His streak continues.
This week, Luke Combs scored another #1 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart with “Be By You,” marking his 23rd consecutive solo single to top the chart. It extends his own record for the most consecutive #1s to start a career.
The song was included on Combs’ fifth studio album The Way I Am, and was written by Dan Alley, Sam Banks and Nick Walsh. It finds him admitting that he just wants to be with his lady, comparing her love to the “breeze of a sweet home holler.” I just love that line, and considering that Combs actually isn’t a co-writer on this one, it clearly resonated with him and it really is gorgeous, and the second verse is my favorite:
“Love it when your bench seat blues slide to the middle
I’m stuck to you like glue, on your hip like a pistol
Wanna find me, you ain’t gotta look far
There’s nothing that can pull us apart
And I hope I ain’t comin’ on too strong
Just wanna hold you close, baby
Kinda looks like you do too
I just wanna make love, wake up next to you
No makeup, baby, nothing beats that view
I guess what it comes down to
Is I just wanna be by you”
The production is easy breezy, and I love how smooth and heartfelt is delivery is, per the usual. He of course dedicated it to his wife, Nicole:
Combs continued, saying “Be By You” is the first song out of his own catalog that he can’t get out of his own head, which is saying a lot considering he’s the man behind hits like “When It Rains It Pours” and “Hurricane,” just to name a couple. I don’t know how you could put out so many great songs and never get one of them stuck in your head until now, but that’s actually really impressive:
“So I’m sitting here making kids dinners, and a couple things. One, I look old as hell in this video. Two, ‘Be By You,’ I cannot get it out of my own head. It’s my first one of my own songs that I cannot get out of my own head.
So I just want to say thank you guys for loving the song so much. It’s been amazing to watch you guys, you know, make all our videos, and love the song. I just wanted to say thanks, I’m feeling very thankful this evening.
Keep listening to it, and a lot more where that came from, so I hope you guys are ready for this album. I know I am, and I’ll see you guys on the road real soon.”
Luke wrapped up his historic international My Kinda Saturday Night stadium tour in August, a run he set multiple records on. He was the first solo country artist in history to headline Wembley Stadium, selling out three consecutive nights to over 270,000 total fans. At Slane Castle in Ireland, Combs became the first artist of any music genre to ever sell out back-to-back nights.
Here in the states, he set multiple attendance records too, and at Ohio stadium, he drew an all-time record crowd of 97,367 fans, shattering Pink Floyd’s long-standing 1994 stadium attendance record by over 20,000 fans. In May, he broke Garth Brooks’ Neyland stadium record for the largest concert audience there with over 92,045 fans. At Allegiant Stadium, the opening night of the tour, Luke set the record for the venue’s all-time attendance record, marking the single highest indoor attendance for any concert or event in Nevada with over 70,921 fans.
He was also just nominated for three awards at the 60th Annual CMA Awards this fall, including the coveted Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for The Way I Am.
He’s had a huge year, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him take home his third CMA EOTY, which he won in 2021 and 2022.
“Be By You”
