23

"23" is a nostalgic country-pop jam where Sam Hunt looks back fondly on a past relationship. He reminisces about their trips to New Orleans and Folly Beach, and a conversation in the July rain. She's moved on with new cities, jobs, friends and love interests, but Hunt hopes his former sweetheart is happy now and is really glad he knew her when he was 23.

Hunt co-wrote this end-of-summer song with: Chris La Corte, who also produced the emotional track. Frequent collaborators Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, whose other Sam Hunt compositions include "Body Like a Back Road," "Downtown's Dead," and "Hard to Forget." "Sam's whole thing on it was how precious that time actually is because you really only get it once, and you shared it with somebody," said Osborne to Billboard. "It feels like kind of a heavy concept in a light-sounding song, and that's always appealed to me."

Released on September 9, 2021, Hunt first offered fans a taste of "23" back on July 14, 2020, when he shared an acoustic performance during the virtual 2020 Highway Finds Fest. The SiriusXM channel The Highway aired the festival three days later.