3 Songs By John Anderson Land In Top 20 After His Death
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Country artist John Anderson died at the age of 71 on Oct. 21, leaving behind several decades’ worth of beloved music — as well as music that is due for reevaluation.
While it had been six years since Anderson released a new album — with his exceptional 2020 album Years finding the artist overcome hearing loss — Anderson’s catalogue of music is connecting with new listeners while being revisited by his devoted fans.
This is evidenced by a significant rise in listeners, as observed on the charts by Billboard.
In fact, three of Anderson’s songs managed to crack the top 20 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart in the week ending on Oct. 31.
RELATED: John Anderson Overcame A Mysterious Case Of Hearing Loss To Record His Final Album
John Anderson’s Music Makes Major Gains Amid Passing
Since the death of John Anderson on Oct. 21, the country artist’s work has gained renewed interest.
Three of his songs have even risen to the top 20 of the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart.
Of course, the biggest one of them all has been “Seminole Wind,” which was the title track of Anderson’s 1992 album.
According to Billboard, the song reached No. 9 on the Digital Song Sales chart in the week ending Oct. 31. It also brought in 1.5 million streams, which Billboard reported was an increase of 56%.
With its themes of conservation, as well as inclusion of the Native Americans, “Seminole Wind” is a unique country song that celebrates the land in a powerful — and catchy — way.
Throw in that “Seminole Wind” was named the official state anthem of Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Oct. 27, and the song could continue to perform well.
“Straight Tequila Night,” which was also on the 1992 album Seminole Wind, charted at No. 14, and it was also streamed 1.4 million times for an increase of 49%.
Closing out Anderson’s three songs to enter the Digital Song Sales chart, Anderson’s 1982 honky-tonk tune “Swingin’,” from the album Wild & Blue, came in at No. 20. “Swingin’,” Billboard noted, brought in 1.2 million streams, increasing by 44%.
Beyond just those three songs, his overall catalogue rose to 7.2 million listens on streaming platforms, which Billboard notes was more than double what his work had brought in prior to his death.
Other songs with significant gains include “Money In The Bank,” from Anderson’s 1993 Solid Ground; “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” also from Solid Ground; and “Wild and Blue,” from the 1982 Wild & Blue.
Watch the music video for “Seminole Wind,” here:
Watch the music video for “Straight Tequila Night,” here:
Watch John Anderson perform “Swingin'” live in 1986 at the second Farm Aid, here:
