"From the Ground Up" is a song written and recorded by American country music duo Dan + Shay for their second studio album, '' Obsessed'' (2016). It was released to digital retailers on February 6, 2016, through

Warner Bros. Nashville Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is a ...

as the album's lead single and impacted American country radio on February 22, 2016. "From the Ground Up" was co-written by Chris DeStefano and was produced by group member Dan Smyers with

Scott Hendricks Scott Hendricks (born July 26, 1956) is an American record producer who has produced over 30 country music artists. His productions have garnered 121 Top 10s, and 78 Number One hits. Between 1995 and 1997, he was President and Chief Executive Off ...

. The song's accompanying music video, released concurrently on February 5, was directed by Shaun Silva. Prior to its official radio release, "From the Ground Up" debuted at number 37 on the ''Billboard''

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

chart dated February 20, 2016 as the week's hot shot debut and most-added single. It has since become their second consecutive single to top the chart.

Background and composition

"From the Ground Up" is a country ballad written by Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, and Chris DeStefano about finding true love and building a life together with that person. Inspired by the love shared by the duo member's respective grandparents, the song was written shortly after Dan lost his grandfather and while Shay's was in the hospital, and has been described by the duo as "the most special song we've ever written." The song was recorded at Ocean Waves Studios in Nashville, Tennessee and features a string section, Gordon Mote on piano, Bryan Sutton on guitar, and Nir Z on

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

Critical reception

Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'' rated the song an A, writing that "both Dan and Shay soar on harmonies" and that the song will be popular at weddings.

Commercial performance

"From the Ground Up" first entered the

chart of February 20, 2016 at No. 37, and then debuted on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart at No. 23 the following week when it was made available for download, selling 21,000 copies in its first week. The song reached No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in August 2016, their second consecutive No. 1 on the chart. It peaked at number three on Hot Country Songs, making it their highest-charting single on that chart. "From the Ground Up" also debuted at number 18 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart dated February 27, 2016 and spent eleven weeks on the chart, reaching a peak of six. It debuted at number 90 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated June 11, 2016. The song reached a peak position of 48 on the chart dated August 6, 2016, becoming the duo's second top-50 single. It was certified Platinum by

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on January 23, 2017. The song has sold 607,000 copies in the US as of January 2017. In Canada, the song debuted at number 49 on the Country airplay chart dated May 21, 2016. It reached a peak position of 10 on the chart dated August 27, 2016. On the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

, the song debuted and peaked at number 77 on the chart dated August 6, 2016 and remained on the chart for a single week. In August 2023, the single was certified 2× Platinum by

Music Canada Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

, indicating sales of over 160,000 units. The song has been covered by a number of YouTubers and fans, including the all male Irish singing group, Celtic Thunder. The song is featured on their 2017 CD titled "Inspirational".

Music video

The music video for "From the Ground Up" was directed by Shaun Silva and premiered February 5, 2016. Alternating between scenes of the past and present, the video depicts a grandmother sharing stories of her younger years and wedding to her granddaughter as the younger woman plans a wedding of her own, and centers around the concept of lasting love.

Personnel

;Dan + Shay * Shay Mooney — lead vocals, background vocals * Dan Smyers — electric guitar, background vocals ;Additional musicians * Jessica Blackwell — violin * Charles Dixon — violin * Elisabeth Lamb — viola * Gordon Mote — piano, string arrangements * Emily Nelson — cello * Russ Pahl —

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a Console steel guitar, console-type of steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings to enable playing more varied and complex music than any previous steel guitar design. Like all s ...

* Jimmie Lee Sloas — bass guitar * Bryan Sutton —

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

* Derek Wells — electric guitar * Nir Z —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

, percussion, programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

{{authority control 2016 songs 2016 singles Country ballads 2010s ballads Dan + Shay songs Warner Records Nashville singles Songs written by Chris DeStefano Songs written by Shay Mooney Songs written by Dan Smyers Song recordings produced by Scott Hendricks Music videos directed by Shaun Silva