Morgan Wallen is the biggest name in music, not named Taylor Swift. Despite numerous cancellation attempts by the woke left, Wallen continues to sizzle. His most recent release, “One Thing at a Time,” has resurfaced at No. 1, marking the 16th non-consecutive week this year at the top of the Billboard Chart.
The album has also spent 31 total weeks in the top four of Billboard’s 200 album chart. It is rare for a record to surge in sales and reascend after falling off, but Wallen has managed to pull off the feat. It certainly doesn’t hurt that the album is a 36-song behemoth littered with bangers from start to finish.
Wallen released the album in March, and it has been dominant since. His single “One Thing at a Time” stayed at number one for an absurd 16 weeks, an unheard-of feat in today’s short-attention-span society. The album broke the country record for most weeks at No. 1, eclipsing Billy Ray Cyrus and his 1992 album “Some Gave All,” which peaked at 17 weeks.
In the most recent sales week, the album sold the equivalent of 74,500 albums and tallied 98 million streams. It is a remarkable run for a record that has yet to leave the top four for 31 straight weeks. While the resurgence to No. 1 is rare, it likely won’t last as rapper Drake is set to release a much-anticipated record that will certainly command the top spot.
However, that in no way diminishes the cultural impact Wallen has made this year. The combination of Wallen, Jason Aldean, and newcomer Oliver Anthony has set country music and the record industry on its ear, all while throwing the liberal left for a loop with their earnest, American-loving lyrics and in-your-face attitudes.
Critics have attempted to downplay the cultural relevance of these artists by dismissing their music and success as nothing more than conservatives attempting to stick it to the left. However, race-baiters and leftists refuse to accept Wallen’s apologies and contrition for saying the “n” word to one of his white friends in a recorded, drunken video. When asked at the time about his comments, he said: “I was around some of my friends, and we say dumb stuff together. In our minds it’s playful.”
While that word is regularly used in certain genres of music, since country tends to represent conservative America, cancellation was the only fate for Wallen. The only problem was people actually liked his music. Country fans spoke with their dollars, and within weeks, Wallen was back on country radio and back making music, all while being allowed the grace to grow and learn.
However, this wasn’t enough for divisive media outlets like NBC, who said: “Country music was given a real, obvious chance to grow, to welcome new voices, to draw a hard line on racism and discrimination. Instead, it allowed the status quo to triumph, driven by the desires of a hard-line, conservative base that relishes what Wallen seemingly represents. So, does country music have a race problem? It’s looking like the powers that be “haven’t really sat and thought about that.” And they don’t want to any time soon.”
The pearl-clutching and drama are on full display, but music fans are only interested in the music. Seeing Wallen, Oliver Anthony, and Jason Aldean flaunt the mainstream liberal media with the level of success they have had is refreshing, and it offers hope for entertainment down the road. Perhaps we can get back to movies and music being fun rather than sanitized so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings.
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