Parmalee Crowns Country Airplay With ‘Gonna Love You’: ‘Having It Connect With So Many People Is Pretty Emotional’

Parmalee earns its fourth leader on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart as “Gonna Love You” jumps 6-1 on the list dated Dec. 7. During Nov. 22-28, it advanced by 28% to 28.8 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.

The single, from the band’s upcoming LP, was written by Parmalee frontman Matt Thomas with Abram Dean, David Fanning and Andy Sheridan. It was produced by Fanning (who is also the group’s manager). Parmalee records for Stoney Creek Records, under the Broken Bow Records umbrella.

The act is rounded out by Scott Thomas (Matt’s brother), Barry Knox (a cousin of the Thomases) and Josh McSwain.

The official video for “Gonna Love You” starkly chronicles a shooting involving armed robbers on the band’s bus following a show in 2010, which culminated with Scott Thomas being critically injured.

“‘Gonna Love You’ is personal to all four of us,” the band collectively tells Billboard. “It allowed us to tell our story and film the music video, which recreates the night we were robbed after a show that resulted in a shooting. A lot of people think it’s just a love song, so it’s been amazing hearing and seeing the responses when they see the video and find out what the song is really about. Having it connect with so many people and go to No. 1 is pretty emotional. But at the same time, we’re like, hell yeah … it was the right song at the right time for us.”

“Gonna Love You” follows Parmalee’s “Girl in Mine,” which reached No. 3 on Country Airplay in October 2023. Before that, the group led with “Take My Name,” for two weeks in June 2022, and “Just the Way,” with Blanco Brown (one week, March 2021). The act first reigned with “Carolina” for a week in December 2013 and has scored two additional top 10s: “Already Callin’ You Mine” (No. 10, December 2015) and “Close Your Eyes” (No. 4, December 2014).

Shaboozey Parties On

Shaboozey’s multi-genre smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” logs a 24th week atop Hot Country Songs, tying Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like” (2021-22) and Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” (2012-13) for the fifth-longest command since the chart became the genre’s singular songs survey in 1958. The tracktotaled 68.1 million in all-format airplay audience, 20.5 million official U.S. streams and 9,000 sold Nov. 22-28.

A week earlier, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tied Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, for the longest command – 19 weeks – in the all-genre Billboard Hot 100’s history.

Zach Top 10

Zach Top’s“I Never Lie” rises 13-10 on Hot Country Songs, awarding the Sunnyside, Wash., native his first top 10. His co-written single drew 8.8 million streams (up 13%) and sold 2,000. On Country Airplay, it climbs 39-33 (4.5 million impressions, up 33%). The song follows Top’s “Sounds Like the Radio,” which reached Nos. 29 and 15 on the charts, respectively.