Sam Hunt banks his eighth leader on Billboard's Country Airplay chart as "Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90's" climbs from No. 2 to No. 1 on the chart dated May 22. In the tracking week ending May 16, it increased by 18% to 30.1 million audience impressions, according to MRC Data.
Hunt wrote the song with Zach Crowell, Chris LaCorte, Josh Osborne and Ernest K. Smith.
On Hot Country Songs, which blends airplay, sales and streaming data, the track rises 5-4. It also drew 7.5 million U.S. streams (up 6%) and sold 1,800 downloads (up 7%) in the week ending May 13.
Hunt adds his third consecutive Country Airplay leader, after "Hard to Forget" reigned for a week last July and "Kinfolks" dominated for a frame in February 2020. The triumphant trio is from his second full-length, Southside, which bowed at No. 1 on Top Country Albums in April 2020.
He first topped Country Airplay with his debut hit "Leave the Night On" for a week in November 2014 and added three more one-week No. 1s from his debut LP Montevallo: "Take Your Time" (May 2015), "House Party" (September 2015) and "Make You Miss Me" (September 2016).
Hunt then led Country Airplay with his crossover smash "Body Like a Back Road" (also included on Southside) for three weeks in May 2017. The track dominated Hot Country Songs for 34 weeks starting that February.
Plus, Hunt claims the first song whose title calls out the '90s to hit No. 1 on Country Airplay, which itself began that decade, in January 1990. Two other such entries have hit the chart: Lauren Alaina's "Ladies in the '90s" (No. 40 peak, April 2019) and Walker Hayes' "90's Country" (No. 52, December 2018).
NEW TOP 10s Dylan Scott scores his third Hot Country Songs top 10 as "Nobody" lifts 12-8. It pushes 7-5 on Country Airplay, up by 8% to 22.7 million impressions, and jumped by 28% to 5.5 million streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the tracking week.
"Nobody" follows Scott's "Hooked," which peaked at No. 6 on Hot Country Songs and reached No. 2 on Country Airplay in September 2018. He first hit the Hot Country Songs top 10 with "My Girl," which peaked at No. 3 in August 2017 after leading Country Airplay for a week that July.
Plus, Jason Aldean's "Blame It on You" (Macon/Broken Bow) pushes 11-10 on Country Airplay, up by 11% to 18.7 million impressions, marking his 33rd top 10. It follows "Got What I Got," which became his 22nd No. 1 last October. Aldean, who first hit the top 10 with "Hicktown" in 2005, is the 12th artist with at least 33 top 10s on the tally. George Strait leads with 61.
'TAPES' ON ALBUM CHARTS The Marfa Tapes, by Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall, enters Top Country Albums at No. 7 with 14,000 equivalent album units (10,000 in album sales). The set, recorded in Marfa, Texas, also arrives at No. 1 on Americana/Folk Albums.
Lambert notches her eighth Top Country Albums top 10. Her previous seven entries, all solo sets, debuted at No. 1, a career-opening run second only to Carrie Underwood's nine straight leaders in as many appearances.
Ingram adds his second Top Country Albums top 10, after This Is It opened and peaked at No. 4 in 2007.
Randall makes his first Top Country Albums visit. As an artist, his single "Cold Coffee Morning" dented Country Airplay in 1999. He's since produced three No. 1s on the chart: Dierks Bentley's "Am I the Only One" (2011) and "Living" (2019) and Parker McCollum's "Pretty Heart" last December.
On Americana/Folk Albums, Lambert and Randall chart their first entries, while Ingram earns his second, after Midnight Motel hit No. 9 in 2016.
NEW RELEASES
An expanded edition of The Beatles’ ‘Rubber Soul’ is set to arrive with a previously unheard John Lennon demo included in the collection.
Read More: Paul McCartney: “Writing a song is still a magic feeling for me, and hopefully always will be”
The refreshed editions of the celebrated 1965 record will be released on October 2 through UMG and Apple Corps Ltd. Producer Giles Martin and engineer Sam Okell handled the new mixes.
More than 60 years after its original release, the influential album will be available in updated stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for the first time. The box set will also contain the initial mono mix and the original Capitol US Album edition.
In addition to the familiar tracklist, which includes popular songs such as ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’, ‘Nowhere Man’, ‘Michelle’, and ‘In My Life’, the collection features the double A side single ‘Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out’. Fans will also receive several previously unavailable studio recordings and home demos.
Different versions of the release include the 14 song Special Edition Standard, the 30 track Special Edition Deluxe, and a Blu ray Edition containing 16 tracks and four videos.
The largest package is the Special Edition Super Deluxe, which will be offered as either a five LP box set or a four CD box set containing 68 tracks. Its contents include the new stereo version of ‘Rubber Soul’, two Sessions and Demos discs, the album’s original mono master, the original Capitol US edition, and the seven inch A side single.
Among the demos is ‘Little Girl’, a track written and recorded by Lennon that has never been officially released since it was originally created.
The Super Deluxe packages also feature an 88 page hardcover book with a newly written introduction from Paul McCartney and a foreword assembled using Lennon’s own words.
‘Rubber Soul’ was completed across four weeks in October and November 1965. The sessions took place shortly after the Fab Four played their record setting show for over 55,000 people at Shea Stadium in New York.
Every new edition includes the updated stereo mix of the album, created directly from the original four track master tapes. The team used separation technology developed at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films Productions Ltd.
Visit here to place a preorder and see the complete tracklist for the “Special Edition Super Deluxe” package below.
The ‘Rubber Soul Special Edition Super Deluxe Box Set’ tracklist is:
LP1: New stereo mix
Side A
Side B
LP2: Sessions, Demos and The Single, Disc 1
Side A
Side B
LP3: Sessions, Demos and The Single, Disc 2
Side A
Side B
LP4: Mono
Side A
Side B
LP5: US Album
Side A
Side B
Seven inch single
Side A
Side AA
Elsewhere in Beatles news, the group will be explored through a collection of four films directed by Sam Mendes. All four movies are currently scheduled to reach cinemas at the same time in April 2028.
Paul Mescal will portray Paul McCartney, while Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Joseph Quinn will appear as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan will take on the role of Ringo Starr. Each movie will present the band’s journey through the eyes of a different member.
It has also been announced that 3 Savile Row, the famous London location closely connected to the group, will welcome visitors for the first time next year as part of the first official Beatles fan experience.
Earlier this year, Paul McCartney released his latest album, ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’. It marks his first solo project since 2020’s ‘McCartney III’ and includes his first duet with former Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr.
Before the record arrived, McCartney spoke with NME about both the past and future of his remarkable career. He discussed his “excitement” about appearing on the upcoming The Rolling Stones album and addressed whether retirement is part of his plans.
