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This Town (Niall Horan song)

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"This Town"
Single by Niall Horan
from the album Flicker
Released29 September 2016 (2016-09-29)
GenreAcoustic pop[1]
Length3:52
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Niall Horan singles chronology
"This Town"
(2016) 		"Slow Hands"
(2017)

"This Town" is the debut solo single by Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan, released on 29 September 2016 by Capitol Records as the lead single from his debut solo album Flicker (2017). An accompanying music video of a live performance was released the same day. The song was written by Horan, Jamie Scott, Mike Needle, Daniel Bryer and produced by Greg Kurstin.[2] It is Horan's first solo single, as well as the second solo single released by any of One Direction's remaining members (the first being Zayn Malik's Pillowtalk earlier that year), following the hiatus of the band, which was announced earlier in 2016. It peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, earning it his second highest-charting single as a lead artist to date, behind "Slow Hands".[3] It also peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[4]

Composition

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The song is written in the key of A major with a common time tempo of 112 beats per minute. Horan's vocals span from D3 to E4 in the song.[5] The acoustic track reflects on the things the singer never got to say to a lost lover.[1]

Critical reception

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Harriet Gibsone from The Guardian thought Horan's "This Town" "promotes his guise as an acoustic balladeer," while the video is "reinforcing the authenticity of his future career as a credible artist with skills beyond being adorable." She concluded "The modern music world can be discombobulating for those opposed to gender fluid pop stars or auto-tuned trap."[6] Entertainment Weekly editor Madison Vain wrote "the song shows growth thanks to its nuance in storytelling. He’s burdened by all the things he never got to say—and it sounds believable." Vain also thought "Horan has said he’s mining the sound of some of his biggest influences: Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. But with collaborator Greg Kurstin behind the boards, “This Town” skews more towards the modern, folk-influenced songwriting of Vance Joy and Ed Sheeran."[7] For Raisa Bruner of Time is a "lush, guitar-forward ballad in the vein of the band’s earlier tearjerkers, with hints of Sheeran in the small-town storytelling of the lyrics."[8] For Noisey, Sarah Sahim was critical of the track, noting the song was "nothing special", but its saccharine sweetness gives it all the makings of a decent hit.[9]

Live performances

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Horan gave the first televised performance of "This Town" on The Graham Norton Show on 22 October 2016. On 26 October 2016 he performed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Later that day, he appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden to sing the single.[10] On 13 December 2016, he performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[11] He also performed the song at the Radio 1 Teen Awards, and the American Music Awards.[12][13] In December, he made guest appearances across North America as part of iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour.[14]

On 4 June 2017, Horan performed "This Town" during the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing after Ariana Grande's show.[15]

Track listings

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  • Digital download[16]
  1. "This Town" – 3:52
  • Digital download – live[17]
  1. "This Town" (Live, 1 Mic 1 Take) – 3:52
  1. "This Town" (Tiësto Remix) – 3:01
  2. "This Town" (Cheat Codes Remix) – 3:21
  3. "This Town" (Goldhouse Remix) – 4:00
  4. "This Town" (Cabo San Remix) – 4:04
  5. "This Town" (Nikö Blank Remix) – 3:28

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] 5× Platinum 350,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[61] Gold 10,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[62] Platinum 60,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[63] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[64] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[65] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[66] Gold 25,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[67] Platinum 40,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[68] Gold 5,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[69] Gold 30,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[70] Platinum 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] 2× Platinum 1,200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[72] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 29 September 2016 Digital download Capitol [16][73]
United States 4 October 2016 Contemporary hit radio [74]
Worldwide 18 November 2016 Digital download – live [17]
8 December 2016 Digital download – remixes EP [18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Spanos, Brittany (29 September 2016). "Watch Niall Horan Go Solo With New Folk Single 'This Town'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  2. ^ "One Direction's Niall Horan Surprises With First Solo Single 'This Town': Listen". Billboard. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  4. ^ Trust, Gary (3 January 2017). "Rae Sremmurd Returns to No. 1 on Hot 100, Migos Soars to Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  5. ^ "Niall Horan "This Town" Sheet Music in A Major (transposable)". Musicnotes. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  6. ^ Gibsone, Harriet (29 September 2016). "Niall Horan's This Town: a strangely retrogressive step into the stagnant past". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  7. ^ Vain, Madison (30 September 2016). "Niall Horan's 'This Town': EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  8. ^ Bruner, Raisa (29 September 2016). "One Direction's Niall Horan Just Released an Emotional Solo Track". Time. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
  9. ^ Sahim, Sarah (7 October 2016). "Niall Horan Will Never Escape One Direction and That's a Good Thing". Noisey. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  10. ^ "'The Late Late Show': Niall Horan performs 'This Town,' downs salmon smoothie". USA Today. 27 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Watch One Direction's Niall Horan Perform 'This Town' on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. 14 December 2016.
  12. ^ "2016, BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards - And the special guest is... Niall Horan! - BBC Radio 1". BBC. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Niall Horan Performs 'This Town' at the 2016 AMAs". Billboard. 21 November 2016.
  14. ^ Elizabeth, De. "Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, and Niall Horan Are Going on Tour Together". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  15. ^ Iasimone, Ashley (4 June 2017). "One Love Manchester: Ariana Grande Opens Benefit Concert With 'Be Alright,' Joins Black Eyed Peas for 'Where Is the Love?'". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  16. ^ a b "This Town - Single by Niall Horan". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  17. ^ a b "This Town (Live, 1 Mic 1 Take) - Single by Niall Horan". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  18. ^ a b "This Town (Remixes) - EP by Niall Horan". iTunes Store US. Apple Inc. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  22. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  24. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 40. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  25. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". Tracklisten. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  26. ^ "Niall Horan: This Town" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  27. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  28. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  29. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Greece Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. 15 October 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  31. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  32. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Town". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  33. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  34. ^ "The Official Lebanese Top 20 - Niall Horan". The Official Lebanese Top 20. 30 October 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 5, 2017" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  36. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  37. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  38. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". VG-lista. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  39. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  41. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201641 into search. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  42. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201640 into search. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  43. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  44. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  45. ^ "Niall Horan – This Town". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  46. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  47. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  48. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  49. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  50. ^ "Niall Horan Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  51. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2016". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  52. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2017". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  53. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2017". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  54. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  55. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  56. ^ "Dance Club Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  57. ^ "Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  58. ^ "Pop Songs - Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  59. ^ "Radio Songs - Year-End". Billboard. 2017. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  60. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  61. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  62. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  63. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  64. ^ "Danish single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  65. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Niall Horan; 'This Town')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  66. ^ "Italian single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 15 June 2017.
  67. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  68. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  69. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  70. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 49, 2016 | Sverigetopplistan" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 7 December 2016. Scroll to position 78 to view certification.
  71. ^ "British single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  72. ^ "American single certifications – Niall Horan – This Town". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  73. ^ "This Town - Single by Niall Horan". iTunes Store (UK). Apple Inc. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  74. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
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