Southbound (Carrie Underwood song)

“Southbound” was written by Underwood, co-producer David Garcia and Josh Miller. Underwood said of the writing process, "I was like, 'This sounds like fun, I think. We can do something fun with this.' But then you realize how tricky for some reason it is to be a woman and write kind of a drinking party boat song. You wouldn’t think it would be any different, but for some reason, I feel like a guy could get away with saying this line that we just threw out there, but I can’t for some reason."{{Cite web|url=https://www.inquisitr.com/5411323/carrie-underwood-get-away-new-song-southbound-partying-drinking/|title=Carrie Underwood Admits She Didn't Think She Could Get Away With New Song About Partying & Drinking|date=2019-04-27|website=The Inquisitr|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-29}} When talking about particular characters in the song, she added, "I used Katie in the song as an example. So, Katie, we wanted to make her have a little too much fun, but for every line we came out with, it was like, 'Well, we don’t want it to be sad.' We still had to make Katie have a little respect but wanted to just get it out there that some people were having too much fun. It surprisingly took us a while to write it but by the end of it, it was like, 'Well, this is a lot of fun,'" she added. "I feel like everybody kind of gravitated towards that one when we were all done with it."{{Cite web|url=https://popculture.com/country-music/2019/04/25/carrie-underwood-southbound-tricky-write-drinking-song-woman/|title=Carrie Underwood on 'Southbound': It's 'Tricky' to Write a Drinking Song as a Woman|website=Country Music|date=April 25, 2019 |access-date=2019-04-29}} “Southbound” was one of the final songs written for the album.{{Cite web|url=https://pressroom.umgnashville.com/news/carrie-underwood-scores-her-27th-no-1-single-with-southbound/|title = Carrie Underwood Scores Her 27Th No. 1 Single with}}

Entertainment Weekly gave the song favorable reception in their review of the album, writing, "One of Cry Pretty{{'}}s strangest surprises is a Florida Georgia Line-style party song called 'Southbound' that finds her singing about tan lines and 'redneck margaritas.' It's probably the most casual Underwood's ever been, and, sung by a male artist, it would have felt almost impossibly unoriginal. Recorded by a woman who doesn’t exactly make pontoon day drinking a part of her personal brand, it's pleasingly contrarian: perhaps it's Underwood trying to reclaim a style of music that's been co-opted and ridden high on the charts by the genre's leading men."{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/music/2018/09/14/carrie-underwood-cry-pretty-ew-review/|title=Carrie Underwood lays (some) cards on the table with Cry Pretty: EW review|website=EW.com|access-date=2019-04-29}} Sounds Like Nashville similarly praised the song, highlighting its "propulsive rhythm, sunny guitar riffs and breezy organ accents", also noting that it was "the first time in recent years that the Oklahoma native has offered up such a carefree track, and its good-time lyrics are all about pontoon-boat weekends, two-for-one redneck margaritas, tan lines and cheap sunglasses."{{cite web |last1=Parton |first1=Chris |title=Carrie Underwood Lets Loose for Feel-Good 'Southbound' Single |url=https://www.soundslikenashville.com/music/carrie-underwood-southbound-single/ |website=Sounds Like Nashville |date=April 25, 2019 |access-date=30 April 2019}}

Consequence of Sound gave a less favorable review of the song in their review of the album, writing that it was "a bit of fluffy party music high on southern pride."{{Cite web|url=https://consequenceofsound.net/2018/09/album-review-carrie-underwood-cry-pretty/|title=Album Review: Carrie Underwood Balances Comfort and Risk-Taking on Cry Pretty|date=September 16, 2018|website=Consequence of Sound|access-date=April 29, 2019}}

In the United States, "Southbound" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No.

3 on the Country Airplay chart, becoming Underwood's 28th Top 10 hit on that chart.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8526342/luke-combs-beer-never-broke-my-heart-no-1-country-airplay|title=Luke Combs' 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' Gives Him Six Pack Of Country Airplay No. 1s|magazine=Billboard}} It debuted at No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 65.

In Canada, "Southbound" peaked at No. 1 on Billboard Canada Country chart, becoming her first single to top the chart since "Dirty Laundry" in 2016.

As of October 2019, it has sold 89,000 copies in the United States.{{cite web |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2019/10/44022-top-30-digital-country-downloads-october-21-2019 |title=Top 30 Digital Country Downloads: October 21, 2019|work=RoughStock|first=Matt |last=Bjorke |date= October 21, 2019 |access-date=October 23, 2019 }}

The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 9, 2021, denoting equivalent sales of over 1,000,000 units.

The official music video for the song debuted on Underwood's YouTube channel on June 8, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://tasteofcountry.com/carrie-underwood-sneak-peek-southbound-video/|title=Carrie Underwood Offers Sneak Peek at 'Southbound' Video|first=Wendy|last=Hermanson|website=Taste of Country|date=June 5, 2019 }} The video was filmed on Cinco de Mayo and features some of Underwood's friends and family, including her husband, Mike Fisher, and their son, Isaiah. Directed by Jeff Venable, it features behind-the-scenes footage of Underwood's 2019 Cry Pretty Tour 360, intercut with Underwood, her husband, and family and friends having a big celebration at a dock on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas.{{Cite web|url=https://www.onecountry.com/country-artists/carrie-underwood/carrie-underwood-cinco-de-mayo-celebration/|title=Carrie Underwood Celebrates Cinco de Mayo With Water Toys and Margaritas on the Lake|first=Tammy|last=Ragusa|date=May 6, 2019|website=One Country}}

Underwood gave the first live performance of the song at the 54th Academy of Country Music awards on April 7, 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/g27073145/acm-awards-2019-best-performances/|title=Every Amazing Performance You Missed From the 2019 ACM Awards|last=Donovan|first=Blair|date=2019-04-08|website=Country Living|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-29}} She performed the song again on the American Idol finale on May 19, 2019. Underwood also used the song to open the Cry Pretty Tour 360.{{Cite web|url=https://kicks99.com/2019/05/02/carrie-underwood-cry-pretty-tour-opening-night-set-list-videos/|title=Carrie Underwood 'Cry Pretty Tour': Opening Night Set List/Videos|date=May 2, 2019|website=Kicks 99}} Underwood also performed it on the 2019 CMT Music Awards at The Parthenon on June 5, 2019, in Nashville.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/carrie-underwood-southbound-2019-cmt-music-awards-8514767|title=Carrie Underwood Plays 'Southbound' for Huge Parthenon Crowd at 2019 CMT Music Awards|magazine=Billboard}} She included the song in her set at Glastonbury Festival in June 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://buildingourownnashville.com/2019/06/29/glastonbury-blown-away-by-carrie-underwood-and-her-energising-rocking-sensational-set/|title=Glastonbury Blown Away by Carrie Underwood and her Energising, Rocking, Sensational Set|date=June 29, 2019}}

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{{reflist}}

{{Carrie Underwood songs}}

Category:2019 singles

Category:2018 songs

Category:Capitol Records Nashville singles

Category:Carrie Underwood songs

Category:Songs written by Carrie Underwood

Category:Songs written by David Garcia (musician)

Category:Songs about boats