What Happens in a Small Town

"What Happens in a Small Town" is a song recorded by American country rock artist Brantley Gilbert and Canadian country music artist Lindsay Ell. It was released on January 14, 2019, as the lead single from Gilbert's fifth studio album, Fire & Brimstone.

"What Happens in a Small Town"
Single by Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell
from the album Fire & Brimstone
Released	January 14, 2019 (2019-01-14)
Genre	Country
Length	3:23
Label	Valory
Songwriter(s)	Brantley Gilbert Rhett Akins Brock Berryhill Josh Dunne
Producer(s)	Dann Huff
Brantley Gilbert singles chronology
"The Ones That Like Me" (2017) "What Happens in a Small Town" (2019) "Fire't Up" (2019)
Lindsay Ell singles chronology
"Champagne" (2018) "What Happens in a Small Town" (2019) "I Don't Love You" (2019)

History

Gilbert said that he wrote a song and presented it to Scott Borchetta, the president of his label, but was uncertain of its potential as a hit single. As a result, he contacted Rhett Akins and co-writers Brock Berryhill and Josh Dunne, saying that they wanted an "uptempo feel-good radio song". As they wanted the song to be a duet with a female artist, Gilbert asked Borchetta for recommendations, and he suggested Lindsay Ell.^[1]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Australia Country Hot 50 (TMN)[2]	33
Canada Country (Billboard)[3]	15
Canada Digital Songs (Billboard)[4]	39
US Billboard Hot 100[5]	53
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6]	7
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[7]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[8]	3
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9]	18

Certifications

Certifications for "What Happens in a Small Town"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10]	Platinum	1,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Carena Liptak (February 14, 2019). "Story Behind the Song: Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell, What Happens in a Small Town'". The Boot. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
2. "TMN Country Hot 50" (Issue 1253). The Music Network. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
3. "Brantley Gilbert Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
4. "Lindsay Ell Chart History: Hot Canadian Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
5. "Brantley Gilbert Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
6. "Brantley Gilbert Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
7. "Brantley Gilbert Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
8. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
9. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
10. "American single certifications – Brantley Gilbert – What Happens in a Small Town". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 12, 2023.