"Even Though I'm Leaving" is described as a "soft, mandolin-infused country song" and "stone-cold tear-jerker" by the blog Taste of Country. Co-written by Combs along with Wyatt Durrette and Ray Fulcher, the song features a dramatic interaction between a father and son.[1] In three different scenarios, the son, who is the narrator, pleads his father not to leave him. In the first verse, the narrator is a child who is afraid of monsters under his bed, while the second features the son as a young adult going off to serve in the military, and the final verse features the son becoming emotional over his father's death.[2] The song previously appeared on Combs's 2019 EP The Prequel.[3]
Commercial performance
"Even Though I'm Leaving" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart on November 23, 2019, and stayed on top of the chart for three weeks.[4] It then fell to No. 2 for the chart dated December 14, while Old Dominion's "One Man Band" overtook it at the top. It remained at No. 2 the following week, having been leapfrogged by Thomas Rhett's "Remember You Young" at the top before returning to No. 1 for two additional weeks starting with the chart dated December 28,[5][6] making for a total of five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. With this song, Combs also extended his record of first singles being consecutive No. 1s to seven on the Country Airplay chart.[7] It also reached a peak of number 11 on the BillboardHot 100, becoming Combs' first top 20 entry on the chart.[8]
The song was certified 3× Platinum by the RIAA on August 25, 2023.[9] It has sold 226,000 copies in the United States as of March 2020.[10]
