Since its release in December 2018, Lil Nas X’s country rap hit ‘Old Town Road’ has been broken the Internet and records all over the world.
Just last month, the track became the most successful number one song of all-time when it reached its 19th week in first place on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. It also went viral on Tik Tok and racked up over 580 MILLION streams on Spotify.
The song is so popular, however, it’s starting to cause serious issues in a small town in Massachusetts because people keep stealing the street sign for the IRL Old Town Road.
According to The Swellesley Report, the town of Wellesley has had to replace the sign three times since the track went viral.
“The behaviour is likely the work of individuals playing pranks, but it costs the town a lot of time and money to locate, repair – and where the signs and posts are damaged – replace, and reinstall the signs,” Wellesley communication and project manager Stephanie Hawkinson said.
Apparently, the street signs have been discarded everywhere from “residents’ yards to town parks to wooded areas to wetlands,” and honestly, it sounds like a right pain in the arse for the poor soul who has to relocate and replace them.
To make matters worse, The Swellesley Report says the street signs have become a “hot item” in other towns as well. While they have no confirmation and suspect communities would rather not draw attention to it, the towns of Walpole and Holliston also have Old Town Roads.
Perhaps Wellesley and the like could take note from the town of Sicamous in British Columbia. Instead of letting the sign thieves get them down, Daily Hive says the Sicamous and District Chamber of Commerce has decided to replicate the signs and sell them “as a nod of appreciation to Lil Nas X” for $25 a pop.
If it means giving people an official location to take their horses and ride ‘til they can’t no more, we’re on board.