Downtown's Dead
| "Downtown's Dead" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sam Hunt | ||||
| Released | May 16, 2018 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | MCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Sam Hunt singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Downtown's Dead" on YouTube | ||||
"Downtown's Dead" is a song by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It is Hunt's eighth single release, and the followup to his 2017 hit "Body Like a Back Road". The song, which he wrote with Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Charlie Handsome, is about the loneliness felt after a breakup. In mid-July 2018 after a mere two months of the song's release, MCA Nashville pulled support for the song due to poor reception from listeners and radio.[2] The song is Hunt's lowest charting single of his career, with a peak at number 15 on the Country Airplay chart.
Content and history
Co-writer Zach Crowell told Taste of Country that "It was an idea that Sam brought and we chipped away at over the course of a handful of different writes." The two then presented the idea of "Downtown's Dead" to Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, who experimented with different sounds before deciding to make the lead instrument an acoustic guitar. The lyrics take inspiration from a breakup that Hunt had with his wife, Hannah, and it expresses the loneliness that the narrator feels when by himself in a public setting.[3] The song was described by Rolling Stone as featuring a "woozy Latin guitar riff" and a "hungover narrative about a city that no longer holds the same charm it once did."[4] Hunt announced the single's release via Instagram in May 2018.[5]
Chart performance
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[6] | 67 |
| Canada Country (Billboard)[7] | 45 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 94 |
| US Country Airplay (Billboard)[9] | 15 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] | 14 |
References
- ^ a b "Hunt finds "Downtown's Dead"". Country Standard Time. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/sam-hunts-downtowns-dead-dies-at-country-radio/
- ^ Houghton, Cillea (May 30, 2018). "LYRICS UNCOVERED: SAM HUNT, 'DOWNTOWN'S DEAD'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ Parton, Chris (May 16, 2018). "Hear Sam Hunt's Tense New Song 'Downtown's Dead'". Rolling Stone Country. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ Liptak, Carena (May 15, 2018). "AM HUNT READIES NEW SINGLE, 'DOWNTOWN'S DEAD,' FOR RELEASE ON MAY 16". The Boot. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
- ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
- ^ "Sam Hunt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.