Parachute (Chris Stapleton song)

"Parachute"
Single by Chris Stapleton
from the album Traveller
Released	May 2, 2016 (2016-05-02)[1]
Genre	Country country rock
Length	4:13
Label	Mercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Chris Stapleton Jim Beavers
Producer(s)	Dave Cobb Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton singles chronology
"Nobody to Blame" (2015) "Parachute" (2016) "Either Way" (2017)

"Parachute" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton. It is the third single from his debut album Traveller. The song was written by Stapleton and Jim Beavers.

Content

The song is an uptempo backed by banjo and acoustic guitar, in which the narrator sings about being there for the one he loves: "Baby, I will be your parachute".[2]

Critical reception

Billy Dukes of Taste of Country was favorable, praising the "more dynamic vocal performance" and "straight-forward arrangement", also saying that "Lyrically this isn’t quite Song of the Year material, but Stapleton’s vocals on 'Parachute' are his latest entry in a still-to-be-created Performance of the Year category."[2]

Live performance

Stapleton sang "Parachute" live at the CMT Music Awards in June 2016, with assistance from Dave Cobb, Mickey Raphael, Robby Turner, and Stapleton's wife, Morgane.[3] He also performed the song on the January 16, 2016 edition of Saturday Night Live.

Commercial performance

The song has sold 248,000 copies in the US as of December 2016.[4]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2016–2017) Peak position Canada Country (Billboard)[5] 34 US Billboard Hot 100[6] 78 US Country Airplay (Billboard)[7] 17 US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 12

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] 62 Chart (2017) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 86

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	Platinum	70,000^‡
Canada (Music Canada)[12]	Gold	40,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[13]	Platinum	30,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[14]	Silver	200,000^‡
United States (RIAA)[15]	3× Platinum	3,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Country Aircheck Issue 495" (PDF). Country Aircheck. April 18, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
2. Dukes, Billy (April 19, 2016). "Chris Stapleton, 'Parachute' review". Taste of Country. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
3. Freeman, Jon (June 8, 2016). "See Chris Stapleton's Blazing 'Parachute' on the CMT Awards". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
4. Bjorke, Matt (December 19, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Chart: December 19, 2016". Roughstock.
5. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
6. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
7. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
8. "Chris Stapleton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
9. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
10. "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
11. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
12. "Canadian single certifications – Chris Stapleton – Nobody to Blame". Music Canada.
13. "New Zealand single certifications – Chris Stapleton – Parachute". Radioscope. Retrieved January 17, 2025. Type Parachute in the "Search:" field.
14. "British single certifications – Chris Stapleton – Parachute". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
15. "American single certifications – Chris Stapleton – Parachute". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 28, 2023.