Perfect 10: Luke Combs Extends Career-Opening No. 1 Streak on Country Airplay With ‘Better Together’
Luke Combs banks his record-extending 10th consecutive career-opening No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart (encompassing all his properly promoted singles), as "Better Together" rises…
Luke Combs banks his record-extending 10th consecutive career-opening No. 1 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart (encompassing all his properly promoted singles), as “Better Together” rises 2-1. The song gained by 7% to 29.4 million audience impressions in the week ending Jan. 17, according to MRC Data.
Co-written by Combs, Dan Isbell and Randy Montana, “Better” is the fifth single from Combs’ second LP, What You See Is What You Get. The set ranks at No. 2 on Top Country Albums after 37 weeks at No. 1. Combs now has five Country Airplay No. 1s from the set, matching the five leaders from his first LP, This One’s for You. Luke Bryan’s six No. 1s from 2015’s Kill the Lights remain the most from one album.
“Better” follows Combs’ last Country Airplay No. 1, “Lovin’ on You,” which reigned for four weeks starting last September. His latest leader reaches the top in its 16th week, wrapping the speediest coronation since “Lovin’,” which needed just 12 weeks.
‘DOWN’ IS UP Speaking of Luke Bryan, he lands his 31st Country Airplay top 10 as “Down to One” ascends 11-9 (19.3 million impressions, up 8%). He ties Rascal Flatts for the 13th-most top 10s since the chart launched in January 1990. George Strait leads with 61 top 10s.
‘UNDIVIDED’ ATTENTION Following its first five days of availability, Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard’s “Undivided” vaults onto Country Airplay at No. 19 with 10.3 million impressions. The track, an upbeat call for unity, was released as a stand-alone single Jan. 13 and received hourly plays that day on participating iHeartMedia stations.
Hubbard, who co-wrote “Undivided” with Chris Loocke, charts his first Billboard entry apart from Florida Georgia Line. The duo, also comprising Brian Kelley, has rolled up 14 Country Airplay No. 1s since the pair arrived in 2012 with its first leader, “Cruise.”
FGL has made its highest Country Airplay entrance with “Dirt,” which opened at No. 14 in July 2014 then hit No. 1 that October.
For McGraw, “Undivided” marks his second-highest debut, tied with “Speak to a Girl,” with his wife Faith Hill; it debuted and peaked at No. 19 in April 2017. He’s made his strongest start with his Kenny Chesney collab “Feel Like a Rock Star,” which bounded in at No. 13 in April 2012 before peaking at No. 11 the next month.
McGraw and Hubbard previously topped Country Airplay together via FGL’s “May We All,” featuring McGraw, for two weeks in December 2016.
Meanwhile, FGL’s current single, “Long Live,” lifts 15-14 on the latest list.
McGraw and Hubbard will appear together on the Tom Hanks-hosted special Celebrating America, airing Wednesday (Jan. 20) beginning at 8 p.m. ET across ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC and NBC to commemorate the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.