Sam Hunt Goes Back to the ’90’s’ for His Latest Country Airplay Chart Leader

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 CHARTSThe 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.