Simple (Florida Georgia Line song)

The song was one of two tracks leaked in advance of Florida Georgia Line's upcoming fourth studio album. It is their first solo single release since "Smooth" in late 2017, although the duo had hit singles as featured artists on Morgan Wallen's "Up Down", Hailee Steinfeld's "Let Me Go" and Bebe Rexha's "Meant to Be" in between. Duo members Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley wrote the song with Michael Hardy and Mark Holman, and Joey Moi produced the track. It features "banjos and a whistling melody", and a hook in which the two spell out the title. Chris Parton of Rolling Stone Country compared the song's sound to Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/hear-florida-georgia-lines-roots-pop-makeover-in-new-song-simple-628375/|title=Hear Florida Georgia Line's Roots-Pop Makeover in New Song 'Simple'|date=June 1, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=July 18, 2018}}

Hubbard and Kelley both discussed the song in an interview with Nash Country Daily. Hubbard said that "Majority of the time, I just find that for us it’s just easy to keep it simple. There's no need to complicate it, especially when it comes to love and [our] relationships with our wives and our families. Just a little reminder to simplify things every now and then and have a good time while you do it", while Kelley stated that it was "the next step for FGL" and a "fresh sound".{{cite web|url=http://www.nashcountrydaily.com/2018/06/01/listen-to-florida-georgia-lines-straightforward-new-single-simple/|title=Listen to Florida Georgia Line's Straightforward New Single, "Simple"|last=Casey|first=Jim|date=June 1, 2018|work=Nash Country Daily|accessdate=July 18, 2018}} The two also stated in an interview on iHeartRadio's website that the two drew lyrical inspiration from their relationships with their own wives and families.{{cite web|url=https://www.iheart.com/content/2018-06-01-florida-georgia-line-shares-new-song-simple-teases-collabs-on-new-album/|title=Florida Georgia Line Shares New Song "Simple," Teases Collabs on New Album|last=Mastrogiannis|first=Nicole|date=June 1, 2018|page=iHeartMedia|accessdate=July 18, 2018}} Thematically, the song is about keeping a relationship "simple" and expressing the emotion of romantic love in simple fashions.{{cite web|url=http://www.soundslikenashville.com/news/florida-georgia-line-simple-colorado/|title=Florida Georgia Line Surprise Fans By Dropping 'Simple' and 'Colorado'|last=Brickey|first=Kelly|date=June 1, 2018|work=Sounds Like Nashville|accessdate=July 18, 2018}}

The duo promoted the song on Instagram by erasing all other pictures from the account and replacing them with captioned black-and-white photos.

Simple debuted at No. 24 on the Country Airplay chart on its release on June 1, 2018.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8459430/luke-combs-one-number-away-no-1-country-airplay-chart |title='One Number' Is No. 1 For Luke Combs, Florida Georgia Line Makes High Debut Look 'Simple' |date=June 5, 2018 |first= Jim |last=Asker|magazine=Billboard }} It peaked at No. 1 on Country Airplay in October 2018, which is Florida Georgia Line's 14th No. 1 on the chart, making them a duo or group with the second-most No. 1s on the chart, tying with Rascal Flatts behind Brooks & Dunn.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8480241/eric-church-desperate-man-dominates-top-country-albums-chart |title=Eric Church's 'Desperate Man' Dominates Top Country Albums, Florida Georgia Line Crown Country Airplay |date=October 16, 2018 |first= Jim |last=Asker|magazine=Billboard }} The song was certified double platinum on September 13, 2019. The song has sold 367,000 copies in the United States as of January 2019.{{cite news|url=http://roughstock.com/news/2019/01/43574-top-30-digital-singles|title=Top 30 Digital Singles: January 15, 2019|work=RoughStock|first=Matt |last=Bjorke |date= January 15, 2019 |accessdate=January 17, 2019 }} As of May 2024, the song had 388,804,313 streams on Spotify.{{Cite web |title=Simple - Song and Lyrics by Florida Georgia Line {{!}} Spotify |url=https://open.spotify.com/track/4L9Ds4mpD3SuYoWwFUlv16}}

Directed by Justin Clough, the music video features a grandfather recalling a romantic story to his grandchildren, interspersed with scenes from his wife and his younger self crashing a party in the 1930s.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/8463441/florida-georgia-line-simple-video|title=Watch Florida Georgia Line's Romantic Music Video for 'Simple'|date=June 29, 2018|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=July 18, 2018}}

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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Florida Georgia Line|title=Simple|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2019|access-date=December 25, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Florida Georgia Line|title=Simple|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2019|access-date=December 20, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Florida Georgia Line|title=Simple|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=January 2, 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Florida Georgia Line|title=Simple|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2018|certyear=2019|access-date=December 20, 2022|refname=RIAA}}

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Category:2018 songs

Category:2018 singles

Category:Florida Georgia Line songs

Category:Republic Nashville singles

Category:Songs written by Tyler Hubbard

Category:Songs written by Brian Kelley (musician)

Category:Songs written by Hardy (singer)

Category:Song recordings produced by Joey Moi