For the first time since 2012 — and first time since it was expanded to measure combined activity from sales, streaming and airplay — Dierks Bentley claims the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Bentley reaches the zenith with “Somewhere On A Beach,” the lead single from his forthcoming “Black.” It was #4 last week.
The country superstar’s previous Hot Country Songs #1 was “5-1-5-0,” which led the listing in the summer of 2012. At the the time, the chart ranked songs exclusively based on airplay.
Interestingly enough, it was a weekly airplay gain that most notably thrust “Somewhere On A Beach” to #1 on the overall chart. The song concurrently leaps from #7 to #3 on the Country Airplay chart; it earns the week’s “airplay gainer” award.
“Somewhere On A Beach” improves on the other fronts as well. It rises from #4 to #2 on Country Digital Songs (sales) and from #5 to #4 on Country Streaming Songs.
After a week at #1 on Hot Country Songs, Tim McGraw’s “Humble And Kind” slips to #2 on the all-encompassing chart. It concurrently maintains its #1 position on Country Digital Songs.
Cole Swindell’s “You Should Be Here” slips one spot to #3 on Hot Country Songs, while Chris Young & Cassadee Pope’s “Think Of You” rises two places to #4. Thomas Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man,” which extends its reign atop Country Streaming Songs, slips two places to #5 on Hot Country.
