7 Summers
"7 Summers" is a song by American country music singer Morgan Wallen from his second studio album, Dangerous: The Double Album (2021). Wallen wrote the song along with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, and it was produced by Joey Moi. Wallen did not originally intend to include the song on the album, but following a demo version of the song gaining popularity on social media, he decided on its inclusion. The song was officially released as the second single of the album on August 14, 2020. A country and soft rock track, it features suspended chords and guitar layering. Lyrically, Wallen sings of his lost love and reminisces about their romance that took place, as the title suggests, seven summers ago.
"7 Summers"
"7 Summers" received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Wallen's vocals, Moi's production, and its overall mood. Time would rank the song the seventh best of 2020. Upon its release, the song broke the single-day Apple Music streaming record for a country song. The song debuted at number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and number six on the Billboard Hot 100, making Wallen only the second solo male country artist to earn a Billboard top 10 debut, 21 years after Garth Brooks did so as Chris Gaines in 1999. It has since been certified triple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Wallen would release a short film for the song and would later perform it as part of his appearance on Saturday Night Live.
Release and reception[edit]
The song was officially released on August 14, 2020, as the second single from Wallen's second studio album Dangerous: The Double Album.[12] Upon its release, the song was met with positive reviews from music critics, with them praising Wallen's vocals, Moi's production, and the overall mood of the song. Billboard's Melinda Newman gave the song overall praise, calling it reminiscent of the easy listening music of the mid 20th century and stating: "Wallen's wistful vocals, Joey Moi's pitch-perfect production and the yearning for a time and love long gone pack a gentle wallop".[13] Allie Clouse of the Knoxville News Sentinel deemed the song a "nostalgic summer soundtrack".[11] Think Country Music's Jamie Gard declared it "the country soundtrack of the season", opining that the song would captivate listeners with its "irresistible sway".[14] CountrySwag's Erica Zisman described the song as "having imagery like no other".[15] Rolling Stone's Jon Freeman called the song "dreamy", complimenting Moi's "atmospheric" production, stating that it "perfectly fits the mood of Wallen's story".[6] At the years end, Time ranked it the seventh best song of 2020.[16]
Since its release, "7 Summers" has grown to be a fan favorite track and is frequently cited as being one of Wallen's best songs.[17][18][19]
Commercial performance[edit]
"7 Summers" set the record for the biggest first-day streams for a country song on Apple Music, garnering 4.6 million streams and debuting at number three on the global chart.[5] It also broke Spotify's first day record for a country track by a solo artist.[5][11] The song debuted at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Wallen's first top 10 entry, as well as the second top 10 debut ever for a song by a solo male country artist, the first since Chris Gaines (Garth Brooks)' "Lost in You" in 1999.[26] This also made Wallen the first contestant from The Voice to score a top 10 single.[27] The song would peak at number three on the Rolling Stone Top 100, the highest charting solo country song in the charts history.[28]
The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in February 2021, becoming Wallen's first single to miss the top 10 on the airplay chart since his debut single "The Way I Talk" peaked at number 30 in 2017. Its chart run was halted as a result of SiriusXM Satellite Radio, iHeartRadio, Entercom, and Cumulus Media all issuing directives to their stations to remove Wallen's music from airplay,[29][30] following controversy after the singer was caught on camera using a racial slur with friends as they were entering his Nashville home.[31] The song has been certified triple platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[32]
"7 Summers" strong commercial performance was primarily driven by TikTok and streaming, a rare occurrence in country music which typically relies on radio airplay and physical sales more than other genres.[7] The success of the song through streaming was cited by the Los Angeles Times as "helping move country music into the 21st century".[7][28][33]
Live performances[edit]
Wallen first performed "7 Summers" live on September 10, 2020, in Austin, Texas as part of Tito's Handmade Vodka Presents: Made to Order Festival.[34][35] On December 5, 2020, Wallen performed the song on his Saturday Night Live debut to an audience of 6.1 million viewers.[36][37] On January 8, 2021, Wallen performed the song live on The Bobby Bones Show along with other songs on his album.[38]