Even Though I'm Leaving

"Even Though I'm Leaving" is a song recorded by American country music singer Luke Combs. It was released in September 2019 as the second single to his second studio album, What You See Is What You Get.

"Even Though I'm Leaving"
Single by Luke Combs
from the album What You See Is What You Get and the EP The Prequel
Released	September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08)
Genre	Country
Length	3:45
Label	Columbia Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Luke Combs Wyatt Durrette Ray Fulcher
Producer(s)	Scott Moffatt
Luke Combs singles chronology
"Beer Never Broke My Heart" (2019) "Even Though I'm Leaving" (2019) "Does to Me" (2020)

Content

"Even Though I'm Leaving" is described as a "soft, mandolin-infused country song" and "stone-cold tear-jerker" by the blog Taste of Country. Co-written by Combs along with Wyatt Durrette and Ray Fulcher, the song features a dramatic interaction between a father and son.^[1] In three different scenarios, the son, who is the narrator, pleads his father not to leave him. In the first verse, the narrator is a child who is afraid of monsters under his bed, while the second features the son as a young adult going off to serve in the military, and the final verse features the son becoming emotional over his father's death.^[2] The song previously appeared on Combs's 2019 EP The Prequel.^[3]

Commercial performance

"Even Though I'm Leaving" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart on November 23, 2019, and stayed on top of the chart for three weeks.^[4] It then fell to No. 2 for the chart dated December 14, while Old Dominion's "One Man Band" overtook it at the top. It remained at No. 2 the following week, having been leapfrogged by Thomas Rhett's "Remember You Young" at the top before returning to No. 1 for two additional weeks starting with the chart dated December 28,^[5][6] making for a total of five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. With this song, Combs also extended his record of first singles being consecutive No. 1s to seven on the Country Airplay chart.^[7] It also reached a peak of number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Combs' first top 20 entry on the chart.^[8]

The song was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on August 25, 2023.^[9] It has sold 226,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.^[10]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2019–2020) Peak position Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[11] 30 Canada Country (Billboard)^[12] 1 Scotland (OCC)^[13] 89 US Billboard Hot 100^[14] 11 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[15] 2 US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[16] 1 US Rolling Stone Top 100^[17] 15

Year-end charts Chart (2019) Position US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[18] 58 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[19] 38 Chart (2020) Position US Billboard Hot 100^[20] 85 US Country Airplay (Billboard)^[21] 19 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[22] 18

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[23]	2× Platinum	140,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)^[24]	2× Platinum	160,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[9]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Billy Dukes (August 26, 2019). "Luke Combs' 'Even Though I'm Leaving' Should Come With a Warning=". Taste of Country. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
2. Joseph Hudak (September 9, 2019). "Luke Combs Puts Emotional Lyrics First in 'Even Though I'm Leaving' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
3. "Luke Combs Drops Emotional New Song Every Military Family Can Relate To". Country Rebel. 7 June 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
4. "Country Airplay". Billboard. December 7, 2019.
5. "Country Airplay chart for December 28, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
6. "Country Airplay chart for January 4, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
7. Asker, Jim (December 5, 2019). "The Year in Country Charts 2019: Luke Combs Is Top Artist, Nabs Top Album". Billboard.
8. "Luke Combs Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
9. "American single certifications – Luke Combs – Even Though I'm Leaving". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
10. Bjorke, Matt (March 4, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: March 2, 2020". Rough Stock. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
11. "Luke Combs Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
12. "Luke Combs Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
14. "Luke Combs Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
15. "Luke Combs Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
16. "Luke Combs Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
17. . Rolling Stone. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
18. "Country Airplay – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
19. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
20. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
21. "Country Airplay Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
22. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
23. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
24. "Canadian single certifications – Luke Combs – Even Though I'm Leaving". Music Canada. Retrieved September 30, 2021.