Old Town Road

“Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X is a country trap, trap, and Southern hip-hop song that became one of the defining viral hits of the late 2010s. The original version was first released independently on December 3, 2018, then re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019 after it gained major popularity online. A remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was released on April 5, 2019, and both versions were later included on Lil Nas X’s EP 7.

The song was written by Montero Hill, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Kiowa Roukema, better known as producer YoungKio. The original version was produced by YoungKio, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. It was recorded on December 2, 2018 at CinCoYo Recording Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, and the original track runs for only 1 minute and 53 seconds, while the Billy Ray Cyrus remix runs for 2 minutes and 37 seconds.

Musically, “Old Town Road” is built around a hybrid of country imagery and trap production. Its main musical elements include banjo, trap-style Roland TR-808 drums, bass, programmed beats, vocal hooks, and a sample of Nine Inch Nails’ “34 Ghosts IV.” The song is composed in G-sharp minor, uses a chord progression of G♯m–Badd9–F♯–C♯m7, and has an approximate tempo of 68 beats per minute.

The instrumental was created by Dutch producer YoungKio, who found the Nine Inch Nails track through YouTube suggestions, imported it into FL Studio, chopped and filtered the sample to make it sound like an old field recording, and added drums underneath. Lil Nas X later bought the beat online for only $30, but because the purchase was anonymous, YoungKio did not know Lil Nas X had used it until he saw the song appearing in memes.

Lyrically, “Old Town Road” uses cowboy imagery, horses, riding, and rural symbols as metaphors for independence, ambition, and refusing to be limited by other people’s expectations. Lil Nas X wrote the song during a difficult period after dropping out of college and living with his sister. According to the article, his real-life struggles influenced some of the lyrics, especially the phrase about nobody being able to tell him anything.

One curiosity about the song is that it became popular largely through memes before becoming a traditional radio hit. Lil Nas X promoted the track online, and it later exploded on TikTok through the “Yeehaw Challenge,” where users created transformation videos using the song. The track’s first music video was made entirely from clips of the Western video game Red Dead Redemption 2.

Another major curiosity is the country music controversy. “Old Town Road” initially appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, reaching No. 19, but Billboard removed it, saying it did not embrace enough elements of modern country music. The decision sparked a major debate about genre boundaries, race, and who gets accepted into country music. Lil Nas X described the song as “country trap” and said it should belong to both country and trap worlds.

The Billy Ray Cyrus remix became central to the song’s mainstream breakthrough. Lil Nas X had tweeted that he wanted Cyrus on the track only a day after the original release, and Cyrus later joined after hearing the song through his wife, Tish Cyrus. His appearance helped reinforce the song’s country connection and turned the remix into a global crossover event.

Commercially, “Old Town Road” became a historic success. The original version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2019, and the combined success of the original and Billy Ray Cyrus remix kept the song at No. 1 for a record-setting 19 consecutive weeks. It also topped charts in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The song also broke streaming and certification records. In one week, the original and remix together generated 143 million US streams, surpassing the previous single-week streaming record. In October 2019, “Old Town Road” became the fastest song in RIAA history to receive Diamond certification, and the article later lists it as 17-times Platinum in the United States, with worldwide units of more than 18 million.
The remix music video, directed by Calmatic, added even more cultural impact. It features guest appearances by Chris Rock, HaHa Davis, Rico Nasty, Diplo, Jozzy, YoungKio, and Vince Staples. The video won Best Music Video at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, while the remix also won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year.

Another interesting detail is the number of official remixes that followed. Besides the Billy Ray Cyrus version, there was a Diplo remix, a remix featuring Young Thug and Mason Ramsey, and the “Seoul Town Road” remix featuring RM of BTS. These remixes helped keep the song in public conversation and extended its chart dominance across different audiences and genres.

“Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X is a country trap, trap, and Southern hip-hop song that became one of the defining viral hits of the late 2010s. The original version was first released independently on December 3, 2018, then re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019 after it gained major popularity online. A remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus was released on April 5, 2019, and both versions were later included on Lil Nas X’s EP 7.

The song was written by Montero Hill, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Kiowa Roukema, better known as producer YoungKio. The original version was produced by YoungKio, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross. It was recorded on December 2, 2018 at CinCoYo Recording Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, and the original track runs for only 1 minute and 53 seconds, while the Billy Ray Cyrus remix runs for 2 minutes and 37 seconds.

Musically, “Old Town Road” is built around a hybrid of country imagery and trap production. Its main musical elements include banjo, trap-style Roland TR-808 drums, bass, programmed beats, vocal hooks, and a sample of Nine Inch Nails’ “34 Ghosts IV.” The song is composed in G-sharp minor, uses a chord progression of G♯m–Badd9–F♯–C♯m7, and has an approximate tempo of 68 beats per minute.

The instrumental was created by Dutch producer YoungKio, who found the Nine Inch Nails track through YouTube suggestions, imported it into FL Studio, chopped and filtered the sample to make it sound like an old field recording, and added drums underneath. Lil Nas X later bought the beat online for only $30, but because the purchase was anonymous, YoungKio did not know Lil Nas X had used it until he saw the song appearing in memes.

Lyrically, “Old Town Road” uses cowboy imagery, horses, riding, and rural symbols as metaphors for independence, ambition, and refusing to be limited by other people’s expectations. Lil Nas X wrote the song during a difficult period after dropping out of college and living with his sister. According to the article, his real-life struggles influenced some of the lyrics, especially the phrase about nobody being able to tell him anything.

One curiosity about the song is that it became popular largely through memes before becoming a traditional radio hit. Lil Nas X promoted the track online, and it later exploded on TikTok through the “Yeehaw Challenge,” where users created transformation videos using the song. The track’s first music video was made entirely from clips of the Western video game Red Dead Redemption 2.

Another major curiosity is the country music controversy. “Old Town Road” initially appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, reaching No. 19, but Billboard removed it, saying it did not embrace enough elements of modern country music. The decision sparked a major debate about genre boundaries, race, and who gets accepted into country music. Lil Nas X described the song as “country trap” and said it should belong to both country and trap worlds.

The Billy Ray Cyrus remix became central to the song’s mainstream breakthrough. Lil Nas X had tweeted that he wanted Cyrus on the track only a day after the original release, and Cyrus later joined after hearing the song through his wife, Tish Cyrus. His appearance helped reinforce the song’s country connection and turned the remix into a global crossover event.

Commercially, “Old Town Road” became a historic success. The original version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 2019, and the combined success of the original and Billy Ray Cyrus remix kept the song at No. 1 for a record-setting 19 consecutive weeks. It also topped charts in countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The song also broke streaming and certification records. In one week, the original and remix together generated 143 million US streams, surpassing the previous single-week streaming record. In October 2019, “Old Town Road” became the fastest song in RIAA history to receive Diamond certification, and the article later lists it as 17-times Platinum in the United States, with worldwide units of more than 18 million.
The remix music video, directed by Calmatic, added even more cultural impact. It features guest appearances by Chris Rock, HaHa Davis, Rico Nasty, Diplo, Jozzy, YoungKio, and Vince Staples. The video won Best Music Video at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, while the remix also won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year.

Another interesting detail is the number of official remixes that followed. Besides the Billy Ray Cyrus version, there was a Diplo remix, a remix featuring Young Thug and Mason Ramsey, and the “Seoul Town Road” remix featuring RM of BTS. These remixes helped keep the song in public conversation and extended its chart dominance across different audiences and genres.