The Radio Numbers on 'Loving Life Again' Are Getting Loud

We told you two weeks ago that "Loving Life Again" was headed to country radio as the fourth single from Dandelion. Here is what happened next, and it is a lot faster than most singles move.

In the tracking week ending July 24, "Loving Life Again" posted the greatest spin increase of any song in country radio — up 272 spins — and was also the week's most-added record, picked up by 19 new stations. It climbed from No. 44 to No. 29 on the MusicRow Country Breakout Radio Chart, per MusicRow's weekly newsletter and Parade.

Fifteen spots in one week, two weeks after impact, is the kind of move programmers notice.

Where It Sits Everywhere Else

The Billboard picture backs it up. As of this week, "Loving Life Again" is at No. 36 on the Hot 100, No. 24 on Country Airplay, and No. 19 on Country Streaming Songs. That's a song building at radio while it's already streaming like a hit — usually the combination that turns into a long chart run.

Worth remembering: this song was charting before it was ever a single. Off album release alone it reached No. 21 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on Hot Country Songs. Radio is the last piece, and it's finally in.

Why This One Hits Different

"Choosin' Texas" is currently rewriting the record book — it passed Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey this week with a 15th week at No. 1 — and it's a song built on swagger. "Loving Life Again" is the opposite. Ella has told the story from stage in Chattanooga: she canceled two weeks of shows, went home to her parents, and worked on her mental health after success left her not recognizing herself. She said the title line to ERNEST in conversation, and he and Devin Dawson helped her turn it into the song, per Country Now.

If you want the full breakdown of the lyrics — the quarter horse, the pine trees, her grandmother on the porch — we went line by line in what "Loving Life Again" is really about.

It's been in the setlist all summer, usually in the back half of the main set. Gilford, Canandaigua and Philadelphia are up this week — check the tour page for dates and times before you go.