It’s Been a Big Year for Big Songs — Will Post Malone and Morgan Wallen’s ‘I Had Some Help’ Be the Biggest?
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It’s been some kind of 2024 for Post Malone. Nabbing a spot on the guest list for Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album (on the top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Levii’s Jeans”) in March would be year-defining accomplishment enough for 99% of artists, but he followed that up just a month later with an appearance on “Fortnight,” Hot 100-topping lead single for Taylor Swift’s blockbuster The Tortured Poets Department album.
And now, he’s got a third mega-collab that looks to be on its way to being his biggest yet: “I Had Some Help,” recorded with country superstar Morgan Wallen, debuts atop the Hot 100 this week with absurd first-week numbers in streams, sales and radio play — instantly leaping to the front of a historically crowded field on this week’s loaded chart. This time, Post does it as the lead artist, as “Help” is set to be the advance single from his upcoming album, hyped as the hybrid hitmaker’s full pivot to country music.
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Does “Help” automatically make Country Post a successful endeavor? And will “I Had Some Help” buck current Hot 100 trends by holding atop the chart for some time to come? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. Despite arriving at one of the most competitive moments in recent pop history — including a culture-swallowing Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud, massive viral hits from Sabrina Carpenter, Shaboozey and Tommy Richman, and even a record-setting Taylor Swift album (whose lead single Post himself assisted on) — “I Had Some Help” debuts at No. 1 this week. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you that the song was able to immediately power its way to the top of such a loaded Hot 100?
Kyle Denis: 2. Sure, Posty entered 2024 on a bit of a commercial decline – but this is the artist with the most RIAA Diamond singles in history we’re talking about here! You team him up with Wallen, the voice behind 2023 Year-End Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Last Night,” and you’re guaranteed an instant smash. Of course, there are a few other elements that made the timing right. Country music is probably the buzziest mainstream genre right now, they debuted the song live at Stagecoach 2024 and Posty is coming off a pair of blockbuster collabs with the two defining pop stars of our time: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Lyndsey Havens: Is “0” an option? Even if the song wasn’t such a smash, given the collaborators alone, this song was always going to come out swinging. Both Wallen and Posty are quite comfortable atop the Billboard charts – and seem to climb there time and time again with ease. And while the Hot 100’s upper echelon has been especially fun lately, and welcoming of newcomers, when you put two veteran hitmakers together on an undeniably catchy country-pop song amid a hot streak for the former genre, it’s a recipe for chart-topping success.
Jason Lipshutz: A 3. Sure, it’s a crowded moment near the top of the Hot 100, but Morgan Wallen had proven to possess the star power to slice through any chart competition thrown his way — after all, 2023 was a busy year in pop, and he owned the longest-leading album (One Thing at a Time) and No. 1 hit (“Last Night”) on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, respectively. Considering the added juice of a Post Malone collaboration, and the summer-friendly, anthemic vibe of “I Had Some Help,” it’s not shocking that the song debuted atop the Hot 100, regardless of what else might have blocked its path.
Jessica Nicholson: 5. “I Had Some Help” arrives with the combined star power of Post Malone and Wallen (whose albums have been entrenched at the upper ranks of the Billboard 200 over the past three years). Also, the song has not only massive streaming numbers, but solid radio support — becoming the first song to reach the top 10 on the Country Airplay chart in two or fewer weeks since Garth Brooks with “More Than a Memory” in 2007. Plus, the song released in a sweet spot just weeks following the release of Taylor’s blockbuster album and the surge of many of those viral hits (Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Carpenter’s “Espresso” have been on the Hot 100 for five weeks, and Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” for three weeks), further opening a window for “I Had Some Help” to dominate.
Andrew Unterberger: Let’s say a 4. At this time a couple years ago, it would’ve been a 0, obviously — but at this point of 2024, things are crowded enough and Post had cooled off enough commercially (at least as a lead artist) that I didn’t think it was a given that this (or any song really) would just sail in to No. 1 on the Hot 100. But it obviously sounded like a hit, and people have obviously responded to it like a hit, so can’t really say it’s that surprising, even with the larger context.
2. Despite Post Malone being the lead artist on the song, it takes place on featured artist Morgan Wallen’s sonic home turf. Which one of the two do you think the song belongs to more — and which do you think its immediate success is more meaningful for?
Kyle Denis: “I Had Some Help” is definitely country, but, melodically, it’s a pretty natural progression from Posty’s pop-rock bangers like “Circles” and “Chemical.” I also think the track’s immediate success is more meaningful for Post Malone. Last year, Wallen took “Last Night” to the top five of Pop Airplay without a remix or a guest artist, signaling the completion of his redemption arc after his 2021 N-word slur controversy. With a Year-End No. 1 single and sold-out stadiums to his name, Wallen has already proven his pop bonafides, but Malone hasn’t done the same for his country chops yet. The success of “Help” is a very good sign for his forthcoming country album and his future on the notoriously insular format.
Lyndsey Havens: I’ve been wondering this myself, and think part of why it’s succeeding is because it’s a bit unclear. Morgan welcomed Post onstage during his headlining Stagecoach set to debut the song – yet Post’s Stagecoach merch, a single t-shirt, read, “‘I Had Some Help’ is a song featuring Morgan Wallen on Post Malone’s new album.” And during last week’s Academy of Country Music Awards, Post performed the song solo, and it landed just as well. I think the fact that it doesn’t really seem to matter who the song belongs to is the secret sauce here – the fact that both artists have seen a spike in consumption of their back catalogs seems to be further proof.
Plus, the fact that both Wallen and Post have something to gain is worth remembering; for Wallen, a co-sign from a mostly universally beloved artist such as Post Malone can only help public opinion, while for Post, a co-sign from country’s top reigning artist today can only help the community rally around his entry into the genre even more. All of which is to say, I think the success of this song is equally meaningful for both artists, and their respective fanbases.
Jason Lipshutz: Although Post Malone dominates the opening verse and chorus, “I Had Some Help” belongs to Wallen, both in terms of the country production as well as the adoption of his persona. The song may be more uptempo than Wallen’s past smashes, but the arrangement is right in his wheelhouse, and the post-breakup messiness of the lyrics is a topic he’s ruminated on quite a bit over the course of his career. “I Had Some Help” contains an edgy bitterness atypical of a festival-ready singalong, but Wallen sells the sourness, and ropes in Posty for moral support.
Jessica Nicholson: Sonically, this feels like it belongs to Wallen, as it is right in his wheelhouse, and counts some of Wallen’s mainstay country writers in the song’s credits. The song’s success has more meaning for Posty, as this marks his official foray into the country genre, with a cosign from a stadium-level performer in Wallen — which is an asset in a genre that has historically often been wary of pop “outsiders” crossing into the country lane.
Andrew Unterberger: To be honest, I often have to remind myself that this isn’t just a Morgan Wallen song. Which isn’t to say that it doesn’t feel like a Post song too, or that his contributions are negligible, but this song is so firmly in the sonic lane that Wallen established with the title tracks of his Dangerous and One Thing at a Time albums — my favorite songs on their respective albums, worth saying — that “Help” just feels to me like him finishing the trilogy. But it’s obviously a bigger boost to Post: Wallen can do no wrong commercially at the moment, but Post really kinda needed the help for a “Help”-sized hit.
3. “Help” represents the first release in Post Malone’s long-buzzed-about pivot to country music. Do you think a smash like “I Had Some Help” already pre-certifies his musical transition as a successful one, or do you think we still have to wait for the full album is out to say for sure?
Kyle Denis: I don’t think “Help” pre-certifies anything. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” made country radio history, but she’s yet to launch another successful country hit off Cowboy Carter that lasted beyond the release week rush. “Help” could very well become the 2024 song of the summer, but that doesn’t automatically mean the album will be a smash as well. I say we wait and see, but my gut (and brain) tells me that Posty is already in a much better position than Queen Bey.
Lyndsey Havens: I’m biased on this one, since I’ve been saying this transition would be as smooth as Raising Cane’s special sauce since Post uploaded an acoustic cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” to YouTube 10 years ago. While I never doubted the sonic shift would land, I do think debuting with a global smash that features a star like Wallen will surely help his forthcoming album arrive as a success.
Jason Lipshutz: As big as “Help” already is, we’ll see just how successful a Post Malone country album proves to be. Although he’s had a splashy year as a collaborator, we’re less than a year removed from a solo album, Austin, that took some bold sonic chances but underperformed commercially. Wallen’s co-sign will help engrain Posty to mainstream country listeners, though, so if he wants to really nail this pivot from a charts perspective, let’s hope the project is ready to get rolling soon, while “Help” is still putting up huge streaming and radio numbers.
Jessica Nicholson: Texas native Post Malone has already earned co-signs in the country space by performing with Brad Paisley, Sara Evans and Dwight Yoakam at Stagecoach — and teaming with one of country music’s most successful current artists in Wallen certainly doesn’t hurt. The song has reached an essential milestone of being accepted by country radio, ranking at No. 9 on the Country Airplay chart, in just a handful of weeks on the chart. Post Malone’s ACM Awards performance included a preview of new music that sounded very influenced by traditional country sounds. It’s clear that he’s been accepted by his fellow artists, but also by the fans — if the time he spent shaking hands with fans at Stagecoach (and making that personal connection which is still important in the country genre) is any indication. Taken together, it is an auspicious start; still, to fully cement his success in the country genre, it would be great to see him have a solo country hit. So we’ll have to wait and see.
Andrew Unterberger: Having his biggest hit since (at least) “Circles” is obviously a huge win for Posty and his new album regardless, but I don’t think it’s necessarily a guarantee that the rest of the set will be so well-received. “Help” is exceptional and Wallen is a cheat code, but the other, more ballad-y song that Post debuted at the ACM Awards last week I didn’t find so convincing on first listen. And while “Help” may end up being bigger than any single from Cowboy Carter, that album set a bar for artistic quality and coherence from this year’s country-crossover aspirants that won’t be easily neared, let alone cleared.
4. We’ve seen a lot of turnover at the top of the Hot 100 recently — five songs across the last six weeks. With its staggering opening numbers and rapidly expanding radio presence, do you think “I Had Some Help” will finally be the song to stabilize the top spot in more of a long-term sense?
Kyle Denis: In a year like 2024, I’m going to say no. Maybe Kendrick Lamar and Drake reignite their beef, maybe a new musical war commences, maybe Billie Eilish’s “Lunch” grows even bigger, maybe Zach Bryan’s upcoming single really takes off, maybe Beyoncé drops Act III or maybe another song comes out of nowhere with monster streams à la Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.”
“I Had Some Help” definitely has the potential – and arguably the best chances – to stabilize the top spot, but I won’t put my money on it quite yet. Let’s see if it can at least match the three weeks of Future & Metro Boomin’s Lamar-assisted “Like That” first — or the four weeks of Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me.”
Lyndsey Havens: Not really – and I sort of hope it doesn’t. As much as I love “Help,” I’ve been loving the welcoming attitude of the Hot 100’s top 10 lately and am excited to see it continue. And on the heels of a new album from Billie Eilish – and hey, there could even be more surprises from Taylor ahead – I think at the very least pop’s biggest stars will continue to shake up the chart. And at the same time, newcomers to the summit like Carpenter and Shaboozey got there because their respective hits – “Espresso” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – are so undeniably and sickeningly catchy. Heading into the summer months, it’s surprise viral smashes like those that often seem to sustain.
Jason Lipshutz: In a vacuum, I’d say that “Help” has a great chance of spending multiple weeks at No. 1, especially as country radio kicks in and boosts its chart points… but it really is a VERY crowded time in the top 10. We have a trio of hits — Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — that haven’t reached No. 1 yet but very well could in the coming weeks, while Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is still earning gargantuan streaming numbers and could return to the top spot at any time. Plus, Billie Eilish’s album is performing very well out of the gate! If I had to bet, I’d say “Help” notches a few more weeks at No. 1 in the coming months, but it’s not a lock like it may have been had it bowed at a different time.
Jessica Nicholson: Posty’s collaboration with Taylor Swift spent two weeks atop the Hot 100, and now he’s teamed with one of country music’s current biggest-selling artists. Plus, the song is catchy, with the kind of singalong vibe that seems perfect as a summer soundtrack and has solid radio engagement. So, it’s very likely this could be a multi-week chart-topper.
Andrew Unterberger: I feel silly saying this, because I’ve been wrong in predicting multiple other big songs this year ending up long-lasting No. 1s, when they each ultimately topped out at a few weeks at most. But here we go again: Given the lead “Help” already has at radio over much of its competition — after not even two full weeks! — and given how strongly it’s still streaming and selling, I just can’t see anything currently on the chart getting past it anytime soon without another major boost. Maybe Shaboozey gets J-Kwon for an unstoppably charming “Bar Song” remix in the next week and makes me look stupid (again), but just going on the evidence we currently have, I gotta play the percentages and say this thing is gonna be No. 1 for a good long time.
5. If you were looking to put together a dream year of collaborations with the biggest recording artists in music, knocking off team-ups with Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and now Morgan Wallen would be a pretty damn good start. If you were Post Malone essentially looking for the clean sweep, who would you get for your fourth superstar collaborator this year?
Kyle Denis: I mean, he’s gotta pick a side between Kendrick and Drake. It’s only right!
Lyndsey Havens: If it’s a clean sweep we want, I’d say he and Ari should get in the studio stat. As she continues to promote her Eternal Sunshine album, a remix or bonus track featuring Posty could come as a pleasant chart-topping surprise; and for any naysayers, I doubt many could envision how he would sound alongside Beyoncé or Swift before those hits arrived, either. But if we’re less concerned with another No. 1, I’d suggest a collab with Kacey Musgraves or Maggie Rogers. Both artists are masters of the country-folk-pop seesaw and could be better suited to help usher Post into his new era.
Jason Lipshutz: Simple: team up with Kendrick Lamar for a post-Drake victory lap single. “I Hate You (An Angrier Song),” anyone?
Jessica Nicholson: Zach Bryan or SZA would rank high on a list of potential superstar collaborators.
Andrew Unterberger: Let’s go historical and say Paul McCartney. Macca and Posty! Both the cuteness and the hooks would be overwhelming.
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