Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood’s “If I Didn’t Love You” bounds onto Billboard’s airplay-, sales- and streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Aug. 7) at No. 2, marking a historic entrance.
Since the survey began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in October 1958, the song marks the highest debut for a duet between a solo male and female. It surpasses the No. 9 arrival of Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s “Nobody but You,” which opened at No. 9 in December 2019 (and reached No. 2 in May 2020).
“Love,” the lead single from Aldean’s upcoming 10th studio album, was released July 23. In its first tracking week, ending July 29, it sold 29,500 downloads, according to MRC Data, and launches atop Country Digital Song Sales, marking Aldean and Underwood’s eighth No. 1 apiece.
The song, penned by Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, John Morgan and Lydia Vaughan, drew 9 million U.S. streams in the same tracking period and debuts at No. 4 on Country Streaming Songs. On Country Airplay, it ranks at No. 28 with 5.4 million impressions in the week ending Aug. 1.
Aldean matches his career-best bow on Hot Country Songs, after “You Make It Easy” arrived at its No. 2 peak in April 2018. He lands his 35th top 10, a sum that includes nine No. 1s. Underwood achieves a new highest Hot Country Songs entrance, besting the No. 5 start in 2014 of “Somethin’ Bad” with Miranda Lambert. Underwood ups her count to 30 top 10s, a total that includes 14 leaders.
‘CHASING’ LEADS TO TOP 10 Ryan Hurd scores his first Hot Country Songs top 10, and Maren Morris notches her eighth, as “Chasing After You” rises 12-9.
The song from the couple, who wed in March 2018, ascends with 9.1 million impressions, up 14% (as it climbs 23-19 on Country Airplay); 9.5 million streams (up 17%); and 2,600 sold (up 14%).
“Chasing” is Hurd’s second Hot Country Songs entry, after “To a T” hit No. 23 in February 2020. Morris nabs her first top 10 since her crossover smash “The Bones” began its 19-week dominance in March 2020, becoming her first No. 1.
TOP 10 ‘AGAIN’ Thomas Rhett rolls up his 18th Hot Country Songs top 10, as “Country Again” jumps 16-10. It bumps 10-8 on Country Airplay (19.6 million, up 5%) and surged by 58% to 6.4 million streams, helped by more prominent placement on Amazon Music’s Country Heat playlist.
The song is the sophomore single from Rhett’s fifth full-length, Country Again (Side A). First single “What’s Your Country Song” became his second No. 1 in March.
WHATTA ‘MAN’ Lainey Wilson lands her first Country Airplay top 10 as her first entry on the chart, “Things a Man Oughta Know,” rises 11-9, up 7% to 19.5 million impressions.
Wilson follows the last woman to score a top 10 with a first Country Airplay entry, Tenille Arts, whose “Somebody Like That” hit No. 3 in May. Meanwhile, Arts’ follow-up “Back Then, Right Now” pushes 49-48 (1.4 million, up 11%).
‘ONE’ IS 10 Keith Urban banks his 43rd Country Airplay top 10 and P!nk adds her second as “One Too Many” lifts 12-10 (17.5 million, up 5%).
Urban claims solo possession of the fifth-most Country Airplay top 10s since the chart started in 1990 (breaking out of a tie with Toby Keith). George Strait leads with 61 top 10s, followed by Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw (58 each) and Alan Jackson (51).
P!nk topped Country Airplay for a week in 2016 as featured on Chesney’s “Setting the World on Fire.”
‘SINGLE’ DOUBLES UP Meanwhile, Country Airplay is led for a second week by Cole Swindell’s “Single Saturday Night” (33.8 million, essentially even week-over-week). It’s Swindell’s second of six No. 1s to lead for multiple weeks, after “You Should Be Here” reigned for three frames in April 2016.
