Aaron Lewis, founding member and lead vocalist of hard rock band Staind, blasts in atop Billboard’s airplay-, sales- and streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated July 17) with “Am I the Only One” (Valory).
Lewis’ first Hot Country Songs leader is the ninth song to debut atop the tally (which began as a multi-metric genre ranking in 1958 and segued to its current methodology in 2012). It’s the third of 2021, following Morgan Wallen’s “Wasted on You” in January and Taylor Swift’s “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” in February.
Released July 2, “One,” which Lewis wrote with Ira Dean and Jeffrey Steele, arrives with 59,300 sold in its first week, ending July 8, according to MRC Data. It opens atop Country Digital Song Sales and at No. 2 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales ranking. On the former, it marks the biggest week since the chart dated Feb. 10, 2018, when Jason Aldean’s “You Make It Easy” soared in with 76,900 sold.
“One” also drew 4 million U.S. streams in the tracking week.
The Valory Music label will begin promoting the song to country radio July 26.
Lewis adds his fourth Hot Country Songs appearance, after hitting a prior No. 39 high with “Endless Summer” in 2012. He has achieved two No. 1s on Top Country Albums. His first foray into the genre, the EP Town Line, arrived atop the tally in March 2011, and Sinner started at the apex in October 2016.
Staind formed in Springfield, Mass., and has notched three No. 1s on the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, along with four leaders on the Mainstream Rock Airplay charts. The group hit a No. 5 best on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 with “It’s Been Awhile” in 2001.
Lewis also lands his highest-charting solo Hot 100 hit, as “One” opens on that chart at No. 14. He has posted three solo Hot 100 entries, each 10 years apart: “Outside,” with Fred Durst, hit No. 56 in 2001 and “Country Boy,” featuring George Jones and Charlie Daniels, reached No. 87 in 2011.
“One,” which includes such lyrics such as “Am I the only one who quits singing along every time they play a Springsteen song/ Watchin’ the threads of Old Glory come undone, I’m not the only one,” has built buzz in part via Fox News, SiriusXM’s Patriot Radio and social media platform Telegram.
All charts will update tomorrow, July 13, on Billboard.com.
