Kid Rock claimed victory with a number one song on iTunes—but it wasn’t an original track, wasn’t promoted by a major label, and wasn’t even performed during a broadcast that reached mainstream audiences.
Instead, he took someone else’s award-winning country ballad, added a faith-driven verse, and rode a wave of cultural division straight to the top of the chart.
By Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after its midnight release, “‘Til You Can’t” sat at number one on the all-genre iTunes chart.
What happened next ignited debate about what chart success even means in 2026.
A Cover Song With a Religious Twist
The original “‘Til You Can’t” belongs to country artist Cody Johnson. Released in 2021, the ballad urges listeners not to let life slip away without expressing love and seizing meaningful moments.
It earned two CMA Awards and a Grammy for Best Country Song—a certified hit by any measure.
Kid Rock didn’t rewrite it. He added to it. His new verse tells listeners to dust off their Bibles, seek Jesus, and give their lives to faith while they still can.
Someone or something spoke to me and told me there was still a verse missing from this song.
He claims the verse came to him on a Sunday morning, weeks after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in September 2025.
Kid Rock debuted the modified version at Arizona’s Hondo Rodeo Fest in November, filling in for Cody Johnson who was recovering from a burst eardrum. Johnson and the original songwriters—Ben Stennis and Matt Rogers—gave their blessing for Kid Rock to record and release his version.
The Halftime Show That Wasn’t On TV
Kid Rock performed the song during Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show,” a self-described patriotic alternative to Bad Bunny’s official Super Bowl halftime performance.
TPUSA organized the counter-event after backlash from conservative audiences over the NFL selecting a Spanish-speaking Puerto Rican artist as its headliner.
He’s said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish? Cool. We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.
The TPUSA show streamed on YouTube and several conservative networks. At its peak, roughly 6 million viewers watched concurrently.
Bad Bunny’s halftime show, by early estimates, drew well over 100 million—potentially an all-time high, though official ratings had not yet been released.
Pre-Taped and Possibly Lip-Synced
Variety later reported that the TPUSA show was pre-taped in Atlanta. Turning Point USA never officially confirmed the location or whether performances occurred in real time.
During Kid Rock’s opening number—his 1999 hit “Bawitdaba“—viewers noticed his mouth appeared out of sync with the audio. Accusations of lip-syncing spread immediately.
Even Trump-friendly outlet Next News Network criticized it:
Charlie Kirk would not have approved of Kid Rock’s pre-recorded Lip Sync Super Bowl performance.
The lip-syncing concerns did not carry over to “‘Til You Can’t,” which by all accounts was performed live.
What Does an iTunes Win Actually Mean?
Reactions split along predictable—and a few unpredictable—lines.
Critics questioned what an iTunes ranking actually proves in 2026. Bad Bunny has roughly 85 million monthly Spotify listeners compared to Kid Rock’s 5 million.
iTunes—a platform most of the music industry has moved past—is a narrow lens through which to declare any kind of victory.
“What chart are you citing?” became a recurring line of skepticism across social media. Some argued that celebrating an iTunes win in 2026 is like winning a race nobody else signed up for.
TPUSA, for its part, declared victory. Spokesman Andrew Kolvet told Fox News:
That’s a shot across the bow, people are paying attention. This was a massive success.
The organization confirmed plans to stage another alternative halftime show in 2027.
President Trump did not attend either event. He took to Truth Social during the Super Bowl to call Bad Bunny’s halftime show “a slap in the face to our Country.”
The Chart That Told Its Own Story
When Monday afternoon rolled around, the iTunes chart told its own story:
- No. 1: Kid Rock – “‘Til You Can’t”
- No. 2: Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t” (original version)
- No. 3: Bad Bunny
- Top 6: Gabby Barrett (another TPUSA performer) with two of her own singles
The entire top of the chart belonged to the counter-show.
Kid Rock thanked Cody Johnson and the songwriters on social media:
It really is one of the best written songs I have heard in a long time, and NOTHING is more powerful than a great song in my book.
What This Says About Music in 2026
iTunes isn’t the Billboard Hot 100—but it is a real-time snapshot of what people are actually spending money on.
And on Monday, February 9, 2026, Kid Rock—with someone else’s song, a verse about Jesus, and a pre-taped performance that may or may not have been lip-synced—was what America was buying.
Whether that represents genuine cultural momentum or simply reflects the purchasing power of a motivated niche audience remains an open question.
What’s clear is that chart success no longer follows traditional rules. A cover song with added religious messaging can reach number one without radio play, without streaming dominance, and without mainstream media coverage.
It just needs the right audience—and the right moment.