Luke Combs Leads All Five Country Charts Again, Scores His Longest Country Airplay Reign

Luke Combs makes history as the first artist to lead all five of Billboard‘s country charts simultaneously for multiple weeks: Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs, Country Digital Song Sales and Top Country Albums (all dated March 30). Combs first staged the quintuple chart achievement on the lists dated March 9.

One other artist previously led all five charts simultaneously for one week: Kane Brown, on Oct. 28, 2017.

Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy” tops all four country song charts – and makes for a personal best for the singer-songwriter on Country Airplay. The ballad, written by Combs, Wyatt Durrette and Robert Williford, leads Country Airplay for a fifth frame, down 3 percent to 39.4 million audience impressions in the week ending March 24, according to Nielsen Music. Combs passes his prior longest stay atop the tally, as “She’s Got the Best of Me” reigned for four weeks starting in October 2018.  

“Crazy” initially topped the Country Airplay chart dated March 2, becoming Combs’ unprecedented fifth consecutive career-opening entry on the survey to hit No. 1. Before “Crazy” and “Best,” his debut hit “Hurricane” led for two weeks beginning May 27, 2017, followed by “When It Rains It Pours,” which also dominated for two frames, beginning Nov. 4, 2017, and “One Number Away” (June 9, 2018).

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“Crazy” is the longest-ruling Country Airplay No. 1 by any act since Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man,” which crowned the chart for six weeks starting Jan. 2, 2016. What makes “Crazy” such a rare lengthy leader? “It’s a special song,” says KKBQ Houston program director Johnny Chiang. “It’s pretty amazing to see that in a matter of just a few songs, Luke Combs has become a core artist on most country stations. Yup, a new artist whose songs are now pretty much must-adds out-of-the-box. It’s really incredible.”

“Crazy” likewise paces the airplay-, streaming- and sales-fueled Hot Country Songs chart for a fifth week, as well as Country Streaming Songs for a fifth frame, essentially even week-over-week with 12.1 million U.S. streams in the week ending March 21. On Country Digital Song Sales, it rebounds 2-1 for a sixth total week at the summit (12,000 sold, up 15 percent in the week ending March 21).

Meanwhile, Combs’ debut LP This One’s for You returns to the Top Country Albums attic for a 29th cumulative week at No. 1, up less than 1 percent to 24,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 21.

BROWN LOOKS ‘GOOD’ IN TOP 10 Kane Brown nets his fourth Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Good as You” hops 11-10. It increases by 9 percent to 18.7 million audience impressions and climbs 14-11 on Country Airplay.

Brown boasts two Hot Country Songs No. 1s: “What Ifs,” featuring Lauren Alaina (five weeks, beginning Oct. 21, 2017), and “Lose It” (Nov. 24, 2018). His other top 10, “Heaven,” hit No. 2 in March 2018.

REBA RETURNS Superstar Reba McEntire extends her record for the most Country Airplay appearances among women, as “Freedom” enters as the chart’s top debut at No. 52 with 1.7 million impressions. McEntire makes her 69th visit to the chart and first since December 2017.

McEntire pads her lead among women over runner-up Martina McBride, with 56 Country Airplay appearances. Among all acts, McEntire, who has notched 11 No. 1s among 36 top 10s, ranks seventh for the most entries. George Strait leads all artists with 99; his latest, “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” (MCA Nashville), lifts 22-21 (10.9 million in audience, up 7 percent).