7 Summers

"7 Summers" is a song recorded by American country music singer Morgan Wallen. Wallen first performed a portion of the track on his Instagram, it was then released on August 14, 2020, following its popularity on TikTok. "7 Summers" is a "dreamy", nostalgic track, with Wallen singing of a long lost love of his and reminiscing about their romance that took place, as the title suggests, seven summers ago. He was hesitant to include it on his second studio album Dangerous: The Double Album, but had a change of mind after it became a fan-favorite. Wallen wrote the song, along with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

"7 Summers"
Single by Morgan Wallen
from the album Dangerous: The Double Album
ReleasedAugust 14, 2020 (2020-08-14)
Recorded2020
Genre
Length3:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Joey Moi
Morgan Wallen singles chronology
"More Than My Hometown"
(2020)		 "7 Summers"
(2020)
Lyric video
"7 Summers" on YouTube
Short Film
"7 Summers" on YouTube

Upon its release, the song broke the single-day Apple Music streaming record for a country song and debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, making Wallen the second solo male country artist to earn a top 10 debut, 21 years after the first one.

Background

During the COVID-19 quarantine, Wallen was nominated by fellow country musician Jake Owen to do a demo on Instagram; he accepted the challenge and performed the first verse and chorus in April 2020.[1][2] He was initially uncertain whether the song would be included on his second album, however he changed his mind after the demo received good feedback from fans and went viral on video-sharing app TikTok, where it earned over 24 million views prior to its official release.[3][4] On August 4, in response to a fan who posted on TikTok that they were waiting for Wallen to release the song, he announced the song would be released the following week.[2]

In a statement on the song's release, Wallen said:

"Social media played a huge part in me releasing this song, especially this early. It's a cool thing – me being on the fence about it, then being able to put it out and get people's feedback. Seeing the response played the biggest part in this release. I think that speaks to just how much fans mean to me and fans mean to music. I'm glad I'm getting to put it out and glad people are loving it, I can't wait for y'all to hear the full version".[3]

Composition and lyrics

"7 Summers" contains a "faint tinge" of 80s country music and soft rock flowing through its ringing, suspended chords,[5] and layered guitars,[6] with a "breezy, island-influenced" melody,[7] while Wallen's "daydreamy" vocals[6] finds him reminiscing about a summer love of his who got away, and wondering if she thinks of him.[8] His nostalgia takes him back to an unforgettable summer that is "all too vivid", while indicating that a second chance with his former romance may be possible.[6] Sounds Like Nashville's Chris Parton noted the song for being a "bittersweet anthem", referencing the "time traveling" chorus "Does it ever make you sad to know / that was seven summers ago".[6] Wallen also refers to himself as "that boy from East Tennessee", his home state.[9]

Critical reception

Billboard's Melinda Newman gave the song overall praise, labeling it "swoon-worthy", and stating: "If 'easy listening' were still a bonafide genre, the languid '7 Summers' would go straight to the top of the charts as the melody, Wallen's wistful vocals, Joey Moi's pitch-perfect production and the yearning for a time and love long gone pack a gentle wallop".[10] Allie Clouse of The Knoxville News Sentinel deemed it a "nostalgic summer soundtrack".[9] Think Country Music's Jamie Gard declared it "the country soundtrack of the season", opining that the "breezy, sun-kissed reminiscer, loaded with twilight sonics" will captivate listeners with its "irresistible sway".[11] Rolling Stone's Jon Freeman called the song "dreamy", complimenting producer Joey Moi's "atmospheric" production, stating that it "perfectly fits the mood of Wallen's story".[5]

Time ranked it at number seven among the best songs of the year.[12]

On December 5, 2020 Wallen performed the song on Saturday Night Live.[13]

Commercial performance

"7 Summers" set the record for the biggest first-day streams for a country song on Apple Music, garnering 4.6 million streams and debuting at number three on the Global Apple Music chart.[3] It also broke Spotify's first day record for a country track by a solo artist.[3][9] The song debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Wallen's first top 10 entry, as well as the second top 10 debut ever for a song by a solo male country artist, the first since Chris Gaines' "Lost in You" in 1999.[14] This also made Wallen the first contestant from The Voice to score a top ten single.

The song stalled at number 15 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in February 2020 after SiriusXM Satellite Radio, iHeartRadio, Entercom, and Cumulus Media all issued directives to their stations to remove Wallen's music from airplay[15][16] following controversy after the singer was caught on camera using the word "nigger" with friends as they were entering his Nashville home.[17]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Platinum 80,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Clouse, Allie (August 6, 2020). "'That boy from East Tennessee' Morgan Wallen announces new single on TikTok". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  2. "Morgan Wallen Reveals "7 Summers" Release Date". Music Mayhem. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  3. Black, Lauren Jo (August 19, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Shatters Records With '7 Summers'". Country Now. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. Nicholson, Jessica (August 17, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Earns Viral Hit With New Track "7 Summers"". MusicRow. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  5. Freeman, Jon (August 14, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Looks Back in Dreamy New Song '7 Summers'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. Parton, Chris (August 14, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Looks Back on a Summer of Love in '7 Summers". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  7. Stefano, Angela (August 14, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Drops Fan-Favorite '7 Summers'". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  8. Andrew, Wendowski (August 13, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Releases Fan-Favorite Song "7 Summers" — LISTEN". Music Mayhem. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  9. Clouse, Allie (August 14, 2020). "Is Morgan Wallen's '7 Summers' the song of the summer? Track tops country streaming charts". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  10. Newman, Melinda (August 14, 2020). "First Country: New Music From Kane Brown, Morgan Wallen, Jon Pardi, Caylee Hammack & More". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  11. Gardam, Jamie (August 14, 2020). "Morgan Wallen Shares Nostalgic Summertime Soundtrack '7 Summers' Debut Album If I Know Me Tops Billboard's Country Albums Chart After Historic 114 Week Run". Think Country Music. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  12. "The 10 Best Songs of 2020". Time.
  13. "Morgan Wallen Made His 'Saturday Night Live' Debut With "7 Summers" And "Still Goin Down" — WATCH". Music Mayhem Magazine. 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-06.
  14. Trust, Gary (August 24, 2020). "Cardi B's 'WAP' Tops Billboard Hot 100 for Second Week; Drake, Morgan Wallen & Gabby Barrett Hit Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  15. "Morgan Wallen's Music Removed From iHeart's Radio Stations and Others Following Racial Slur". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  16. Chris Willman (February 3, 2021). "Morgan Wallen Disqualified by Academy of Country Music for Upcoming Awards; One-Day Airplay Down 80%". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  17. "Morgan Wallen Hurls N-Word Outside Home After Rowdy Night Out". TMZ. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  18. "Country Hot 50: Issue 1327". The Music Network. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  19. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  20. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  21. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  22. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  23. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  24. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  25. "Morgan Wallen Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  26. "Top 100 Songs, August 14, 2020 - August 20, 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  27. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  28. "Canadian single certifications – Morgan Wallen – 7 Summers". Music Canada. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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