Been by Now
Morgan Wallen's lead single premiered at No. 2 the week country took all five spots on the Hot 100 for the first time ever — a strong, if not adventurous, signal for his next album.
By Song Reviews · August 21, 2026
Morgan Wallen's lead single premiered at No. 2 the week country took all five spots on the Hot 100 for the first time ever — a strong, if not adventurous, signal for his next album.
The context matters here as much as the song: this dropped into a moment where country music took all five spots on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time ever, with “Been by Now” premiering at No. 2. On its own terms, it’s a relationship-on-the-brink song, watching something slip away in real time rather than after the fact — six credited writers including Charlie Handsome and John Byron, Joey Moi producing with his usual widescreen instinct.
Wallen debuted it live at a sold-out M&T Bank Stadium stop on his Still the Problem tour before it ever hit streaming, which tells you the confidence level going in. 7.3/10 — not his most adventurous single, but as a signal for where his next album’s headed, a strong one.
Hero image: Morgan Wallen performing in Mobile, Alabama, 2021, by Paul to my Linda, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.