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Song of the Day #4,884: ‘Fancy Like’ – Walker Hayes

Country songs don’t often make it to the top tier of the Billboard Hot 100. Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ (hardly a traditional country song) is the only one to hit #1 in the last decade. Before that, only six songs in the previous 40 years accomplished that feat.

Walter Hayes’ ‘Fancy Like’ didn’t quite make it to #1, but it did peak at #3 and sits at #5 this week. Like so many songs these days, this one got its boost from TikTok, when Hayes recorded a video of him and his daughter dancing to the track. It racked up 2 1/2 million views and became the soundtrack of many a TikTokker’s clips.

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Song of the Day #4,883: ‘Bad Habits’ – Ed Sheeran

Lil Nas X owns the third spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 with ‘Industry Baby,’ his third single to reach #1.

At #4 is an artist with only two #1 hits so far, but nine in the top ten and 43 in the Hot 100. Ed Sheeran’s ‘Bad Habits’ has spent 19 weeks on the chart, peaking at #2 in August but falling just short of joining ‘Shape of You’ and ‘Perfect’ at #1.

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Song of the Day #4,882: ‘Stay’ – The Kid LAROI feat. Justin Bieber

For the next two weeks, I’m taking my first look in six months at “What the Kids are Listening To,” a snapshot of the top songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 (as of November 10).

Sitting at the #1 spot is Adele’s ‘Easy On Me,’ which has occupied that perch since its debut a month ago.

At #2 is ‘Stay’ by Australian rapper Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber. The pair previously collaborated on a track for Bieber’s album Justice, released earlier this year.

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Song of the Day #4,881: ‘The Night’s Too Long’ – Lucinda Williams

‘The Night’s Too Long’ is one of two songs on Lucinda Williams’ self-titled 1988 album to become hits for other artists.

Patty Loveless recorded this track for her 1990 album On Down the Line and put it on the country charts for 19 weeks.

Two years later, Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded ‘Passionate Kisses’ for the album Come On Come On and found success on not just the country chart, but Adult Contemporary and the Billboard Hot 100. That recording won Williams a songwriting Grammy for Best Country Song.

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Song of the Day #4,880: ‘Swan Swan H’ – R.E.M.

‘Swan Swan H’ is the penultimate track on R.E.M.’s 1986 album Lifes Rich Pageant, though it was listed last on the packaging because a cover of the song ‘Superman’ was left off.

This album was the band’s fourth, and the first to move into more rock territory after the murky alternative pop of their first three releases. I slotted this album as #3 on my list of R.E.M. releases when I ranked them back in 2008.

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