Justified (song)

Last updated

"Justified"
Single by Kacey Musgraves
from the album Star-Crossed
ReleasedAugust 27, 2021
Genre Country pop [1]
Length3:01
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kacey Musgraves singles chronology
"Easy" (remix)
(2020)		"Justified"
(2021)		"Camera Roll"
(2022)
Music video
"Justified" on YouTube

"Justified" is a song by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves. It was released on August 27, 2021, as the lead single from Musgraves' fifth studio album, Star-Crossed , released on September 10, 2021. Musgraves co-wrote the song with Ilsey Juber, BJ Burton and Ian Fitchuk, and produced it with Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian. [2]

Contents

Content

In an interview with Elle in May 2021, Musgraves talked about the inspiration for the song, her divorce with Ruston Kelly: "I felt, in many ways, on top of the world in my career, but in my personal life, I felt like I was dying inside. I was crumbling. I was sad. I felt lonely. I felt broken." [3]

Matt Doria of NME pointed out that the song "serve[s] as a poignant reflection on Musgraves' divorce from country singer Ruston Kelly". [4] Andy Sahadeo of Nicki Swift described the song as "a somber contemplation of the singer's personal life over the past few years". [5]

Critical reception

Jason Friedman of Paste felt that the track "recalls some of the warmth of previous album Golden Hour , with the track serving as an uptempo reminder that 'healing doesn't happen in a straight line,' as the singer wrestles with the different mood cycles that follow a breakup." [6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Bardia Zeinali, and taken from the film Star-Crossed. [7] The video begins with Musgraves "driving solemnly through a desert while listening to a commercial on love counseling from the car radio". She drives through "different environments and weather, likes a green-lit tunnel, a snowy forest, rain, an urban city, and an autumn highway". [8]

Commercial performance

"Justified" debuted at number 31 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated September 11, 2021. [9] After the album was released, it climbed to number 22 on the chart dated September 25, 2021. [10]

Live performance

On October 2, 2021, Musgraves performed the song on the 47th season of Saturday Night Live. [11]

Charts

Chart performance for "Justified"
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Australia Country Top 50 (TMN) [12] 12
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [13] 23
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [14] 2
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [15] 28
US Adult Top 40 ( Billboard ) [16] 21
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [17] 22
US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) [18] 37
US Rock Airplay ( Billboard ) [19] 50

Release history

Release history for "Justified"
RegionDateFormatLabelRef.
VariousAugust 27, 2021
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 [20]
United StatesSeptember 13, 2021 Adult contemporary radio MCA Nashville [21]
Adult alternative radio [22]
September 14, 2021 Contemporary hit radio [23]

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References

  1. ↑ Seliger, Sam (September 12, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves Shares New Single "Justified"". Glasse Factory. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Releases New Song "justified"". Pm Studio. August 27, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ Hyland, Veronique (May 20, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves Is In Her Feelings". Elle. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ Doria, Matt (August 27, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves embraces healing pains on new single "justified"". NME. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  5. ↑ Sahadeo, Andy (August 27, 2021). "The Real Meaning Behind Kacey Musgraves' 'Justified'". Nicki Swift . Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ Friedman, Jason (August 27, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves Shares Another New Single, "justified"". Paste . Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hussey, Allison (August 27, 2021). "Watch Kacey Musgraves' Video for New Song "Justified"". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ Serrano, Athena (August 27, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves Releases Heartbreak Anthem 'Justified'". MTV. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Hot Country Songs: September 11, 2021" . Billboard. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Hot Country Songs: September 25, 2021" . Billboard. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ Hudak, Joseph (October 3, 2021). "Kacey Musgraves Performs 'Star-Crossed' Songs on 'SNL' Season Premiere". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Countrytown Top 50" (Issue 1367). The Music Network . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  13. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 6, 2021. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Kacey Musgraves - Justified". Discogs . Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Future Releases for Hot/Modern/AC Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Future Releases for Triple A Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Top 40 Mainstream Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
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