. But for this week (on the chart dated Nov. 2), he’s kept at bay by the fellow country artist whose mark he would’ve been tying: Morgan Wallen.
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Wallen, whose “Last Night” reigned for 16 weeks over the course of 2023, enters the Hot 100 at its apex this week with his new song “Love Someone.” The heavily TikTok-teased and live-promoted new single becomes the country superstar’s first song as a lead artist to debut atop the listing, and his second overall — following his featured turn on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” earlier this year, ultimately a six week No. 1.
Why did this song turn out to be an instantaneous chart-topper? And does it set the stage for Morgan Wallen to get even bigger on his fourth album? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
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1. Though Morgan Wallen has been knocking off chart accomplishments left and right for most of the decade now, “Love Somebody” is his first single as a lead artist to debut at No. 1. What do you think the biggest reason is for the song’s massive debut?
Katie Atkinson: I would credit Morgan’s epic summer, which, yes, included his Hot 100 No. 1 duet with Post Malone, but also his One Night at a Time stadium-tour victory lap, where he played 10 60,000-capacity venues from April to August and kept his music top of mind all season. Now he’s playing across Europe, where he premiered “Love Somebody” onstage, and collecting an even wider audience. The release of this crowd-pleaser of a song is a cherry on top of a huge few years for him.
Kyle Denis: I think it’s probably a combination of things. Wallen perfected the art of the tease with “7 Summers” a few years bag, and he’s only tightened up his game since. He first teased “Love Somebody” on May 16 via TikTok, and he’s been performing the song in full as early as August 29. People have already decided that they enjoy and want to support the song – they just needed an official release. Of course, it also helps that Wallen’s hype train hasn’t lost any steam; he’s been parked in the upper reaches of the Hot 100 for most of the year thanks to his appearance on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” and he’s been packing stadiums with the last few shows of his One Night at a Time tour.
Elias Leight: Wallen had the wind in his sails coming into this week: His single “Last Night” spent roughly a third of 2023 at No. 1, and “I Had Some Help,” his collaboration with Post Malone, topped the chart in the early summer this year. “Love Somebody” outperformed Wallen’s previous solo single, “Lies Lies Lies,” across the board, pulling in 4.1 million more streams (31.1 million, compared to 27 million for “Lies Lies Lies”) and 3,000 more sales (17,000 for “Love Somebody” vs. 14,000 for “Lies Lies Lies.”). That all helped, but the biggest difference in support came from radio: While “Lies Lies Lies” earned 4.5 million in airplay audience opening week, “Love Somebody” more than tripled that total, reaching 15.2 million.
Jason Lipshutz: “Love Somebody” may be Wallen’s first solo single to debut at No. 1, but “Last Night” spent a whopping 16 weeks there last year, and “I Had Some Help” with Post Malone started in the top spot earlier this year. Plus, Wallen has had six top 20 hits on the Hot 100 as a lead artist in the roughly year-and-a-half since “Last Night” became his first chart-topper. He’s been a superstar for multiple years at this point, and while I expect “Love Somebody” to become one of his bigger hits, its No. 1 debut isn’t shocking considering Wallen’s stature upon its release.
Andrew Unterberger: Morgan Wallen hardly needs some help these days when it comes to launching a hit lead single, but it probably shows how much belief he has in “Love Somebody” to be a huge, maybe even defining hit that he hedged his bets by teasing it so extensively ahead of time, both on TikTok and at live shows, and by apparently going hard with the radio promotion, as evidenced by the song’s first-week numbers there. It’s the most concentrated push I can remember a Wallen single getting, and it’s not surprising it’s resulted in a No. 1 debut.
2. “Love Somebody” isn’t Wallen’s first No. 1 this year, as he was already featured on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” a six-week No. 1 in its own right — and it’s not his first top 10 hit on his own, as his “Lies Lies Lies” debuted at No. 7 in July. Which of the two songs do you think “Love Somebody” more builds upon musically or thematically, if either?
Katie Atkinson: Definitely “Lies Lies Lies.” We often only get one side of the country-star life in song, whether the subject matter is the beer-soaked tailgate parties or the girls in impossibly tight jeans. But “Lies Lies Lies” and “Love Somebody” are both about the other side of that coin: namely, being surrounded by countless friends and lovers but feeling more alone than ever.
Kyle Denis: Of the two, “Love Somebody” feels more in line with “Lies Lies Lies” with its focus on the push-and-pull of love and heartbreak and its soft rock-inflected country sound. While it’s still a banger, “I Had Some Help” really leans into country-pop and feels more like a break-up party track than a moment of serious introspection. It also feels much more like a Post Malone song than both “Lies” and “Love.”
Elias Leight: “Lies Lies Lies” is bleary-eyed and desperate, overwhelmingly distraught in the manner of older Wallen ballads like “Your Bartender.” The lyrical motif also evokes Zach Top’s “I Never Lie,” another strong country record from earlier this year; both songs paint cheerful pictures of a put-together post-breakup life, only to reveal it’s all made up. “No thoughts of your body runnin’ through my head,” Wallen sings. “No bottle of bourbon beside the bed.” A few short lines later, the truth comes out: “I’m still a fool for you/Nothin’ I wouldn’t do for you.”
While both “I Had Some Help” and “Love Somebody” also live in the shadow of romantic wreckage, they are breezy and up-tempo, the type of thing that goes down smooth on pop radio. (“Love Somebody” was co-written by Jacob Kasher Hindlin, who also has credits on Maroon 5’s “Sugar” and Charlie Puth’s “Attention.”) Wallen said “Love Somebody” was “inspired by Latin-leaning influences,” but the result sounds more like vintage yacht rock, complete with a flashy needlepoint guitar solo.
Jason Lipshutz: “Love Somebody” doesn’t utilize the same sonic palette as “I Had Some Help,” but both singles represent oversized, mainstream-aimed smashes, with undeniable refrains and an understanding of Wallen’s strengths as a vocalist. “Lies Lies Lies” showcases his charm with a mournful tone and has hung around the top 20 of the Hot 100 for months, but isn’t as ready-made as a ubiquitous crossover hit; there’s a reason why it started at No. 7 on the Hot 100, at “Love Somebody” launched in the top spot.
Andrew Unterberger: Increasingly, I view Morgan Wallen songs as falling into one of two buckets: Those with a little tempo and those without. As a decided “with,” I feel “Love Somebody” is far more in league with “I Had Some Help” — and most of my other Wallen songs of choice.
3. Hard not to notice that “Love Somebody” interrupts the reign of Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” one week before the latter was set to tie Wallen’s “Last Night” mark of 16 weeks atop the chart for the longest reign of the decade. Do you think the reign will be an extended one, or do you see “A Bar Song” threatening to take back over the top spot for its 16th frame as soon as next week?
Katie Atkinson: I have a feeling Morgan is going to hang on awhile with this one. The poppy production and lyrical cadence make this one ripe for a beyond-country crossover moment, and it hasn’t left my head all week. Also, its melodic similarities to Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” (the songs share a handful of songwriters) means it already feels familiar just a week in.
Kyle Denis: Yes. Given Shaboozey’s massive cross-genre support on radio and the steady streaming success of “A Bar Song,” I expect the VA cowboy to return to the top spot sooner rather than later.
Elias Leight: Since Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has been at the top of the chart for so long, it’s starting to lose altitude at streaming — an inevitable result after flying so high for so long. And although the single is still moving up at Hot AC radio, it’s declining at Pop, and he is now promoting a different track to country radio stations. Since Wallen’s song is new, he can move quickly to consolidate support at the Pop and Hot AC radio formats, expanding his reach, while climbing further in his core format of country. That said, Shaboozey and his label have had a long time to prepare defensive maneuvers to stave off a potential challenger.
Jason Lipshutz: While I would never want to count out the enormity of “A Bar Song” after the last few months we’ve experienced, it does feel like the time has come for the top of the Hot 100 to turn over to some degree, with “Love Somebody” leading the charge as an autumn-released smash. I’m not sure how long “Love Somebody” spends in the top spot since it’s still early days and it’s a slightly different, Latin-influenced sound for Wallen, but the timing of its No. 1 debut suggests that Shaboozey’s huge hit may finally be sliding a bit, and I’d bet against it logging more than maybe one more week at the top of the Hot 100.
Andrew Unterberger: I think “Love Somebody” might need a couple weeks to amass the total radio support he needs to hold on to a No. 1 spot once his first-week sales and streams recede — but in the meantime, looks like Shaboozey has extra competition for No. 1 from a newly motivated Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars and a blockbusting Tyler, the Creator. (He’s particularly lucky that the latter kneecapped the first-week numbers for his Chromakopia album by releasing it on a mid-tracking-week Monday, otherwise — given the first-day numbers that set is putting up — he might have had to fend off multiple tracks from that thing next week.) So we’ll see if Shaboozey gets to Week 16 next week or one of the few after, but I doubt Morgan Wallen will be his biggest obstacle regardless.
4. Despite some serious controversies and major backlash, Wallen has seemingly only gotten bigger in his career over his three albums to date. Based on his 2024 output, do you see him getting even bigger with album No. 4 when that comes, or is he bound to plateau by then?
Katie Atkinson: I think we’re still rising and that plateau is nowhere in sight. A lot of people credited Morgan with boosting Post Malone’s bona fides for his debut country single, but I think that mutually beneficial relationship will work in the other direction too. Anyone who doesn’t follow country music and maybe only knew Morgan’s name from when he said the N-word on camera likely at least gave “I Had Some Help” a spin over the summer. There’s room for Morgan to grow and it looks like he’s still growing.
Kyle Denis: I think he probably has one more monster album in him on the level of Dangerous or One Thing at a Time before he starts to plateau. He can ride the mainstream country boom a little while longer and take advantage of the genre being at the center of the zeitgeist right now. I think his real challenge is album No. 5, will a gargantuan 20+ track album work the same magic a fourth time in a row? I’m not sure I’d put my money on it just yet.
Elias Leight: He will continue to get bigger. There are still more listeners for him to reach outside of the country genre, both with pop-leaning records like “Love Somebody” and through his hip-hop collaborations — his song with Moneybagg Yo is being played at my gym, which otherwise ignores country music completely. There’s also more room for Wallen to grow outside of the U.S. as country’s global footprint continues to expand. According to his label Big Loud, Wallen just earned the first ever No. 1 debut on the U.K. Country Airplay Chart.
Jason Lipshutz: He’s going to get bigger — potentially a lot bigger. One Thing at a Time was Wallen’s first album since the controversy, and while it was a juggernaut, there’s no doubt that some number of listeners dismissed the project due to his negative actions. Now, with multiple years between him and those actions, Wallen is ready to pull in new listeners who were part of that outcry against him, while also super-serving the fan base that helped him join country music’s elite. We have a situation in which a superstar has been set up to become a decade-defining artist — as long as he sticks the landing with the music, and avoids anything untoward outside of it.
Andrew Unterberger: Crazy to think of what Morgan Wallen getting even bigger could look like at this point — ’90s Garth Brooks mixed with late-’00s Taylor Swift? — but it does seem like we’ll find out soon; his 2024 has only kept his arrow trending farther and farther upwards. Stadiums, seven-figure first-weeks, Grammys: Who knows for sure, but it all seems in play at this point.
5. Let’s say Wallen was properly motivated to maintain his 2020s mark and continue to keep “A Bar Song” out of No. 1. What new remix or video or other promotional tactic would you recommend him trying out to ensure “Love Somebody” was virtually unmoveable from the top spot?
Katie Atkinson: A remix of “Love Somebody” with a female artist that adds a second verse from a woman’s perspective — give it to me right now. Maybe to keep it personal (since they were once “not just friends”), we can enlist Megan Moroney for the new duet.
Kyle Denis: Drop the official music video with Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia as your leading lady.
Elias Leight: There haven’t been a lot of star-studded remixes helping artists win close chart races this year, though a well-timed music video release from Kendrick Lamar did help “Not Like Us” rebound to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in July. The key to a long run at the top of the chart these days seems to be maintaining interest from a streaming audience while also cultivating support from at least three radio formats.
Jason Lipshutz: Simple enough: perform on The Voice, with surprise guest Adam Levine in his triumphant return to the show, and create a mash-up with Maroon 5’s “Love Somebody” and his own. Will that sound good? Probably not. Will viewers love the synergy? You bet.
Andrew Unterberger: Post Malone returning the “Help” favor by adding some aid of his own here seems like a no-brainer.
Morgan Wallen leads this week’s all-genre Billboard Hot 100, as his new song “Love Somebody,” released on Mercury/Big Loud/Republic, debuts at the chart’s pinnacle. The song also marks the first country song to debut atop the chart since Wallen’s own collaboration with Post Malone, “I Had Some Help,” which launched at No. 1 on the […]
If a dog is really a woman’s best friend, then Kacey Musgraves‘ adorable Australian Cattle Dog Pepper is more like a guardian angel. The singer revealed in an Instagram Story on Sunday that Pepper “honestly saved me” when the “Deeper Well” star almost stepped on a rattlesnake with her bare feet while on a walk with friend recently, according to EW.
“Copperhead: 1, Pepper: 0,” she reported sadly about the snakebite the pup endured from a Timber Rattler — which is venomous and whose bite can be lethal to humans — while trying to protect her. “Got her to the vet quick” Musgraves added about the dash to get Pepper a dose of antivenom alongside a video of the dog with an IV line. “The bite made her lethargic. Those who have Blue Heelers know they ain’t ever this calm.”
“Pepper update: She’s home and sleeping a lot / on pain meds and getting lots of love,” Musgraves wrote. The post also reportedly included pics of Pepper snuggling in bed with her, clearly worse for the wear as evidenced by a red mark on the dog’s snout where the snake struck. “This is wild but the vet was showing me how the inside of her mouth and all down her neck is so bruised from that damn snakebite,” Musgraves wrote along with a snap of Pepper’s lip pulled back to show angry-looking discolored skin. “Thank God for good dogs,” she said.
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Though it didn’t include any action pics, Musgraves took to Instagram again on Monday (Oct. 28) for a photo dump of her month so far, writing, ” Here’s to seeing twilight more often – whether you get up for it or are already up , more sunrise rides (and coffee on said sunrise rides), fresh sourdough handmade by a friend, brave dogs that save you from stepping on a rattlesnake you didn’t see on your back porch, new songs, and all the other little sprinkles.”
The photo roll included snaps of Musgraves riding horses at sunrise with a friend, chilling with Pepper on her lap in the recording studio and giving the pup a nice pet on the head, working on a new song seemingly titled “Back on the Wagon” and, as mentioned above, baking sourdough.
Musgraves is in the midst of her Deeper Well World Tour, which will hit the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Nov. 7, followed by shows in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Brooklyn, Houston, Dallas and Austin through the end of the month.
The Morgan Wallen Foundation is helping music students across the country, donating a total of $500,000 in musical instruments through the “One Instrument at a Time” initiative, in partnership with Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.
The initiative is donating musical instruments to schools in need across 14 cities Wallen‘s One Night at a Time stadium tour has visited this year. Those cities include Arlington, Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Denver; East Rutherford, N.J.; Hershey, Pa.; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; Minneapolis; Nashville; Oxford, Miss.; Philadelphia; Tampa, Fla.; and Virginia Beach, Va.
Over the past two years, 15-time Billboard Music Awards winner Wallen has donated $3 from every U.S. ticket sold on his 87-concert One Night at a Time World Tour to his nonprofit Morgan Wallen Foundation, which supports programs for youth in music and sports. $1.3 million was distributed to communities across the country in 2023 alone.
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“When I was a kid, access to music profoundly changed my life and gave me a sense of purpose. I want that for others, and I’m blessed to be able to provide instruments to these schools through my foundation,” Wallen said in a statement. “We really wanted to say a big thank you to these awesome communities that welcome us in and let us play for our fans.”
Donelson Middle School Band, led by teacher Laura Shepherd, receives multiple new instruments — including trombones, flutes, saxophones, keyboards, bass drums and more — from the Morgan Wallen Foundation and Mr. Holland’s Opus.
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“Giving back is an integral part of who Morgan is and how he was raised. So launching ‘One Instrument At A Time’ in conjunction with this tour was incredibly important,” added Kathleen Flaherty, executive director of the Morgan Wallen Foundation. “Partnering with Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation enabled us to utilize their expertise in securing quality instruments and identifying schools in local communities that need them the most. In turn, we hope to impact the lives of kids by giving them access to learn and play music, which is what set the stage for Morgan’s life.”
“Music education plays a crucial role in shaping the development of young minds, nurturing their artistic expression, and instilling a lifelong passion for music. We are grateful to the Morgan Wallen Foundation for their dedication to enhancing music education in our schools,” said Tricia Williams, president/CEO at Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. “Their generosity will make a profound difference in the lives of students, empowering them to unleash their potential and pursue their dreams.”
The “One Instrument at a Time” initiative is the latest way the Morgan Wallen Foundation is giving back. Last month, the foundation donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross to benefit relief efforts following Hurricane Helene. The Morgan Wallen Foundation also donated $140,000 to Gibbs Youth Sports, coinciding with Wallen’s record-breaking double-header of concerts at the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Neyland Stadium.
Last year, the Morgan Wallen Foundation made donations that centered on revitalizing baseball parks in touring cities, donating to Chicago Cubs Charities, Atlanta Braves Foundation, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville, Boston Red Sox Foundation.
It’s hard to imagine another celebrity who would make Beyoncé blush. But when Bey met Willie (again) at the Kamala Harris rally in Houston on Friday, the “Texas Hold ‘Em” star could not say enough about how much the country icon means to her.
“The Great Willie! You are the coolest!,” she wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday morning (Oct. 29) featuring a snap of her with Willie Nelson backstage at the event, in which she is wearing her black skirt and jacket ensemble and Nelson is rocking black jeans, a red bandana and a funky Harris/Walz t-shirt. “I admire you, and I sincerely thank you for being the pioneer you are. Thanks for your impactful music, your advocacy, and the gracious way you appreciate and celebrate other artists! You are 1 of 1.”
Bey also recalled that Nelson was “so kind” to her and the other members of Destiny’s Child when they “fanned out” about meeting him years ago. “And you greeted me with the same kindness 20 years later!” she said. “You are one of our national treasures.”
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In addition to meeting up twice in the past 20 years, Bey recruited Nelson for the appropriately toke-tastic “Smoke Hour,” one of the radio-themed interludes on her country-leaning Cowboy Carter album. Both musicians appeared in Bey’s hometown of Houston on Friday (Oct. 25) at a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, where Beyoncé and her Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland endorsed the current Vice President.
“I’m not here as a celebrity,” Beyoncé said. “I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares, deeply, about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided. Our past, our present, our future merge to meet us here.”
Nelson, 91, opened the event for tens of thousands by asking the crowd, “Are we ready to say Madam President?” before playing his classic hits “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and “On the Road Again.”
Beyoncé didn’t just share the stage with Nelson, though. In her photo roll, Bey also appeared to model a very special souvenir from Nelson — his branded “pretend it never happened” red bandana — smiling broadly with her hands on her head as she showed off the one-of-a-kind keepsake.
The photo series also featured a moody black-and-white snap of Nelson performing, a GIF of the country legend blowing a kiss to the audience, another shot of her and mother, Tina Knowles, posing with Willie, a throwback image of a 2004 Texas Monthly cover story in which Queen Bey wore a Nelson T-shirt and red bandana and a final GIF of her snuggling up to her Nelson headgear.
Nelson and Beyoncé are just the latest in a growing roster of A-listers who have thrown their support behind Harris in her battle against convicted felon Donald Trump. Among the others who’ve endorsed Harris are: Taylor Swift, Usher, Eminem, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cher, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Billie Eilish and Finneas, Charli XCX, George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Megan Thee Stallion, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and many more.
On Monday, a number of artists born in Puerto Rico, including Ricky Martin, Bad Bunny and Luis Fonsi — and Jennifer Lopez, whose parents were born in P.R. — also threw their support behind Harris in the wake of the racist, misogynistic and antisemitic comments made by a comedian at twice impeached former President Trump’s rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden over the weekend. Among the off-color jokes made by podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe was one in which he said, “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico.”
Morgan Wallen’s “Love Somebody” becomes the latest country hit to top Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart in 2024, debuting at No. 1 on the Nov. 2-dated tally.
In the week ending Oct. 24, “Love Somebody” earned 31.1 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
It’s Wallen’s first No. 1 debut as a lead act; earlier this year, he started atop the ranking as a featured act on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” which reigned for two weeks, one in May and one in August.
He also led the chart for 19 weeks with “Last Night” in 2023, though the song did not reach No. 1 until its sixth week on the list.
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“Love Somebody” is the fourth No. 1 from the country genre on Streaming Songs in 2024. The year began with Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reigning on the Jan. 6 list (after ruling for the final four weeks of 2023), followed by the aforementioned Malone/Wallen collaboration and then Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for nine weeks to date beginning in July. “Love Somebody” takes over from “A Bar Song” atop the latest ranking.
In 2023, four country songs topped the list, including Lee, plus Wallen’s “Last Night,” Zach Bryan’s Kacey Musgraves-featuring “I Remember Everything” and Oliver Anthony Music’s “Rich Men North of Richmond.” The genre has not yet boasted more than four rulers in a year.
In the preceding nine years (2013-2022) of the chart, only Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” had represented the country genre at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, doing so in 2021.
On Country Streaming Songs, “Love Somebody” is Wallen’s 12th leader, twice as many as the next-closest acts, Swift and Florida Georgia Line, with six apiece.
Concurrently, as previously reported, “Love Somebody” debuts at No. 1 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, becoming Wallen’s third ruler.
In this week’s crop of new tunes, Willie Nelson and Ringo Starr issue sterling new songs, once again showcasing their timeless approaches, while Drew Baldridge follows his breakthrough hit with a new track celebrating steely determination and fortitude. Meanwhile, Neil Perry (known for his work as part of The Band Perry) makes his solo debut, and Mōriah nods to her heritage on her first country song.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
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Willie Nelson, “Lost Cause”
Over the years, the 91-year-old Nelson has issued tribute projects to artists including Frank Sinatra and Ray Price. On his upcoming LP, the Micah Nelson-produced Last Leaf on the Tree (out Nov. 1 via Legacy Records), Nelson again showcases his unparalleled artistic range, re-imagining songs made popular by a cavalcade of rock, jazz and soul artists, among them Neil Young, Keith Richards and Nina Simone. In his emotionally intricate interpretation of Beck’s “Lost Cause” (which Beck originally recorded on his 2002 album Sea Change), Nelson’s voice effortlessly embodies weariness and resignation as he looks squarely and resolutely at the conclusion of a relationship on line such as “I’m tired of fightin’/ Fighting for a lost cause.” Mournful guitar and subdued harmonies surround, making this one of Nelson’s most evocative vocal renderings.
Drew Baldridge, “Tough People”
Baldridge follows his breakthrough hit “She’s Somebody’s Daughter” with this tribute to determined people from all walks of life, including grandmothers fighting through pain to work shifts waiting tables, families with children battling cancer, a community devastated by a tornado, and a policeman running toward danger in a school building. While weaving the different heartbreaking scenarios together, the song offers an uplifting voice of motivation to stay strong during challenging times.
Ringo Starr, “Time on My Hands”
Throughout his decades in the spotlight, Starr has made no secret of his passion for country music, from the Beatles’ version of Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” in 1965 (Owens and Starr would record a duet of the song in 1989), to Starr’s sophomore solo effort, 1970’s Beaucoups of Blues. Ringo Starr again dips into country-inspired sounds, welcoming several of Nashville’s esteemed artists on his upcoming country album, Look Up (out in January), including Alison Krauss, Billy Strings, Larkin Poe and Molly Tuttle. “Time on my Hands” was written by T Bone Burnett, Paul Kennerly and Daniel Tashian. This excellently crafted song puts Starr’s superb vocal in the spotlight, alongside Paul Franklin’s masterful steel guitar playing, making for an enticing first look at the album.
Neil Perry, “If You Can’t, Don’t”
Perry, known for his hits as part of sibling trio The Band Perry, makes his solo debut on this raw, heartfelt track. “At times I see the devil in myself/ Through the cracks of who I’m meant to be,” he sings with his conversational storytelling style front and center, elevated by refined production, as he implores a loved one to accept both his strengths and quirks, but doesn’t hold it against them if they can’t. He approaches his solo single with a more storyteller/folk tilt than his pop-country work as part of TBP, but it’s a style that suits his vocal admirably.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles with Trampled By Turtles, “Rocky Mountain High”
Josiah Leming joins forces with Trampled By Turtles for a version of this John Denver classic, offering an intricate swirl of guitar, banjo and harmonies. Earlier this year, they collaborated on the song during Trampled By Turtles’ show at Red Rocks, with Josiah and the Bonnevilles opening. Their crisp rendering builds upon Denver’s version, creating an open-hearted, freewheeling take on this timeless ode to the picturesque mountains of Colorado.
Mōriah, “Hasta Mañana“
Mexican-American songwriter Mōriah has previously earned hits in the Contemporary Christian music genre, and is known for her work on films and television series such as Unsung Hero and The Chosen. But with her country debut, she delves into her passion for both her roots and country music, melding country sounds, mariachi flair and her own dusky, dulcet vocal for an outing that is both extremely promising and proudly confident.
Perhaps it was the ultimate irony that Concert for Carolina, Saturday night’s (Oct. 26) benefit for Hurricane Helene relief organized by Luke Combs and Eric Church, was delayed for nearly two hours because of severe weather as patrons were sent to shelter in the concourse at Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium, home of the Carolina […]