Sam Hunt has another Top 10 hit on his hands as “Hard to Forget” reached No. 10 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
The new tune, which samples Webb Pierce’s 1953 hit, “There Stands the Glass,” was co-penned by Sam, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Ashley Gorley, as well as “There Stands the Glass” songwriters Audrey Grisham, Russ Hull and Mary Jean Shurtz. The single is featured on Sam’s No. 1 sophomore album, Southside, which dropped on April 3.
While Sam, 35, sampled an almost-70-year-old song for his new hit, he told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown that he’s recently been inspired by many of his country contemporaries, including Morgan Wallen, 27, Thomas Rhett, 30, Luke Combs, 30, Kane Brown, 26, Kelsea Ballerini, 26, and Maren Morris, 30.
“I’ve been listening to today’s country the past little while,” says Sam to Kix. “Morgan Wallen, Thomas Rhett, Luke Combs, Kane Brown . . . Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini—I just listened to her new record [Kelsea], which she did a great job with.”
Sam went on to say that listening to his peers has helped inspire his new music.
“I like hearing what everybody’s doing because there are times when I check out and I don’t listen to anything, any kind of modern country music,” says Sam. “I might be in a completely different decade for three or four months at a time, whether it’s country or a completely different genre. But I have been listening to all those guys and girls these past few weeks and I’m inspired by it. I’m inspired by all the songwriters who are putting these songs together. They’re writing some good stuff.”
