Historic Milestone: Country Songs Claim The Top Three Spots On The Billboard Hot 100 For The First Time Ever
Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town,” Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” are making chart history.
Jason Aldean; Photo by Andrew Wendowski, Morgan Wallen; Photo by David Lehr, Luke Combs; Photo by Andrew Wendowski
Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town,” Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” made history on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated August 5), marking the first time that three Country songs ranked in the top three positions.
According to Billboard, Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” claimed the No.1 position, followed by Wallen’s “Last Night” at No.2, and Combs’ “Fast Car” at No.3.
This is the first time that three Country hits have topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart since it launched in August of 1958.
Rounding out the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 are: Gunna (“Fukumean”), Rema & Selena Gomez (“Calm Down”), Taylor Swift (“Cruel Summer”), Travis Scott featuring Bad Bunny & The Weeknd (“K-Pop”), Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice with Aqua (“Barbie World”), Jung Kook featuring Latto (“Seven”) and Olivia Rodrigo (“Vampire”).
“K-POP,” a collaboration between Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, and The Weeknd, made its debut at No. 7 within the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice, featuring Aqua, reentered the chart at No. 8, coinciding with the release of the box office hit Barbie.
The Hot 100 chart combines U.S. streaming data from all genres, including both official audio and official video streams, along with radio airplay and sales figures. The sales data, which includes physical singles and digital tracks from comprehensive digital music retailers, is a significant component of this chart. However, it excludes digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites in the chart calculations.
Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” marks the Georgia native’s first-ever Hot 100 No. 1 and his 40th entry on the chart. The chart-topping hit also becomes Aldean’s record label Broken Bow’s first Hot 100 No. 1 hit since the label launched in 1999. Broken Bow previously charted in the Top 10 of the Hot 100 with Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem,” which was released in 2010.
Aldean made his debut on the Hot 100 with his single, “Hicktown,” on August 13, 2005. Before achieving his current chart-topping success, he had already earned one top 10 hit with “Dirt Road Anthem.” This song reached No. 7 in July 2011, aided by a remix featuring Ludacris.
The 46-year-old singer’s journey from his initial Hot 100 appearance to achieving his first No. 1 spot took 17 years, 11 months, and three weeks. Billy Ray Cyrus previously had a remarkable gap of 26 years and 11 months between the release of “Achy Breaky Heart” in 1992 and the chart-topping success of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Cyrus, in 2019.
Santana achieved a remarkable feat by holding the record for the longest anticipation period, spanning nearly 30 years, with only two days short, from their debut with “Jingo” in 1969 to the triumph of “Smooth,” featuring Rob Thomas, in 1999.
“Try That in a Small Town” becomes the 21st song to achieve the distinction of topping both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts. Notably, in March 2023, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” began its impressive 14-week reign, making 2023 the first year to feature multiple songs leading both the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts since 1981.
Sales and streams of the Aldean song reached new heights following the controversy surrounding the song and music video. Social media outrage surrounding the song began after the July 14 release of the “Try That In A Small Town” music video. As the video and song began to circulate online, many social media users accused the singer of being pro-gun and racist. Others dubbed the track a “dog whistle” and believed that the lyrics pushed a right-wing agenda.
After spending 14 weeks at No.1, “Last Night” bounced back from No.3 to No.2. The song is tied for the fifth-longest reign at No.1 in the chart’s history.
Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” climbed from No.4 to No.3 after spending three weeks at its peak position of No.2.
This year has been quite the year for Country music on the charts and overall consumption. As of July 6 Luminate (per Billboard) reported that consumption of the Country music genre was up 20.3% year-over-year in the first 23 weeks of 2023 in the United States. In comparison, country music experienced a growth of 2.5% during the corresponding period in 2022.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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