Famous Friends

For the album, see Famous Friends (album).

"Famous Friends" is a song recorded by American country music singers Chris Young and Kane Brown. It was released on November 20, 2020, as the third single from Young's eighth studio album of the same name.^[2] Young wrote and produced the song with Corey Crowder, with additional writing from Cary Barlowe.

"Famous Friends"
Single by Chris Young and Kane Brown
from the album Famous Friends
Released	November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
Genre	Country pop Country rock[1]
Length	2:45
Label	RCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Chris Young Corey Crowder Cary Barlowe
Producer(s)	Corey Crowder Chris Young
Chris Young singles chronology
"Drowning" (2019) "Famous Friends" (2020) "At the End of a Bar" (2021)
Kane Brown singles chronology
"Worship You" (2020) "Famous Friends" (2020) "Memory" (2021)
Music video
"Famous Friends" on YouTube

Background

In 2017, Young joined Brown for the duet "Setting the Night on Fire" on the deluxe edition of Brown's self-titled album.^[3]

At the 2020 CMT Music Awards, Young performed "Drowning" in honor of Brown, whose drummer, Kenny Dixon, was killed in a car accident in October 2019, during CMT Artists of the Year. Since then Young and Brown developed a deep beloved friendship.^[2]

Young told to People: "Kane and I have gotten to know each other over the years, from him being on tours with me, from us writing together, from me guesting on his album in the past. All of this stuff came together. 'Famous Friends' is fun, it's super uptempo and I got to sing with my buddy Kane. All of this worked out as perfect as it possibly could on one song."^[4]

Rutherford, Hamilton and Davidson counties in Tennessee are referred to in the lyrics, as Rutherford and Hamilton are the home counties of Young and Brown, respectively, while Davidson is where Nashville is located.^[5]

Commercial performance

"Famous Friends" reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated July 17, 2021, becoming Young's tenth number one single, and Brown's sixth.^[6] In December 2021, it was declared by Billboard the number one Country Airplay single of the year.^[7]

Music video

The music video was released on March 26, 2021, directed by Peter Zavadil. It was filmed in Gallatin, Tennessee, and included Young's and Brown's real-life friends, such as a firefighter, a dog walker, a teacher, a musician, and a cook, and footage of them performing on a housetop in Nashville.^[8][9][10]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Famous Friends" Chart (2020–2021) Peak position Australia Country Hot 50 (TMN)[11] 8 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 28 Canada Country (Billboard)[13] 1 Global 200 (Billboard)[14] 146 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 21 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[6] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[16] 2

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Famous Friends" Chart (2021) Position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 87 US Billboard Hot 100[18] 69 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[7] 1 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] 5

Certifications

Certifications for "Famous Friends"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	2× Platinum	160,000‡
United States (RIAA)[21]	2× Platinum	2,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Parton, Chris (March 26, 2021). "Chris Young and Kane Brown Roll Out the Red Carpet for 'Famous Friends'". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
2. Freeman, Joe (November 20, 2020). "Chris Young, Kane Brown Celebrate Their Roots in New Song 'Famous Friends'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
3. Houghton, Cillea (October 24, 2017). "Kane Brown: Chris Young "Really Helped Me Find My Voice" on "Setting the Night on Fire"". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
4. Aderoju, Darlene (November 20, 2020). "Chris Young on How His New Collab with Kane Brown Came to Be: 'This One Has a Lot of Truth in It'". people.com. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
5. "CHRIS YOUNG SHARES THE STORY BEHIND HIS "FAMOUS FRIENDS"". Country Music Television CMT. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
6. "Chris Young Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
7. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
8. Jo Black, Lauren (March 25, 2021). "Chris Young and Kane Brown Drop 'Famous Friends' Music Video". Country Now. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
9. Barnes, Hannah (March 26, 2021). "Chris Young and Kane Brown Spotlight Their Real-Life Friends in 'Famous Friends' Music Video". popculture.com. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
10. Kickin' Mayhem, Boot (March 25, 2021). "Chris Young And Kane Brown Introduce Fans To Their "Famous Friends" In New Music Video". Music Mayhem Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
11. "Country Hot 50: Issue 1353". The Music Network. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
12. "Chris Young Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
13. "Chris Young Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
14. "Chris Young Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
15. "Chris Young Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
16. "Chris Young Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
17. "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
18. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
19. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
20. "Canadian single certifications – Chris Young & Kane Brown – Famous Friends". Music Canada. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
21. "American single certifications – Chris Young – Famous Friends". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 10, 2022.