| "Southbound" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Carrie Underwood | ||||
| from the album Cry Pretty | ||||
| Released | April 29, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | Capitol Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Carrie Underwood singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Southbound" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood, and released as the third single from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty . [1] The single had an official release day of April 29, 2019. The song was written by Underwood, David Garcia and Josh Miller.
“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." [2] 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." [3] “Southbound” was one of the final songs written for the album. [4]
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." [5] Sounds Like Nashville similarly praised the song, highlighting it's "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." [6]
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." [7]
In the United States, "Southbound" reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and No. 3 on the Country Airplay chart, [8] becoming Underwood's 28th Top 10 hit on that chart. [9] 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. [10] The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 9, 2021 denoting equivalent sales of over 1,000,000 units. [11]
The official music video for the song debuted on Underwood's YouTube channel on June 8, 2019. [12] 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. [13]
Underwood gave the first live performance of the song at the 54th Academy of Country Music awards on April 7, 2019. [14] 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. [15] Underwood also performed it on the 2019 CMT Music Awards at The Parthenon on June 5, 2019 in Nashville. [16] She included the song in her set at Glastonbury Festival in June 2019. [17]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) [11] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer who rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Underwood's single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), produced the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.
"Before He Cheats" is a song by American singer Carrie Underwood from her debut studio album, Some Hearts (2005). Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The song tells the story of a woman taking revenge on her unfaithful partner.
American country music singer Carrie Underwood has released nine studio albums, one greatest hits album, and 29 singles. Underwood rose to fame after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her debut album, Some Hearts, was released in 2005 and is the fastest-selling debut country album in Nielsen SoundScan history. It also became the best-selling solo female country debut in Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) history, as well as the top-selling debut album of any American Idol contestant in the United States.
Blown Away is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States and Canada on May 1, 2012, by Arista Nashville. After finishing her successful Play On Tour in December 2010 to promote her third studio album Play On, Underwood started working on the album, but took her time, as she "wanted to change things up", and needed to step away from the "celebrity bubble" to "have real things to write about and to sing about". It took her over one year to finish the album, which, according to Underwood, ended up having a "darker storyline" than her previous efforts.
"Blown Away" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood, taken from her fourth studio album of the same name (2012). The song served as the album's second single on July 9, 2012, through Arista Nashville. Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, who previously wrote Underwood's single "Before He Cheats" (2007), "Blown Away" is a country pop song with lyrics addressing the story of a daughter locking herself in a storm cellar while her alcoholic father is passed out on the couch in the path of a tornado. Producer Mark Bright drew inspiration from 1980s music.
"Two Black Cadillacs" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood, taken from her fourth studio album, Blown Away. The song served as the album's third single on November 18, 2012, through Arista Nashville. Written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and Josh Kear, "Two Black Cadillacs" is a country pop song with lyrics addressing the story of two women who, when they realize they are both involved with the same man, decide to kill him. It was produced by Mark Bright, and the instrumentation was compared to songs by Dixie Chicks and Miranda Lambert.
"See You Again" is a song by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and David Hodges. It was released as the fourth and final single from Underwood's fourth studio album, Blown Away, on April 15, 2013. Underwood announced the single on her official Twitter account.
"Somethin' Bad" is a song recorded as a duet by American country music artists Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Chris DeStefano, Brett James and Priscilla Renea. It was released as the second single from Lambert's fifth studio album Platinum in advance of the album's release two weeks later. The song premiered at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on May 18, 2014, and was released for sale the next day.
"Something in the Water" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood, from her compilation album Greatest Hits: Decade #1. The song was released on September 29, 2014, as the album's lead single through Arista Nashville. It was written by Underwood, Chris DeStefano, Brett James, and produced by Mark Bright.
"Smoke Break" is a song recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller. It was released on August 21, 2015, through Sony Music Nashville, as the album's lead single. It was written by Underwood, Chris DeStefano, and Hillary Lindsey, and was produced by Jay Joyce. Musically, it has lyrics about escaping life's many stresses.
"Dirty Laundry" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller (2015). The song was written by Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Jay Joyce, and was released as the fourth single from the album in the United States and Canada. The single was shipped to country radio on August 22 and made its official impact on September 5. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 23, 2020.
"Church Bells" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller. The song was written by Zach Crowell, Brett James, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Mark Bright, and was released as the third single from the album in the United States, being shipped to radio on April 3, 2016, and had an official impact date of April 11, 2016.
Runaway June is an American country music group consisting of Stevie Woodward, Jennifer Wayne, and Natalie Stovall. Wayne co-founded the group in 2015 with Hannah Mulholland and Naomi Cooke. Wayne was a former member of Stealing Angels and had co-written singles for other singers prior to the group's foundation. Signed to BBR Music Group's Wheelhouse imprint in 2015, the group charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts prior to their breakthrough hit "Buy My Own Drinks" in 2018. This was the first of three singles from their 2019 studio album Blue Roses. Mulholland quit the group in 2020 and was replaced by Natalie Stovall, former lead singer of Natalie Stovall and the Drive; Cooke quit in 2022 and was replaced by Stevie Woodward.
"The Champion" is a song recorded by American country music singer Carrie Underwood, featuring rapper Ludacris. The song was released on January 12, 2018, and was recorded to serve as an opening theme for NBC Sports's television broadcast of Super Bowl LII. It was included as a bonus track on Underwood's sixth studio album Cry Pretty.
"Cry Pretty" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Carrie Underwood. It was released on April 11, 2018, as the lead single and title track from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty. The song received critical acclaim with Billboard naming it the best country song of 2018.
Cry Pretty is the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood. The album was released on September 14, 2018, as Underwood's first album with Capitol Records Nashville after signing a global deal with Universal Music Group at the start of 2017. The album marked the first co-producing effort by Underwood, who partnered with David Garcia for the record.
"Drinking Alone" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood, and released as the fourth single from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty (2018). The single had an official release day of November 4, 2019. The song was written by Underwood, co-producer David Garcia and Brett James.
"Love Wins" is a song recorded by American singer Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Underwood with Brett James and David Garcia, and produced by Garcia and Underwood. It was released on August 31, 2018, as the second single from her sixth studio album, Cry Pretty. "Love Wins" officially impacted country radio on September 17, 2018.
"If I Didn't Love You" is a song recorded by American country music singer-songwriters Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood, released on July 23, 2021, as the first single from the first half of Macon on Aldean's tenth studio album Macon, Georgia, of which the first half, Macon was released on November 12, 2021.
Denim & Rhinestones is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Carrie Underwood. The album was released on June 10, 2022, through Capitol Records Nashville. The album was recorded throughout the years of 2021 and 2022, with production from David Garcia, who previously produced Cry Pretty (2018) and My Savior (2021), with co-production from Underwood as well. The album entered the top ten in the United States, and the top 40 in Scotland, Australia, and Canada. It failed to enter the UK Albums Chart, but entered at number one on the UK Country Albums chart.
| Some Hearts | |
|---|---|
| Carnival Ride | |
| Play On | |
| Blown Away | |
| Greatest Hits: Decade #1 | |
| Storyteller | |
| Cry Pretty | |
| My Gift | |
| Denim & Rhinestones | |
| Collaborative songs | |
| Other songs | |
