"23" is a song by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer Chayce Beckham. It was released to country radio on January 23, 2023, and served as the lead single from his debut album, '' Bad for Me''. Beckham wrote the song by himself.

Content and history

"23" was released to country radio on January 23, 2023. The song is an autobiographical story written entirely by Beckham. Lyrically, it tells of his own struggles with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. According to Beckham, the idea for the song came when, prior to his audition for ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'', he was involved in a drunk driving incident.

Commercial performance

"23" reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since October 20, 2012, although the magazine also retrospectively recognizes the Hot Country Songs charts from January 20, 1990, through October 13, 2012, ...

chart dated April 6, 2024, making it the first country number one to be written solely by the artist who performed it since

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

's " Ours" in March 2012.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Reflist 2021 songs 2023 debut singles BBR Music Group singles Chayce Beckham songs Song recordings produced by Ross Copperman Songs about alcohol American Idol songs