# Old Town Road

> A TikTok sound with 117,000 reported uses reached Number 1 in the UK.

- Owner: Lil Nas X
- Kind: Music
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2018-12-02
- Peak date: Week of Apr 25, 2019
- Date basis: Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 49 (Notable), v1.2
- Mechanics: Sound or audio meme, Controversy

## Summary

Lil Nas X released Old Town Road online. TikTok reuse preceded its chart breakthrough, while removal from the country chart generated debate. It reached Number 1 in the UK before an official movie arrived.

## Timeline

- 2018-12-02 — Lil Nas X (Audio) — Lil Nas X released Old Town Road on SoundCloud.
- 2019-02-23 — @nicemichael (TikTok) — @nicemichael uploaded Old Town Road to TikTok.
- 2019-03-27 — Billboard (Press) — Billboard removed Old Town Road from its country songs chart.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/lil-nas-x-old-town-road

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Old Town Road.” Case HIS-01046. Spread Score v1.2: 49/100. Updated 2026-10-17. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01046