"Brokenheartsville" is a song written by Donny Kees, Blake Mevis, Randy Boudreaux, and Clint Daniels and recorded by American country music singer Joe Nichols. It was released in November 2002 as the second single from Nichols' 2002 album Man with a Memory. The song became Nichols' first number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) chart and earned him his second consecutive Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The song also was later covered by Johnny Rodriguez on his 2011 album Live from Texas.
| "Brokenheartsville" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Joe Nichols | ||||
| from the album Man with a Memory | ||||
| B-side | "Can't Hold a Halo to You"[1] | |||
| Released | November 4, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Universal South | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Donny Kees Blake Mevis Randy Boudreaux Clint Daniels | |||
| Producer(s) | Brent Rowan | |||
| Joe Nichols singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Brokenheartsville" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception edit
Wade Jessen of Billboard called the song a "beer-can-crushing, honky-tonk lament of lost love."[2]
Music video edit
The video starts out with Nichols' girlfriend rides off with another man in an Eldorado convertible. A depressed Nichols starts drinking at a bar in the city, and talking to the other bar patrons friends, singing the song. The bar patrons sitting with Nichols as well as the bartender are seen mouthing the final words of each line of the first chorus. Once the first verse ends, the bar rotates to show a popular night club. They watch a singer sing live on stage.
In the second verse, Nichols and the bar patrons are being consoled and entertained by the night clubbers who cheer them all up. Meanwhile Nichols girlfriend is still riding around with the other man in his car, which ends up breaking down, much to her dismay while the new boyfriend just shrugs his shoulders as if nothing is wrong. Back at the night club, when the singer is done on stage, Nichols takes the stage himself and sings the final verse and two choruses with his band, before returning to the bar and having a drink, to which he toasts with his buddies before taking a sip and giving a blunt face by not liking the taste. The video was filmed in downtown Nashville, Tennessee and the outside shots of the car were filmed near the Bridgestone Arena. The video was directed by Trey Fanjoy.
Chart performance edit
"Brokenheartsville" debuted at No. 56 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of November 2, 2002. The song spent 31 weeks on the chart, reaching number one for the week ending March 29, 2003, where it remained at the top spot for one week.[1]
| Chart (2002–2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 27 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
Year-end charts edit
| Chart (2003) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 8 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 299. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Billboard, March 29, 2003
- ^ "Joe Nichols Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ "Joe Nichols Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
- ^ "Best of 2003: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2003. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ "American single certifications – Joe Nichols – Brokenheartsville". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 13, 2023.