Country music is taking over the mainstream charts.
For just the second time in history, three country songs occupy the Top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, thanks in large part to the rapid rise of Oliver Anthonyโs โRich Men North of Richmond.โ
It claimed the top spot this week, debuting at #1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, with Anthony becoming the first artist to ever have their very first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart be a #1 debut.
Heโs also the first artist whoโs not signed to a record label to hold the top spot on the all-genre chart.
Luke Combs moved up to the #2 spot on the all-genre chart with his cover of Tracy Chapmanโs โFast Car,โ and Morgan Wallen dropped to #3 with his multi-week #1 hit โLast Night.โ
The last time three country songs occupied these spots on Billboard was three weeks ago (which was the first time in history), when Jason Aldean peaked at #1 with โTry That In A Small Town,โ and Morgan was at #2 and Luke at #3, respectively, with the aforementioned two singles.
Luke Combs has been hovering around that #2 spot for several weeks now, and was previously projected to eventually dethrone Morgan from the top spot and claim an all-genre #1 hit.Weโll see if Luke can manage to knock off Oliver Anthony next week, or if Anthony might secure his first multi-week hit.
Either way, itโs kinda cool to see country music take over the pop charts for a few weeks.
Oliver Anthony Becomes The First Artist To Debut At #1 On The Billboard Hot 100 With โRich Men North of Richmondโ
What an insane ride itโs been for Oliver Anthonyโฆand itโs only been two weeks.
The Virginia native (whose real name is Christopher Anthony Lunsford) burst onto the scene a couple of weeks ago when RadioWV posted a video on the YouTube page of Anthony performing his original song โRich Men North of Richmond.โ
The scathing rebuke of the DC political class touched a nerve with listeners, and the video quickly began going viral on social media. The original video has racked up over 30 MILLION views on YouTube alone, and within days Oliver was drawing a packed crowd to a performance at a small North Carolina farmerโs market.
He was even joined by country music legend Jamey Johnson for a performance of โIn Color,โ and Anthony has since revealed that heโs turned down $8 million offers from record labels since the song took off.
Of course it hasnโt been without controversy, as many people online have taken issue with the line in the song that calls out people who are abusing welfare (Iโm sure youโve probably seen the โfudge roundsโ memes going around by now).
But the controversy hasnโt slowed down Anthonyโs historic success, and this week the song debuted in the top spot of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Thatโs right: Oliver Anthony, who was getting only a few thousand views on TikTok just a couple weeks ago, beat out names like Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs on the Billboard charts.Insane.
And just how insane is it? With โRich Men North of Richmond,โ Oliver Anthony becomes the first artist to ever have their very first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart be a #1 debut.
Heโs also the first artist whoโs not signed to a record label to hold the top spot on the all-genre chart.Oh and if thatโs not enough, the song is also #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Just for good measure.
Just an incredible rise, something that weโve never seen before in country music โ or in music in general.
โFast Carโ
Zach Bryanโs โSomething In The Orangeโ Breaks Chart Record
If there ever was such a thing as a breakout hit, then it would certainly be Zach Bryanโs โSomething in the Orange.โ
Of course, it was included on his massive major label debut studio album, the 34-song American Heartbreak album last year, and was also certified 4x Platinum in June.
And itโs now officially the longest charting country single of all-time for a male artist on Billboardโs Hot 100, after 65 consecutive weeks there.
Currently sitting at #18, โOrangeโ also surpasses Carrie Underwoodโs โBefore he Cheatsโ to become the second longest-charting country song of all time, following Leann Rimesโ โHow Do I Liveโ at 69 straight weeks.
It also became a hit at country radio, far exceeding anyoneโs expectations as there was no initial first push to even get it on the radio, where it initially started charting organically at stations across the country because it became such a fast fan-favorite.
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