Downtown's Dead

"Downtown's Dead" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It is Hunt's eighth single release, and the follow-up to his 2017 hit "Body Like a Back Road" as well as the second single from his second studio album Southside. The song, which he wrote with Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Charlie Handsome, is about the loneliness felt after a break-up. The song is Hunt's lowest charting single of his career, with a peak at number 15 on the Country Airplay chart.

"Downtown's Dead"
Single by Sam Hunt
from the album Southside
ReleasedMay 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
GenreCountry
Length3:35
LabelMCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Zach Crowell
  • Charlie Handsome[1]
Sam Hunt singles chronology
"Body Like a Back Road"
(2017)		 "Downtown's Dead"
(2018)		 "Kinfolks"
(2019)
Music video
"Downtown's Dead" on YouTube

Content and history

Co-writer Zach Crowell told Taste of Country that "It was an idea that Sam brought and we chipped away at over the course of a handful of different writes." The two then presented the idea of "Downtown's Dead" to Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, who experimented with different sounds before deciding to make the lead instrument an acoustic guitar. The lyrics take inspiration from a breakup that Hunt had with his wife, Hannah, and it expresses the loneliness that the narrator feels when by himself in a public setting.[2] The song was described by Rolling Stone as featuring a "woozy Latin guitar riff" and a "hungover narrative about a city that no longer holds the same charm it once did."[3] Hunt announced the single's release via Instagram in May 2018.[4]

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[5] 67
Canada Country (Billboard)[6] 22
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 94
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[8] 15
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] 14

Year-end charts
Chart (2018) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 72

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Hunt finds "Downtown's Dead"". Country Standard Time. May 16, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  2. Houghton, Cillea (May 30, 2018). "Lyrics Uncovered: Sam Hunt, 'Downtown's Dead'". Taste of Country. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  3. Parton, Chris (May 16, 2018). "Hear Sam Hunt's Tense New Song 'Downtown's Dead'". Rolling Stone Country. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  4. Liptak, Carena (May 15, 2018). "Sam Hunt Readies New Single, 'Downtown's Dead,' For Release on May 16". The Boot. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  5. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  6. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  7. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  9. "Sam Hunt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  10. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  11. "American single certifications – Sam Hunt – Downtown's Dead". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
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