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Luke Combs Makes Chart History As ‘Love You Anyway’ And ‘Fast Car’ Rank No.1 and No.2 At Country Radio
Combs is the first artist to have two solo songs claim the No.1 and No.2 spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart since its inception in 1990.
Luke Combs;Luke Combs; Photo by Andrew Wendowski, Music Mayhem Photo by Andrew Wendowski
Luke Combs scored his 17th No. 1 single with “Love You Anyway,” a song that serves as a tribute to his wife, Nicole Combs.
“Love You Anyway” claimed the top spot on the Mediabase Country Airplay chart as well as the Billboard Country Airplay chart, where he also sits at No.2 with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”
Chart History
With this feat, the country superstar made history as the first artist to have two solo songs claim the No.1 and No.2 spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart since its inception in 1990.
Previously, Luke Bryan held the No.1 and No.2 positions in 2014 when he claimed the top spot with his chart-topping hit, “Play it Again,” while simultaneously occupying the second position with Florida Georgia Line’s “This is How We Roll,” which Bryan was featured on.
Let Fans Choose The Single
Luke Combs let his fans have the power to select this single earlier this year. It was a “neck in neck” between “Love You Anyway” and “5 Leaf Clover,” and according to Combs, the vote was 51% – 49%.
Combs, who recently welcomed his second child with his wife, Nicole, released the song on Valentine’s Day.
Co-written by Combs alongside Ray Fulcher and Reid Isbell, “Love You Anyway” finds Combs professing an endless love for his wife, a love so strong that it can even withstand pain and heartbreak.
“There’s just some things that leave a man no choice / Like a compass needle needing its true north / Even if I knew, the day we met, you’d be the reason this heart breaks / I’d love you anyway,” Combs sings on the track.
Watch
At the time of the track’s release, Combs took to social media to explain how “Love You Anyway” came into fruition during a concert in 2020.
“Valentine’s Day 2020. I was playing a show and had dedicated “Beautiful Crazy” to Nicole and said, ‘If you’re in here (the arena), I love you. If not, you know I do anyway.’ Unknown to me, my buddy Dan wrote down ‘Love You Anyway’ as a title in his phone after hearing that, then he told me the story later that month when he and I were writing with my good friend Ray Fulcher,” he explained. “We loved the idea as a title and decided to write about loving someone so much that even if you knew from the beginning they were going to break your heart, you’d love them anyway.”
Combs continued, “It came off very poetic and we wanted to find the words that could really give meaning to what we were trying to say, but as we say in the song, we didn’t know if there were deep enough words made for that. But it all came together and essentially it’s a heartbreak and love song all in one. And long story short, me dedicating a song I wrote about Nicole ended up turning into another song about Nicole, and now three years later the song is finally out at the same time of year. It’s a special one to me and I hope y’all love it as much as I do.”
Combs previously shared an acoustic performance clip to accompany the track.
Acoustic Performance
This isn’t the first song he’s written that was inspired by his wife. In fact, Combs has written a trilogy of hits with her in mind, including “Beautiful Crazy,” “Better Together” and “Forever After All.”
Appears On Latest Album
“Love You Anyway” is a track from Combs’ latest album, Gettin’ Old, which arrived on March 24, 2023.
Gettin’ Old features 18 tracks, including “Growin’ Up And Gettin’ Old,” “See Me Now,” “Joe,” “Tattoo On A Sunburn,” “5 Leaf Clover,” as well as his chart-topping cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” and more.
“This album is about the stage of life I’m in right now. One that I’m sure a lot of us are in, have been through or will go through,” Combs previously explained on social media.
He continued, “It’s about coming of age, loving where life is now but at the same time missing how it used to be, continuing to fall for the one you love and loving them no matter what, living in the moment but still wondering how much time you have left, family, friends, being thankful, and leaving a legacy. Me and so many others have poured their hearts and souls into this record and I hope you love it as much as we do.”
On Tour
Additionally, Luke Combs will head overseas in October to complete his massive 2023 world tour and recently announced his 2024 Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour, which is scheduled to kick off on April 12 in Milwaukee, WI.
For more information on Luke Combs’ upcoming tour dates, visit his official website HERE.
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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