"We Were"
Single by Keith Urban
from the album The Speed of Now Part 1
B-side"Happier"
Released13 May 2019 (2019-05-13)
GenreCountry
Length3:10
LabelCapitol Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Keith Urban singles chronology
"Never Comin' Down"
(2018) 		"We Were"
(2019) 		"God Whispered Your Name"
(2020)

"We Were" is a song written by Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell, and Jeff Hyde and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released on 13 May 2019 as the first single from Urban's eleventh studio album The Speed of Now Part 1 (2020). A duet version featuring Church was later released, making it the second collaboration between Urban and Church, following 2015's "Raise 'Em Up". The song reached number-one on the Canada Country chart.

Background

Country music singer Eric Church wrote the song with Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde, and Urban produced it with longtime producer Dann Huff.[1] The song uses "vivid imagery" and "earnest nostalgia" to tell of "romances that we all know won't last".[2] Billy Dukes of the blog Taste of Country found the song similar in content and tone to previous Urban singles such as "'Til Summer Comes Around" and "We Were Us", while also noting a more "sparse" production compared to the Graffiti U album preceding it.[1] On 2 August 2019, Urban released an acoustic remix.[3] The song was released as a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl with a cover of Marshmello and Bastille's "Happier" as its B-side.[4]

Chart performance

"We Were" reached number four on Billboard's Country Airplay chart.[5] It has sold 65,000 copies in the United States as of November 2019.[6]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Gold 35,000‡
United States (RIAA)[16] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Billy Dukes (14 May 2019). "Keith Urban's 'We Were' Pulls Back to Center For Lost-Love Song". Taste of Country. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  2. ^ Joseph Hudak (14 May 2019). "Keith Urban Recalls Fleeting Romances, Cover Bands in New Song 'We Were'". Rolling Stone Country. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  3. ^ Ryan Reichard (2 August 2019). "Keith Urban's Acoustic 'We Were' Will Fill You With Longing". Taste of Country. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  4. ^ ""We Were" Blue Cover with Blue 7" Vinyl". keithurban.net. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Country Airplay". Billboard. 30 November 2019.
  6. ^ Bjorke, Matt (30 November 2019). "Top 30 Digital Country Songs: November 24, 2019". Rough Stock. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  7. ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Keith Urban Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Country Airplay – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  15. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  16. ^ "American single certifications – Keith Urban – We Were". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
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