On February 13, 2024, Billboard reported something that had never happened before in the history of its Country Digital Song Sales chart.
One artist occupied nine of the top ten positions.
That artist was Toby Keith, who had died just eight days earlier, on February 5, at the age of 62.
For more than two years, Toby Keith had been dealing with stomach cancer. His death brought an outpouring of tributes from fellow musicians, longtime fans, and people who had grown up with his music.
But the most extraordinary tribute was unfolding on the music charts. Across America, listeners were purchasing the songs that had accompanied their lives for three decades.
And one particular song was leading them all.
Nine Songs in the Top Ten — A Billboard First
On the Country Digital Song Sales chart dated February 17, 2024, Toby Keith claimed positions No. 1 and No. 3 through No. 10.
“Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” the 1993 debut hit that introduced Toby Keith to country radio, stood at No. 3 with 11,000 downloads sold.
“Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” followed at No. 4, also with 11,000.
“How Do You Like Me Now?!,” “As Good as I Once Was,” “Beer for My Horses” with Willie Nelson, “I Love This Bar,” “American Soldier,” and “Red Solo Cup” filled the remaining positions.
The only song preventing Toby Keith from holding all ten spots was Luke Combs’ recording of “Fast Car,” sitting at No. 2 after Luke Combs performed it with Tracy Chapman at the Grammy Awards.
The previous record had been seven songs in the top ten, achieved by Kenny Rogers in 2020 and Taylor Swift in 2010.
Toby Keith had surpassed both.
And at No. 1 was a song whose history made the moment especially meaningful.
The Song That Began With Clint Eastwood
In May 2018, Toby Keith was playing golf with Clint Eastwood at a tournament in Carmel, California.
Clint Eastwood was approaching his 88th birthday and preparing to work on another movie. Toby Keith was curious about what kept the actor and director so active at that age.
Clint Eastwood explained his approach to growing older with a simple phrase: “I don’t let the old man in.”
Those words stayed with Toby Keith.
After the tournament, Toby Keith wrote “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” a quiet, reflective song about confronting age without surrendering to it.
Toby Keith sent the recording to Clint Eastwood, who included it in the 2018 film The Mule.
At the time, it was an unusual, deeply personal addition to a career better known for confident anthems, humor, and larger-than-life performances.
Five years later, the song would take on an entirely different significance.
One Performance That Changed How Fans Heard the Song
On September 28, 2023, Toby Keith appeared at the People’s Choice Country Awards to receive the Country Icon Award.
It was an important return to national television following an extended break from touring while focusing on his health.
Instead of choosing one of his many familiar party songs or patriotic anthems, Toby Keith performed “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
In an interview surrounding the performance, Toby Keith explained that the song felt appropriate because of his own experience over the preceding years.
Fans responded immediately.
On Billboard’s chart dated October 14, 2023, the song reached No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales, selling 13,000 downloads during the tracking week.
It was an unexpected second chapter for a song originally written for a movie five years earlier.
The Song Returned to No. 1 After Toby Keith’s Death
When Toby Keith died on February 5, 2024, “Don’t Let the Old Man In” returned to the top of the same Billboard chart.
During the February 2–8 tracking week, the recording sold 27,000 downloads, an increase of 3,744 percent from the previous week.
Meanwhile, songs stretching from Toby Keith’s early Nashville breakthrough to his biggest 2000s hits filled nearly every remaining position in the top ten.
These figures represented purchased digital downloads, not the overall country singles chart. Yet they revealed something remarkable about how listeners were responding to his death.
Fans were returning to different chapters of Toby Keith’s career, from the youthful confidence of “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” to the reflective words of “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
A song inspired by an 88-year-old Clint Eastwood had topped the chart while Toby Keith was still alive. Four months later, it was No. 1 again after his passing.
And for one extraordinary week in February 2024, nine of the ten best-selling country downloads belonged to Toby Keith.