The Bones (song)

"The Bones" is a song recorded by American singer Maren Morris for her second studio album, Girl. Morris co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, and it was produced by Greg Kurstin. "The Bones" was released digitally as a promotional single on February 22, 2019 and was later serviced to hot adult contemporary radio on May 20, 2019 as the album's second single.[2][3] A remix of the song with Irish singer Hozier was released on October 4, 2019.[4]

"The Bones"
Single by Maren Morris
from the album Girl
Released	May 20, 2019 (2019-05-20)
Genre	Pop country[1]
Length	3:17
Label	Columbia Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Maren Morris Jimmy Robbins Laura Veltz
Producer(s)	Greg Kurstin
Maren Morris singles chronology
"Girl" (2019) "The Bones" (2019) "To Hell & Back" (2020)
Hozier singles chronology
"Dinner & Diatribes" (2019) "The Bones" (2019)
Alternate cover
Original cover artwork
Music video
"The Bones" on YouTube

Critical reception

Jason Fontelieu praised the songwriting behind "The Bones" and in a review of its parent album wrote that "despite a clumsy midsection, Girl finishes strong with "The Bones" near the end of the album."[5] Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that the harmonies in the Hozier remix "elevates [the song] to a rawer, more emotional place."[6] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country called the song "a soulful pop anthem with a hint of country thrown in for good measure."[7]

Commercial performance

"The Bones" debuted at number 34 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated March 9, 2019, and later debuted at number 57 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart dated August 31, 2019 after its release to country radio. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart dated February 15, 2020, becoming Morris's fourth number one single on the chart and the first solo song by a female country artist to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Radio Songs chart since Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me".[8] It spent a second week at the top, not only giving Morris her first multi-week number one single, but also making her the first solo female artist to chart a multi-week number one since Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" spent two weeks at the top in late 2012.[9][10] It reached number one in its 53rd week on the Hot Country Songs chart dated March 14, 2020, becoming the singer's first song to top that chart, as well as making for the second slowest climb to number one on that chart.[11] Furthermore, it made Morris the first solo female artist to top that chart since Kelsea Ballerini's "Peter Pan" in October 2016.[12] On the chart dated May 23, 2020, it charted its 11th week at number one, passing Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", which spent 10 weeks at number one in October 2012, as the longest-lasting number one by a solo female on that chart.[13] It ultimately spent 19 weeks at number one before being replaced by Gabby Barrett's "I Hope", making it the first time since 2011 that two back-to-back solo women topped the Hot Country Songs chart.[14] The song has crossed over to pop and rock radio, becoming Morris's first single to appear on the Adult Alternative Songs chart, where it has peaked at number 17. It has become Morris's highest charting solo song on the Billboard Hot 100 so far, peaking at number 12.

"The Bones" was certified Gold by the RIAA on July 17, 2019 for 500,000 units in combined sales and streams.[15] The song has sold 195,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.[16] The song has also been certified Platinum by Music Canada as of November 2019.[17]

Music video

The music video for "The Bones" premiered on August 15, 2019. It was directed by Alex Ferrari and shows footage of Morris while on vacation in Maui, Hawaii with her husband, Ryan Hurd, all shot on vintage Super 8 film.[18][19]

A video for the remix premiered on October 23 and features a time lapse of artist Sydney Clawson drawing both artists on canvas. [20]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019–2020)	Peak position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21]	45
Canada AC (Billboard)[22]	4
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[23]	21
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[24]	28
Canada Country (Billboard)[25]	1
Iceland (Tonlist)[26]	26
Ireland (IRMA)[27]	63
Lithuania (AGATA)[28]	60
US Billboard Hot 100[29]	12
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[30]	17
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[31]	2
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[32]	1
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[33]	1
US Country Airplay (Billboard)[34]	1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[35]	13
US Rolling Stone Top 100[36]	23

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)	Position
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[37]	27
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[38]	25

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[17]	Platinum	80,000
United States (RIAA)[15]	Platinum	1,000,000 / 195,000[16]
^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label	Ref.
Various	February 22, 2019	Digital download streaming	Original	Sony Music	[2]
United States	May 20, 2019	Hot adult contemporary		Columbia Records	[3]
	August 26, 2019	Country radio		Columbia Nashville	[1]
Various	September 20, 2019	Digital download streaming	Dave Audé remix	Sony Music	[39]
	October 4, 2019		Hozier remix		[4]
United Kingdom	June 26, 2020	Hot adult contemporary		Sony Music	[40]

References

1. "Maren Morris - The Bones". Daily Play MPE. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
2. Freeman, Jon (February 22, 2019). "Hear Maren Morris' Optimistic New Song 'The Bones'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
3. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". All Access Media. Archived from the original on May 18, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
4. Stemler, Emily (October 4, 2019). "Hear Hozier Join Maren Morris on New Version of 'The Bones'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
5. Fontelieu, Jason (March 13, 2019). "Review: Maren Morris has most of the pieces on new, radio-friendly album". The Diamondback. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
6. Wass, Mike (October 23, 2019). "Maren Morris Calls On Hozier For A New Version Of "The Bones"". Idolator. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
7. Dukes, Billy (August 12, 2019). "Maren Morris' 'The Bones' Could Be Your Love Story [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 12, 2020. The song is a soulful pop anthem with a hint of country thrown in for good measure.
8. "'The Fans Have Spoken': Maren Morris' 'The Bones' Hits No. 1 on Country Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
9. "Billboard Country Update - February 18, 2020" (PDF). Billboard. February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
10. Houghton, Cillea (February 17, 2020). "Maren Morris Becomes First Woman with Multi-Week No. 1 Hit Since 2012". Taste of Country. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
11. Asker, Jim (March 10, 2020). "Maren Morris Scores First No. 1 on Hot Country Songs Chart, Kane Brown Crowns Country Airplay". Billboard.
12. Asker, Jim (March 10, 2020). "Maren Morris Scores First No. 1 on Hot Country Songs Chart, Kane Brown Crowns Country Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
13. Dresdale, Andrea (May 20, 2020). "Maren Morris beats Taylor Swift's Hot Country Songs chart record". ABC News. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
14. https://bulletins.billboard.com/country/country_update_0720.pdf
15. "American single certifications – Maren Morris – The Bones". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 28, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
16. Bjorke, Matt (March 4, 2020). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Sales Chart: March 2, 2020". Rough Stock. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
17. "Canadian single certifications – Maren Morris – The Bones". Music Canada. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
18. Gayle Thompson (August 15, 2019). "Maren Morris Enlists Help of Husband Ryan Hurd for the Official Video for 'The Bones'". Pop Culture. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
19. https://people.com/country/maren-morris-the-bones-music-video-husband-ryan-hurd-hawaii/
20. Reuter, Annie. "Maren Morris, Hozier Are Brought to Life in Artistic 'The Bones' Time Lapse Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
21. "Maren Morris Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
22. "Maren Morris Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
23. "Maren Morris Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
24. "Maren Morris Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
25. "Maren Morris Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
26. "TÓNLISTINN – Vika 45 – 2019; Plötutíðindi". Archived from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
27. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Maren Morris". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
28. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
29. "Maren Morris Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
30. "Maren Morris Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
31. "Maren Morris Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
32. "Maren Morris Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
33. "Maren Morris Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
34. "Maren Morris Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
35. "Maren Morris Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
36. "Top 100 Songs, June 26, 2020 - July 2, 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
37. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
38. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
39. "The Bones (Dave Audé Remix) by Maren Morris on Amazon Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
40. "BBC Radio 2 Playlist". Retrieved June 26, 2020.