"September" is the third and final single from Daughtry's second album ''

Leave This Town ''Leave This Town'' is the second album by the American rock band Daughtry, released on July 14, 2009, by RCA Records and 19 Entertainment. It is the first album that they recorded as a band, as their self-titled debut album was recorded before ...

'' (2009). This song was co-written by Chris Daughtry and Josh Steely. It was first released June 1, 2010, through

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. The mid-tempo ballad is inspired by Chris's childhood memories growing up with his brother in

Lasker, North Carolina Lasker is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 122 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Lasker is located at . According to the ...

. This song was performed on the ninth season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

'' on May 12, 2010. "September" debuted at 30 on the '' Billboard''

Adult Pop Songs The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...

chart.

Background

Daughtry wrote the riff for "September" while he was on tour with Bon Jovi. His bandmate Josh Steely sent Daughtry some lyrical ideas and Chris sent back a lyric based on Steely's outline, which Steely said was "exactly what he was going for, remembering the summer and going back to school". According to Daughtry, "every time I hear that song it takes me back to my summers in Lasker. I loved growing up there, but I knew I'd have leave to make something of my life." The song's lines, "Yeah, we knew we had to leave this town / But we never knew when and we never knew how / We would end up here the way we are" inspired the album's title. Daughtry wanted "September" as a single, and that it should be released "at the time of the year when it will have meaning".

Music video

The music video was shot on July 1, 2010, at the Stevens Center of the

University of North Carolina School of the Arts The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in ...

and premiered on

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, ...

on July 16, 2010. The band is shown performing on stage with photos and home videos of them projected behind them.

Track listing

Chart performance

On the issue dated August 21, 2010, "September" became Daughtry's ninth single to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single has sold 355,000 digital downloads as of November 24, 2010. On the November 6, 2010 issue, the song reached its peak at number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their eighth top-40 single.

Weekly charts

Year end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:September (Daughtry Song) Daughtry (band) songs Rock ballads Songs written by Chris Daughtry Song recordings produced by Howard Benson RCA Records singles 2010 singles 2010 songs