The Good Ones (Gabby Barrett song)

"The Good Ones"
Single by Gabby Barrett
from the album Goldmine
ReleasedJune 8, 2020 (2020-06-08)
GenreCountry, adult contemporary
Length3:33
LabelWarner Music Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Gabby Barrett singles chronology
"I Hope"
(2019) 		"The Good Ones"
(2020) 		"Footprints on the Moon"
(2021)

"The Good Ones" is a song recorded by American country music singer Gabby Barrett for her debut studio album, Goldmine (2020). Barrett co-wrote the song with Zach Kale, Emily Landis, and Jim McCormick, while Kale produced the track with Ross Copperman. "The Good Ones" was released to digital retailers and streaming services on June 8, 2020, as the album's second official single. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and is certified 3× platinum in both the United States and Canada. It was the sixth-bestselling country song of 2021 in the United States.

Content

Barrett wrote "The Good Ones" in 2019 alongside Zach Kale, Emily Landis, and Jim McCormick. The song was inspired by Barrett's husband Cade Foehner and was intended to highlight positive relationships, in contrast to the type of story depicted in "I Hope".[1] Lyrically, the song is a "nuanced ballad" that describes the type of man one would hope to marry.[2]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country praised the songwriting of "The Good Ones", writing that its lyricists crafted "the sort of song 19-year-olds aren't supposed to be able to write yet," and added that the song "promises to make a greater impact than ["I Hope"]."[2] Chris Parton of Sounds Like Nashville wrote that the song features "soaring vocals and epic-feeling instrumentation."[3] In a largely positive review for Goldmine, Brian Mansfield of Variety cited "The Good Ones" as one of the examples of the "big hooks and big emotions" that contribute to the album's success.[4]

Commercial performance

"The Good Ones" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Barrett's second consecutive number one single on that chart.[5] The song also reached number one on the Country Airplay chart,[6] where it spent three weeks at the top, marking the longest run at number one for a female artist since Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me" in 2010.[7] The song became a top 20 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 19. As of June 2022, "The Good Ones" has sold over 3,000,000 copies.[8]

Music video

An accompanying music video directed by Brian Vaughan and Taylor Kelly premiered August 29, 2019.[9] The video features Miss Wheelchair USA 2017, Madeline Delp, as a wheelchair-using bride-to-be dreaming of being able to stand and dance with her groom at her wedding. Throughout the video, scenes are shown of Delp's groom-to-be, played by Patrick Worstell, creating a harness to assist Delp with remaining on her feet. This culminates in the couple dancing together at their fictional wedding with the aid of Worstell's harness creation. Barrett wanted to use the video to showcase that "everyone's love story is going to be unique," while Delp has stated that the video draws on real life experience.[10]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Version Ref.
Promotional single
Various July 12, 2019
Warner Original [24]
December 20, 2019 Acoustic [25]
Official single
United States June 8, 2020 Country radio Warner Nashville Original [26]

References

  1. ^ Stefano, Angela (June 23, 2020). "Story Behind the Song: Gabby Barrett, 'The Good Ones'". The Boot. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Dukes, Billy (May 29, 2020). "LISTEN: Gabby Barrett's 'The Good Ones' the Wedding Song of 2020". Taste of Country. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Parton, Chris (May 25, 2020). "Gabby Barrett Finds a Bright Spot With New Single 'The Good Ones'". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  4. ^ Mansfield, Brian (June 18, 2020). "Gabby Barrett's 'Goldmine': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Jessica Nicholson (April 27, 2021). "Gabby Barrett Earns Third Week at No. 1 With "The Good Ones"". CMT. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  8. ^ Bjorke, Matt (October 8, 2019). "Top 30 Country Digital Singles Chart: October 7, 2019". RoughStock. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  9. ^ "Gabby Barrett - "The Good Ones" (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  10. ^ Slater, Georgia; Michaud, Sarah (August 29, 2019). "Behind-the-Scenes with Gabby Barrett on the Set of Her Heartwarming 'The Good Ones' Video". People. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "Gabby Barrett Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  16. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  18. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "Country Airplay – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  20. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  21. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Gabby Barrett – The Good Ones". Music Canada. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Gabby Barrett – The Good Ones". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  24. ^ "The Good Ones - Gabby Barrett | Release Info" (digital download - original). AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  25. ^ "The Good Ones - Gabby Barrett | Release Info" (digital download - acoustic). AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Single Releases". MusicRow. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2020.