Taken from this week’s Future Pop mailer. Click here to subscribe.
The Billboard Hot 100 has been dominated by hip-hop, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber this year, but in the midst of all this one country hit managed to break through. Sam Hunt’s objectification anthem Body Like a Back Road has been in the top 10 for seven weeks and counting, and its peak of no.6 is the highest for a country track since Florida Georgia Line’s huge single, Cruise featuring Nelly, in July 2013. It has, of course, achieved much more on the country charts – it’s been no.1 for a record-breaking 26 weeks (so far). All this and bizarrely, the song doesn’t even have a music video. It hasn’t fully been embraced by pop radio, but dodgy lyrics aside, Body Like a Back Road does sound like a crossover hit. It even reminds me of the novelty country sound of acts like Uncle Kracker who managed to crack the UK charts in the 2000s. Sam only signed his record deal with MCA (part of Universal) three years ago, but he’s quickly become one of its biggest artists. Although this is Sam’s first Hot 100 top 10, in the country world he’s known for past hits Take Your Time, House Party, Leave the Night On and Break Up in a Small Town, all of which went at least 2x Platinum.