Turnpike Troubadours Impact Mainstream Radio with “Heaven Passing Through”

We’ve been here before. A fan favorite from the independent country world makes a surprising impact in the insular, archaic world of mainstream country radio, and gets us all excited at the prospects.

Cody Jinks attempted to impact mainstream country radio with his massive single “Loud and Heavy,” seven years after he released it. It made some noise, and then faded like a whimper. “In Your Love” from Tyler Childers threatened to break out, but then stalled outside the Top 40 at #43. Even Mike and the Moonpies (now Silverada) sent their song “Hour On The Hour” for mainstream consideration. It never found much traction.

Now the news that “Heaven Passing Through” by the Turnpike Troubadours became the 2nd most added track last week on country radio has some wondering if this will finally be the Oklahoma band’s big mainstream breakout moment. The song received 36 “adds” according to Country Aircheck, with 41 total stations adding the track during its first official week of impact.

One thing is for sure: “Heaven Passing Through” has natural momentum, and is a great song. Since the Turnpike Troubadours surprise released their latest album The Price of Admission on April 11th, “Heaven Passing Through” has 7.5 millions streams. It’s clearly the most popular track on what many consider a landmark release from the band, and a legitimate Album of the Year candidate once December rolls along.

But ultimately, the quality and organic appeal of a song has little to do with its prospects on country radio. That has almost everything to do with the commitment the label shows to promoting the track on radio to get it on playlists. Checking this week’s Country Aircheck, lo and behold, there’s an ad there for the song.

It’s been said throughout the history of the Turnpike Troubadours that they make a great bridge between the independent and mainstream. You can’t really expect your Luke Combs-listening friends to get clued into John Moreland or James McMurtry and immediately become fans. But Turnpike and a track like “Heaven Passing Through” can help a mainstream music fan make that leap.

Still, let’s not get too excited. Honestly, making a blip on the Top 50, let alone the Top 40 would feel significant for the Turnpike Troubadours. To make it to the Top 10 might take a miracle, but you never know. Around 2022 or so when Zach Bryan was breaking on radio, and the aforementioned singles from Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, and others were being sent to the format, country radio had an opportunity to transition to something more representative of the actual listening habits of country fans.

But as you can see from the Turnpike Troubadours ad above, it’s Luke Bryan and his pearly white smile with “Country Song Came On” at #1 on country radio this week, despite the single only hitting #25 on the consumption-based Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Other recent #1s, including Sam Hunt’s “Country House” (#27 Hot Country Songs), and Tyler Hubbard’s “Park (#24 Hot Country Songs), peaked on radio with no meaningful momentum behind them among the greater listening public.

Mainstream country labels and mainstream country radio continue to double down on simply promoting their own, continuing to cut live and local DJs from the payrolls, nationalizing playlists, consolidating station ownership, all to cut cost as opposed to attempting to retool the industry to current realities and for a more promising future, including trying to entice younger and more independent fans to help expand audiences.

But who knows, maybe a single like “Heaven Passing Through” is exactly what country radio needs to open its eyes to the possibilities of highlighting more independent artists. Just like a good Turnpike Troubadours song can turn your mainstream buddy onto the virtues of independent country, so perhaps Turnpike can be a bridge for country radio to finally start paying attention to the increasingly popular segment of independent country music. One can hope.

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