Downtown's Dead
{{Infobox song
| name = Downtown's Dead
| cover = Sam Hunt - Downtown's Dead.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Sam Hunt
| album = Southside
| released = {{start date|2018|5|16}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Country
| length = 3:35
| label = MCA Nashville
| writer =
- Sam Hunt
- Zach Crowell
- Josh Osborne
- Shane McAnally
- Charlie Handsome{{cite web|url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/news/newsitem.asp?xid=10082|title=Hunt finds "Downtown's Dead"|date=May 16, 2018|work=Country Standard Time|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}
| producer =
| prev_title = Body Like a Back Road
| prev_year = 2017
| next_title = Kinfolks
| next_year = 2019
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|EBGsSRpl-W8|"Downtown's Dead"}}}}
}}
"Downtown's Dead" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Sam Hunt. It is Hunt's eighth single release, and the follow-up to his 2017 hit "Body Like a Back Road" as well as the second single from his second studio album Southside. The song, which he wrote with Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Charlie Handsome, is about the loneliness felt after a break-up. The song is Hunt's lowest charting single of his career, with a peak at number 15 on the Country Airplay chart.
Content and history
Co-writer Zach Crowell told Taste of Country that "It was an idea that Sam brought and we chipped away at over the course of a handful of different writes". The two then presented the idea of "Downtown's Dead" to Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, who experimented with different sounds before deciding to make the lead instrument an acoustic guitar. The lyrics take inspiration from a breakup that Hunt had with his wife, Hannah, and it expresses the loneliness that the narrator feels when by himself in a public setting.{{cite web|url=http://tasteofcountry.com/sam-hunt-downtowns-dead-lyrics/|title=Lyrics Uncovered: Sam Hunt, 'Downtown's Dead'|last=Houghton|first=Cillea|date=May 30, 2018|work=Taste of Country|accessdate=June 23, 2018}} The song was described by Rolling Stone as featuring a "woozy Latin guitar riff" and a "hungover narrative about a city that no longer holds the same charm it once did".{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/country/news/sam-hunts-new-song-downtowns-dead-w520362|title=Hear Sam Hunt's Tense New Song 'Downtown's Dead'|last=Parton|first=Chris|date=May 16, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone Country|accessdate=June 23, 2018}} Hunt announced the single's release via Instagram in May 2018.{{cite web|url=http://theboot.com/sam-hunt-downtowns-dead/|title=Sam Hunt Readies New Single, 'Downtown's Dead,' For Release on May 16|last=Liptak|first=Carena|date=May 15, 2018|work=The Boot|accessdate=June 23, 2018}}
Charts
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Chart (2018) ! Peak |
| {{single chart|Canada|67|artist=Sam Hunt}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardcanadacountry|22|artist=Sam Hunt}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|94|artist=Sam Hunt}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardcountryairplay|15|artist=Sam Hunt}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardcountrysongs|14|artist=Sam Hunt}} |
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2018)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2018|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2018/hot-country-songs|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=December 7, 2018}}
| 72 |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Sam Hunt|title=Downtown's Dead|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2023|access-date=March 14, 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Sam Hunt|title=Downtown_s Dead|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2019|access-date=March 8, 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true|nosales=true}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Sam Hunt}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Zach Crowell
Category:Songs written by Charlie Handsome
Category:Songs written by Sam Hunt
Category:Songs written by Shane McAnally
Category:Songs written by Josh Osborne
Category:MCA Nashville Records singles