Nearly every person who’s succeeded in country music did so after leaving their hometown for an unknown future. Most who take the risk find it doesn’t work out, but some get lucky.
Chris Stapleton addressed the strength it takes to make a major change in “Starting Over,” appropriately rhyming the title with “four-leaf clover” in the chorus. He found his own good fortune when the single rose to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart dated April 17, 2021, 32 weeks after its Sept. 5, 2020, debut.
Stapleton wrote “Starting Over” with Mike Henderson, a former bandmate in the bluegrass group The SteelDrivers, over a folkie chord structure, portraying a couple making changes and taking chances.
Co-produced by Stapleton and Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, A Thousand Horses), the song was released as the lead single and title track for Stapleton’s Mercury Nashville album released on Nov. 13, 2020. He performed the track two days prior to the album’s release on the 54th annual Country Music Association Awards. Days later (Nov. 19), “Starting Over” emerged as the supporting music for a Ram Trucks commercial. Subsequently, the 14-track project debuted at the summit on the Top Country Albums list dated Nov. 28.
At the 55th annual CMA Awards on Nov. 10, 2021, “Starting Over” took single and song of the year, while Stapleton won male vocalist and the LP won top album honors.
Henderson died unexpectedly in his sleep in September 2023.
“Starting Over” was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA on Oct. 30, 2025.
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