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Post Malone has spent months in Nashville, writing and collaborating with Music City’s top country artists and songwriters in crafting his debut country album, F-1 Trillion. So it should come as no surprise that though he’s just released F-1 Trillion on Friday (Aug. 16), he’s still got plenty of songs in the tank. Malone surprised […]
Shaboozey dominates Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Aug. 24) for a fourth week with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – gaining entrance to a select group of artists’ breakout hits that have led for at least that long over the chart’s 34-year history.
The song by the Virginia native (born Collins Obinna Chibueze) drew 30.5 million audience impressions at the format Aug. 9-15, according to Luminate. The single, on American Dogwood/EMPIRE, with country radio promotion by Magnolia Music, concurrently crowns the Pop Airplay chart for a second week.
“A Bar Song” is only the ninth country career-establishing No. 1 at the format to reign for four-plus weeks – and the second among the three most recent Country Airplay leaders, after Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” (featuring Morgan Wallen) ruled for four beginning in June. (Before that, however, no such song had achieved the feat in over 18 years.)
What makes “A Bar Song” so special, and a hit at multiple formats, from country and pop to rhythmic? Travis Daily, who in May became Cumulus Media vp of country, after being named brand and content manager of the chain’s WKDF and WSM-FM Nashville in April, tells Billboard, “I have a kid in college who sends me music almost daily, and he sent me the song one night as I was packing for my move to Nashville. My first reaction was, ‘This is exactly what we need to stand out on WKDF when I get to town.’
“After listening multiple times, I began thinking that this is going to take off before I even get a chance to drive across the country [from Salt Lake City],” Daily says. “Some people think it’s a mystery that it’s doing so well, which kind of baffles me. We have a great song by a very talented artist that our audience seems to love. Passion for this song is almost unheard of.
“Some country programmers don’t like when pop stations play our country hits,” Daily further muses. “I would argue that songs like this give me a chance to convert some audience into becoming fans of the greatest format in the world, which is obviously country.”
Below, browse the songs that have topped Country Airplay for four or more weeks by artists making their first major inroads at the format (counting acts’ first entries on the chart as a lead artist or their initial songs promoted to country radio). They include memorable rookie anthems by acts that went on to become some of country’s biggest names.
Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Image Credit: Daniel Prakopcyk
Jordan Davis has built quite the reputation as a modern-day storyteller, winning the Country Music Association’s song of the year award in 2022 with “Buy Dirt,” claiming the Academy of Country Music’s song trophy this year for “Next Thing You Know” and climbing to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in May with “Tucson Too Late.”
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Moving at a ballad or midtempo pace, all three explore a life lesson or personal crossroad. But his latest release, “I Ain’t Sayin’,” takes a different attitude, mirroring the barroom setting of his 2017 debut, “Singles You Up,” with a steady dance texture similar to Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time.”
“It’s been a minute since we’ve released this kind of song,” Davis says. “I feel like I’ve been long overdue for it.”
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“I Ain’t Sayin’” was tailor made for Davis, fashioned May 25 on the final day of a writing retreat in snowy Livingston, Mont. While Davis wrote that morning with several other creatives in a rented cabin, Travis Wood (“Girl in Mine,” “’98 Braves”), Mark Holman (“Flower Shops,” “Don’t Think Jesus”) and Steve Moakler worked in a separate building, determined to craft something a little more speedy for Davis. Holman had created a few musical tracks prior to the trip, and one of them, built around some hand claps and a buzzy acoustic guitar, energized the room.
“It might just be like little guitar parts and a little loop or something behind it just to kind of catch a vibe,” Holman says. “It’s not a full thing. It’s just enough to be like, ‘Oh, we like this. We like the feeling of this.’ ”Wood had a ready-made chorus that he had penned with Los Angeles-based songwriter Emily Reid, with whom he frequently writes “starts” — small chunks of potential songs that can serve as a foundation during a full writing session. He reached out to her to make sure she was OK with this one getting used on this trip.
“I’m in L.A., they’re in Montana, and I got the FaceTime from him,” Reid remembers. “He was like, ‘Hey, we’re writing this “I Ain’t Sayin’” idea. It’s really going well. Can you just make sure this first verse makes sense?’ Because sometimes when you’re in the thick of it, it’s hard to have perspective. And I was like, ‘Damn, sounds brilliant.’ ”
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Reid’s original idea wasn’t actually the title. It was the phrase “He sure as hell ain’t,” which became the payoff line at the end of the chorus that she and Wood started. They weren’t entirely certain what the plot should be, though it fit a scenario involving a mismatched couple. As they built it, they used the phrase “I ain’t sayin’ ” as a repetitive lyrical device in a loaded chorus.
“When we were punching out that phrasing, we wanted to do something that felt really fresh,” Reid notes. “We wanted to make it really rhythmic and get a lot in there.”
When they came up with one particular line, “I’m here and he’s MIA,” they felt it had a lot of potential, though once they finished writing it, Reid put it out of her mind. Thus, the call from Wood was a welcome surprise.
As it started taking shape in Montana, Wood, Moakler and Holman unlocked the opening verse, depicting a woman who had bought a beer for a date who seems to have stiffed her. The protagonist presents himself as a short-term alternative, though the writers knew instinctively that he couldn’t be too pushy.
“We could have gone to further extremes with the guy and the girl,” Moakler says, “but we ended up choosing [to] walk the line, I think, in a cool way where he’s not overtly trying to steal the girl. He sees his opportunity, and he seems like a relatable guy, you know. That was the job of the day.”
As the protagonist moves in during the second verse, he attempts to reframe the woman’s bad moment with a bit of hope: “He let you down, but here’s the upside” — using a word, “upside,” in a way that’s rarely heard in a country song.
“It’s a little different,” Holman acknowledges, “which is always good.”
They saved the most elaborate lyrical twist for the end of that second verse, guaranteeing that that stanza could meet — if not exceed — the quality established in verse one.
“ ‘I ain’t trying to change that miss to a missus/But he don’t know what he’s missing’ — I just love that wordplay, Wood says. “It perfectly paraphrases the ‘I ain’t sayin’ I’m the one, I’m just saying he ain’t.’ I mean, you couldn’t find a cooler way to paraphrase that.”
They debated “He Sure As Hell Ain’t” as the title, but settled on “I Ain’t Sayin’,” avoiding a slightly profane word in favor of the song’s most frequently heard phrase.
“I think we picked the right one,” Moakler says. “I haven’t heard a song called that. The only hang-up with the song is, people say, ‘What’s it called?’ And you say, ‘I Ain’t Sayin.’ ’ And they say, ‘Wait, why won’t you tell me?’” Holman quickly whipped a demo together, and Wood went back to his cabin, where Davis’ small group was still writing in a different room. When that team finished, Wood had writer-producer Paul DiGiovanni (Travis Denning, Justin Moore) play the demo, which seemed to connect with Davis.
“Jordan was pretty effusive about it, but I didn’t know if he was just being polite,” Wood says. “When we hit that miss/misses line, he turned around and looked at me after that line. So I was like, ‘I think he likes it.’”
Indeed, the next week, Davis, DiGiovanni and a studio band tackled “I Ain’t Sayin’ ” at Sound Stage in Nashville with drummer Nir Z sharing duties 50/50 with the programmed percussion. “The loop thing was going basically throughout the whole song, so I needed to just go to another level on the master and just keep the energy going,” DiGiovanni says. “The demo was just like the verse feel the whole time, and I just kind of kicked it over the top.”
But the enhancements were comparatively incremental. “We never made a lyric change, we never made a melody change,” Davis says. “We dropped the key a half step from the original demo, maybe we bumped the [beats per minute] down a couple. But other than that, it was basically taking Mark’s demo and letting Paul kind of pepper in his touch on it.”
While the tracking band established most of the rhythm and textural sounds, DiGiovanni did add some color during overdubs, including a Spanish-flavored guitar in the background, steel-sounding guitar parts and a Southern rock-like twin guitar break.
“It didn’t need a shreddy, really crazy guitar solo by any means,” he says. “There’s so much melodic stuff happening in the song, so I just tried to do something that was kind of familiar. I think I sat down and put my track on loop and played like five or six different kinds of melody things, and that one just stuck out.”Davis tends to inject downward-sliding grace notes into his vocal performances, and though the writers didn’t specifically put that into “I Ain’t Sayin’,” it adapted well to his approach.
“That chorus melody, I was kind of like, ‘Wait a second, you’re sure I didn’t write this?’ ” he notes. “It just felt like something that I would write and something that I would say.”
MCA Nashville released “I Ain’t Sayin’ ” to country radio via PlayMPE on July 24, and it’s at No. 52 in its beginning stages on the Country Airplay chart dated Aug. 17.
“It’s something that I think people want,” Davis says of its breezy, summer-ish sound. “It feels like it’s the right release right now.”
On Aug. 16, 1969, Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It became the seventh of the genre cornerstone’s 38 leaders, the third-most in the survey’s history after George Strait, who reigns with 44, and Conway Twitty, who notched 40. Haggard wrote “Workin’ Man Blues,” which Ken […]
As country music consumption on streaming services has surged in recent years, so has the slate of country songs reaching the coveted milestone of being certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying 10 million units moved (with each permanent digital download counting as one unit, while 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams count as one unit).
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Luke Combs notched the 10th and 11th country singles to earn Diamond status from the RIAA, with his songs “Hurricane” and “When It Rains It Pours.” These are added to his previous RIAA Diamond-certified song “Beautiful Crazy,” which reached the milestone last year, making Combs the country artist with the most Diamond-certified singles.
RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier said in a statement, “The power of artists’ voices and their ability to create connections with fans through music resonates across live shows and playlists that builds community and shapes culture. RIAA has the honor of celebrating the impact of those moments, and today we acknowledge the 10th (and 11th) country singles to earn Diamond recognition for US sales and streams — each surpassing 10 million. Congratulations to these amazing artists and incredible label partners who continue serving hits to loyal fans and those just discovering them!”
In addition to Combs, the country artists who have had songs reach the RIAA Diamond milestone include Lady A, Kane Brown, Brett Young and Darius Rucker.
During a celebration held in Nashville in March to celebrate the Diamond certification for Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know,” the singer-songwriter stated, “This has truly been the song that keeps on giving. As grateful as I am to this song, and what it is meant to my career, I’m even more grateful to all the people behind the scenes that works so hard to make sure it would be the successful. I think we all had high hopes, but never imagined this song earning an RIAA Diamond certification. Thank you to everybody that came out, and everybody that had a hand in all of the success.”
Notably, the Bebe Rexha/FGL hit “Meant to Be,” which is certified Diamond by the RIAA and topped the Hot Country Songs chart for 50 weeks (and rose to No. 2 on the Hot 100), is classified in the pop genre in the RIAA’s tally, while the Diamond-certified Lil Nas X/Billy Ray Cyrus collaboration “Old Town Road” is classified in the country genre in the RIAA’s tally — based on how the songs were classified when submitted for certification. There are, of course, more country songs on the cusp of being added to the Diamond club, such as Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses,” which is currently certified 9x Platinum by the RIAA. Meanwhile, songs from Taylor Swift, pre-pop stardom ascension, are also close in the running, such as “Love Story,” which has been certified 8x Platinum.
Here, we look at the 11 country songs that have earned the Diamond certification distinction from the RIAA, starting with the most recently certified.
Luke Combs, “When It Rains It Pours”
Last November, Post Malone stunned with his CMA Awards performance, for which he paid tribute to late revered country artist Joe Diffie alongside HARDY and Morgan Wallen. Later, backstage, he teased something many fans had long been hoping for: a country album of his own. Now, that project has finally arrived. Titled F-1 Trillion, Post’s […]
Post Malone officially enters his country era, as his debut country album, F-1 Trillion has released.
Nearly a decade ago, the Texan was already predicting his country music journey, in a tweet that declared, “When I turn 30 I’m becoming a country/folk singer.” Now 29, Post Malone is already well underway with his plan. He’s posted covers of country classics for years, but now, he makes his full coronation into the country space with his new album.
He teamed with Morgan Wallen for the six-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “I Had Some Help,” and his collaboration with Blake Shelton, “Pour Me a Drink,” is at No. 14 on the Country Airplay chart.
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Both of those songs are included on F-1 Trillion, alongside collaborations with Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Tim McGraw, Ernest, Hank Williams Jr., Lainey Wilson, Brad Paisley, Sierra Ferrell, HARDY and Chris Stapleton. A few weeks ago, Combs joined Post Malone as they filmed a video for their song “Guy For That” atop a flatbed trailer as it rolled through downtown Nashville (Combs has two collabs on F-1 Trillion, “Guy For That” and “Missin’ You Like This”). Prior to that, he was joined by Wilson, Ernest and songwriter Ashley Gorley to perform a show at Nashville’s famed songwriter stomping grounds, The Bluebird Cafe, and then welcoming fans to a show at Nashville’s Marathon Music Works, where he played more songs from the album, including the tender ode to his daughter, “Yours,” while HARDY joined him for “Hide My Gun,” Shelton teamed up with Post Malone for “Pour Me a Drink,” and Sierra Ferrell joined for “Never Love You Again” (Post Malone also performed with Joe Nichols during the event).
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Earlier this week, Posty made another debut–his Grand Ole Opry debut–as he played a mix of his own songs from the album and other artists’ country songs that he loves. Paisley joined him for “Goes Without Saying” from F-1 Trillion, while Wilson joined for “Nosedive” and The War and Treaty joined him for “California Sober” (Chris Stapleton performs the song on Post’s album). Meanwhile, Vince Gill and John Michael Montgomery also collaborated with Post on the Opry stage.
Stream Post Malone’s debut country album F-Trillion below:
Singer/songwriter HARDY, songwriter Ben Johnson and film/TV writer and producer David Alan Johnson are teaming up to give viewers an in-depth look at the industry that works to bring country music to the masses, highlighting songwriters and producers behind some of today’s most impactful country hits. They will executive produce the upcoming docuseries Music Row, […]
Willie Nelson will release his 153rd album, Last Leaf on the Tree, on Nov. 1. The Legacy Recordings LP features a mix of the country icon’s interpretations of songs by Tom Waits, Keith Richards, Beck, the Flaming Lips, Neil Young, and Nina Simone, among others, as well as a handful of tracks written by the singer and his son, Micah Nelson, who also produced the album.
The first single from the collection is a cover of Tom Waits’ “Last Leaf,” a melancholy meditation from Waits’ 2011 Bad As Me album about the autumn of life that speaks to the 91-year-old country icon’s legendarily indefatigable spirit and boundless energy well into his six decade as a performer. “I’m the last leaf on the tree/ The autumn took the rest/ But they won’t take me/ I’m the last leaf on the tree,” Nelson sings in a hushed voice over his signature nylon string guitar strumming in the song that confronts the vicissitudes of aging.
The collection, Nelson’s 76th solo studio album, marks the first time Micah — who performs and produces under the name Particle Kid — has produced one of his dad’s albums, though they have appeared together on family LPs such as 2017’s Willie and the Boys and 2021’s The Willie Nelson Family.
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“It’s an approach that I really love and have used a lot over the years — just throwing the clay down and stepping back, then maybe adding a little more, and then maybe shaving down here, and kind of building the tracks that way,” said Micah, 34, who said he used a “sculptor’s approach” to working on the album on which he played more than a dozen instruments, including guitar, piano and “sticks and branches, logs and dead leaves” according to a press release.
Micah also created the album’s cover illustration and made the animation for the “Last Leaf” video, as well as illustrating the album cover and creating the animation for the “Last Leaf” video along with his wife, Alexandra Dascalu Nelson; in addition to digital, CD and LP versions, Nelson’s webstore will also sell an exclusive, limited-edition version with a lithograph created by Micah.
The choice of “Last Leaf” was fitting according to Micah Nelson, as his dad has not shied away from addressing the unstoppable march of time before as well as facing his own mortality via a series of health scares, including on the title track of his 2018 album Last Man Standing, on which he lamented watching “my pals check out.” Micah said, “there are little side-quests, but that became the through-line — facing death with grace.”
That vibe makes sense given such song selections as Warren Zevon’s bittersweet ode to everlasting love “Keep Me In Your Heart,” as well as another haunting Waits song, “House Where Nobody Lives” and the Lips’ joyful meditation on the preciousness of life, “Do You Realize??” Another track that fits the theme of the fading of the light was chosen by Nelson’s longtime harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, jazz giant Nina Simone’s 1967 song “Come Ye.”
In addition to the Nelsons and Raphael, the album also features guest musicians Daniel Lanois on pedal steel, former Doors drummer John Densmore and Senegalese percussionist Magatte Sow.
Listen to Nelson’s “Last Leaf on the Tree” and see the album’s track list below.
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Last Leaf on the Tree track list:
1. “Last Leaf” (written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan)
2. “If It Wasn’t Broken” (written by Sydney Lyndella Ward)
3. “Lost Cause” (written by Beck David Hansen)
4. “Come Ye” (written by Nina Simone)
5. “Keep Me In Your Heart” (written by Warren Zevon & Jorge Calderon)
6. “Robbed Blind” (written by Keith Richards)
7. “House Where Nobody Lives” (written by Tom Waits)
8. “Are You Ready For The Country?” (written by Neil Young)
9. “Do You Realize??” (written by Wayne Coyne/Steven Drozd/Michael Ivins/David Fridmann)
10. “Wheels” (written by Micah Nelson)
11. “Broken Arrow” (written by Neil Young)
12. “Color Of Sound” (written by Willie Nelson & Micah Nelson)
13. “The Ghost” (written by Willie Nelson)
Over the past year, Post Malone has been integrating himself into Nashville’s country music circles, co-writing and recording songs with numerous country artists, writers, producers and musicians in Music City for his upcoming debut country album, F-1 Trillion, out on Friday (Aug. 16).
But on Wednesday night (Aug. 14), he was welcomed into the most prestigious of those circles — the six-foot circle of hardwood, originally part of the stage of the Ryman Auditorium, and which now resides in the middle of the stage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, as Post Malone made his Grand Ole Opry debut — and yes, he had some help.
Quite a lot of it, actually.
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Post Malone’s 18-song F-1 Trillion project brims with collaborations with artists including Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, Jelly Roll, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen, ERNEST and Lainey Wilson.
Triple threat singer-songwriter-guitarist Paisley, a Grand Ole Opry member since 2001, took to the stage first with a warm introduction.
“He has a country heart and he is someone who immersed himself in the Nashville way,” Paisley said, while also laying down a challenge: “But you aren’t a country singer until you’ve played this,” Paisley said. He then welcomed Posty, who garnered an instant standing ovation as he walked onstage and stepped into the famous circle, in the process becoming part of the ongoing legacy of the longest-running radio broadcast in history.
“What’s going on Nashville? My name is Austin Richard Post and I’m here to play some songs tonight with some really amazing folks and I’m honored to call them friends,” six-time Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Malone told the crowd as he joined Paisley.
“I’m terrified and honored to be standing right in this spot. My mom’s here tonight. Brad I remember going to see you [perform] when I was like six. I wanted to say how amazingly grateful and floored I am to have you bring me out tonight and I appreciate you.”
From there, the evening — hosted by WSM Radio’s Kelly Sutton — was a heart-warming mix of music and friendship. It was another Opry member, Vince Gill, who joined Posty for the first song, a rendition of Gill’s 1993 hit “One More Last Chance,” with Paisley also offering up some smooth guitar riffs.
Post Malone, clad in jeans, a white shirt, a blue blazer and cowboy hat, displayed a self-depreciating sense of humor, quipping early in the evening, “I was going for like a K-Mart George Strait [look],” drawing laughs from the audience.
He also noted, “how cool it is to rock out to people that I’ve listened to my whole entire life,” before welcoming John Michael Montgomery to join him on Montgomery’s 1994 hit “Be My Baby Tonight,” trading off high-octane verses and intertwining their voices on the chorus.
“I’m having the freakin’ best time of my life,” Malone said, clearly taking in the experience. He added, “We’ve been here in Nashville for a couple of months, like six or seven months, and I have made so many beautiful friends along the way. I’m so honored to be able to work with my friends.” He then welcomed reigning ACM and CMA entertainer of the year Wilson, who was inducted as an Opry member in June.
“Her heart is bigger than her hat,” he quipped, as she added, “What a special night.”
They debuted a song from F-1 Trillion called “Nosedive” about finding the beauty in the painful moments. The heartfelt ballad elicited cheers from the crowd and marked one of the evening’s more tender moments.
“Welcome to country music, Post Malone. We’re glad to have you!” Wilson said before exiting the stage. Paisley then returned to debut another new F-1 Trillion track, their collaboration “Goes Without Saying.”
“I’m honored to be on your album. This is one of my favorite records I’ve ever cut,” Paisley said, before deadpanning, “We’re going to mess this up. We’ve played this once.”
“Watching Brad growing up, I was always just mind-blown by someone who could play guitar like that,” Posty told the crowd, before telling Paisley, “You are the best living guitar player on the planet and I’m so honored to call you my friend, sir.”
From there, Malone delved into a slice of country-meets-’70s soul with “California Sober” — a song from the new album that features Chris Stapleton. Stapleton wasn’t at the Opry, but Posty welcomed two other stellar vocalists — The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — to perform the song, their voices soaring and swooping, marking one of the evening’s most musically-rousing moments.
“It’s unreal how y’all sound,” Malone told them.
Post Malone is known to drop a few curse words during his shows, but given that the Grand Ole Opry is also a radio broadcast, he did his best to keep things clean. In introducing The War and Treaty, he said, “I recently made some friends and I’m so honored to know these people and they can sing their a–es off,” before quickly asking, “That’s not a cuss, right? It’s in the Bible, right?”
He then closed by performing a solo version of his multi-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, the Morgan Wallen collab “I Had Some Help,” before ending his set with a countrified, fiddle-laden version of his 2019 hit “Sunflower.”
The audience members swiftly rose to their feet to cheer and applaud, making it all but certain that given the audience’s approving reception, this could be but the first of many Opry performances for Texas native Malone.