Old Town Road

"Old Town Road"
A black horse in a white background.
Single by Lil Nas X
from the EP 7
ReleasedDecember 3, 2018 (2018-12-03) (original)
April 5, 2019 (Billy Ray Cyrus remix)
RecordedDecember 2, 2018 (2018-12-02)
StudioCinCoYo (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre
Length1:53 (original version)
2:37 (Billy Ray Cyrus remix)
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lil Nas X singles chronology
"Thanos (Blow It)"
(2018) 		"Old Town Road"
(2018) 		"Panini"
(2019)
Audio video
"Old Town Road" on YouTube
Remix cover
Chestnut and black horses in a white background.
Billy Ray Cyrus remix cover
Billy Ray Cyrus singles chronology
"Achy Breaky Heart 25"
(2017) 		"Old Town Road" (remix)
(2019) 		"Chevys and Fords"
(2019)
Remix music video
"Old Town Road (Remix)" on YouTube

"Old Town Road" is the debut mainstream single by American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. The rapper also recorded a remix with American country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, which was released on April 5, 2019. Both were included on Lil Nas X's second EP, 7 (2019).

The song has been widely viewed as "country rap", a somewhat rare musical style not often heard in the mainstream prior to this song's release. Dutch record producer YoungKio composed the instrumental and made it available for purchase online in 2018. It features a sample of "34 Ghosts IV" by the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. The sample was placed behind trap-style Roland TR-808 drums and bass. Lil Nas X purchased the instrumental for US$30 and recorded "Old Town Road" in one day. At the time, he had been living with his sister after dropping out of college; his real-world struggles were an influence on some of the lyrics.

The song initially gained popularity on the social video sharing app TikTok and eventually entered the Billboard charts in March 2019.[3] The song also reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart before the magazine disqualified it from the chart on the grounds that it did not "fit" the genre, sparking a debate on what constitutes the "definition" of country music. Though "Old Town Road" did not re-enter any country charts, both versions of the song collectively peaked at no. 1 on the main Billboard Hot 100, remaining at the top for a record-breaking 19 consecutive weeks; the remix peaked at no. 50 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. One or more versions of "Old Town Road" have topped the national singles charts in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and have charted in the top 10 in various other international markets.

The song was certified diamond by the RIAA in October 2019 for selling 10 million total units in the United States, the fastest song to be certified diamond.[4] At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the remix (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Music Video. In October 2019, Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment won the Music & Sound Recordings Award from SAG-AFTRA for "work that exemplifies equal access" to LGBTQ individuals and "other misrepresented or underrepresented groups."[5] In September 2021, the song set the record for the second-highest certified song in history by the RIAA, at 16× platinum in the United States—meaning it accumulated 16 million equivalent song units.[6] The single has sold over 18 million copies worldwide,[7] making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.[8] Rolling Stone named it the 490th greatest song of all time in its 2021 list.[9]

  1. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (April 9, 2019). "Country or Not, Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Hits No. 1 on the Billboard Chart". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "Lil Nas X says Billboard has a problem with country trap, not his race". The FADER. March 22, 2019. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Rambarran, Shara (2021). Virtual Music Sound, Music, and Image in the Digital Era. New York: Bloomsbury Academic & Professional. ISBN 978-1-5013-3362-0. OCLC 1236265553. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Connor, Jay (October 23, 2019). "Lil Nas X Takes the 'Old Town Road' to Diamond Status, Becomes Fastest Song Ever to Do So". The Root. Archived from the original on October 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  5. ^ McNary, Dave (October 8, 2019). "SAG-AFTRA Honors 'It's Been a Minute,' 'Ramy,' 'Old Town Road'". Variety. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. ^ Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' Becomes the Highest Certified Song in RIAA History Archived January 25, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Ashley Iasimone, Billboard, 1/9/2021
  7. ^ "Billie Eilish's 'Bad Guy' Named IFPI's Biggest Global Single of 2019". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  8. ^ Lanier, Josh (April 8, 2021). "Billy Ray Cyrus Suggests Working on Western Film With 'Old Town Road' Singer Lil Nas X". Outsider. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.