"23" is a song by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer Sam Hunt. It was released on September 9, 2021, as the lead single from his upcoming third studio album. Hunt wrote the song with Shane McAnally, Chris LaCorte, and

Josh Osborne Josh Osborne (born c. 1980) is an American songwriter with several number-one singles to his credit. Early life Josh Osborne was born in Pike County, Kentucky, and raised in Virgie, Kentucky. Osborne grew up on US 23, renamed Country Music High ...

, while it was produced by Chris LaCorte.

Background

In July 2020, Hunt shared an acoustic performance video of the track on

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, which was later aired as part of the 2020 Highway Finds Fest the same month. Lauren Jo Black of ''Country Now'' called the song "nostalgic" about a prior relationship Hunt was in, in which he "fondly reminisc son all of the memories he shared with an ex lover. And although they've moved on from each other, he admits he still cherishes the times they shared together".

Composition

Tom Roland of ''

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'' noted that the song uses "only two chords" in contrast to country music's three-chord norm, alternating "between a pair of major seventh chords, a four-note construct with one extra note that's only a half step below the root".

Cover art

The photograph used is an early photo of Hunt's wife's aunt and uncle when they were a young couple.

Music video

The music video was released on October 1, 2021, and directed by Tim Mattia. According to Chris Parton of ''Sounds Like Nashville'', the video features three characters: "a single mom who dreams of carefree freedom, an old man who longs for a fast horse and the open range, or a woman still holding on to that 23-year-old summer". The video shows them each using a

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to "relive their most treasured memories".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs Sam Hunt songs Songs about nostalgia Songs written by Sam Hunt Songs written by Shane McAnally Songs written by Josh Osborne MCA Nashville Records singles