Jessie James Decker Releases Cover of Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’

Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” has become a runaway hit after its controversial release with the remixed version of the song, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, currently sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 for the ninth week.

Country singer Jessie James Decker put her spin on the song with a cover, which was released on June 5. Decker decided to record the song after performing it on her recent tour, with her version featuring some of her own original lyrics.

“I may be getting on a horse riding up and down on Broadway if this goes number one !!!!!!!” she joked on Instagram after the song began climbing the iTunes country charts.

After Decker’s cover was released, many people wondered in her comments section why her version of the song is considered country but Lil Nas X’s original release was banned from Billboard‘s country chart upon its release.

“Serious question that I want to get your take on: what would make your version any more country than the original to billboard?” one fan asked Decker.

“My question is more about why billboard took the original version off of the country charts saying it wasn’t country, but Jessie’s version is considered country and is played on country radio,” the fan added in response to another commenter.

“I was gonna say the same thing,” someone else wrote. “Why should her version be considered country and not the original version?”

“Wasn’t this song banned from the billboard country charts for not being ‘Country enough?’” commented a third person. “So with you singing it is it now considered country? Don’t get me wrong I love the song either way I’m just wondering now.”

“Old Town Road” was caught up in controversy after the original version was pulled from the Billboard Country Airplay chart, with a Billboard spokesperson telling Rolling Stone that the song was removed due to its composition.

The spokesperson said that “Old Town Road” “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.” In another statement, Billboard added that the “decision to take the song off of the country chart had absolutely nothing to do with the race of the artist.”

Lil Nas X told Time that the song is “country trap.”

“It’s not one, it’s not the other,” he said. “It’s both. It should be on both [charts].”

Lil Nas X and Cyrus’ version of the song is currently sitting at No. 50 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart.

Photo Credit: Getty / Scott Dudelson