Thread: Best Songs of the 2000's

Best Songs of the 2000's

A great country song can inspire you, make you laugh or make you cry. It may even enliven you to do crazy things like jump out of an airplane, dance like no one is watching ... or do a little damage to a cheater's beloved truck. The past decade has seen all of the above, as the genre has flourished, opening its doors to a more eclectic sound while keeping its tradition of thought-provoking lyrics. The Boot counts down our best songs of the 2000s. These aren't just the tunes we heard most on the radio or that won the most awards, these were the country music news makers.

10. 'Before He Cheats,' Carrie Underwood (2006)

The same 'American Idol' winner who let Jesus take the wheel showed her sassier side by taking a bat to a pair of taillights. This crossover hit has wandering eyes seeing straight with its clever tale of a jilted girlfriend who gets sweet revenge.

9. 'Stay,' Sugarland (2007)

Only Sugarland can make you root for the "other woman." This CMA, ACM and Grammy winning song gets live audiences cheering when its lonely heroine who aches for a married man finally throws him to the curb in the last verse.

8. 'Redneck Woman,' Gretchen Wilson (2004)

Not since Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash has a country singer been nicknamed the title of one of their songs. Gretchen shot to superstardom with this unapologetic tune that embraces the eccentricities of being a "redneck," from walking around barefoot to keeping Christmas lights up year round.

7. 'Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),' Toby Keith (2002)

The events of September 11 combined with his and his late father's unwaivering patriotism led Toby to pen this song, which he originally never planned to release but only performed it live during his many concerts entertaining American troops. Promising terrorists to "put a boot up your ass," the song proved both motivational and controversial.

6. 'Not Ready to Make Nice,' Dixie Chicks (2006)

The talented trio swept the 2007 Grammy Awards, winning all five categories in which they were nominated, on the strength of this defiant, wildly personal song. Airing their frustrations over what was perhaps the biggest backlash in country music history, the Chicks refuse to apologize for denouncing President George W. Bush, even if it means losing fans and even fielding death threats.

5. 'Bless the Broken Road,' Rascal Flatts (2005)

This poignant ballad celebrates lost love that ultimately leads down the path to true love. The song stayed at No. 1 on the country charts for five straight weeks and will stay on wedding playlists for years to come.

4. 'Whiskey Lullaby,' Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss (2003)

This tearjerking tune, co-written by country legends Jon Randall and 'Whisperin'' Bill Anderson, tells the devastating tale of a man who goes to war and comes back to find his wife with another man. Stricken with grief, he drinks himself to death. Stricken with guilt, she does the same.

3. 'Live Like You Were Dying,' Tim McGraw (2005)

Tim dedicated this inspiring song to his late father, baseball great Tug McGraw, who passed away a year before its release. With their message of living life to the fullest, the lyrics include several adventures that might be on one's 'bucket list,' like skydiving and bull riding.

2. 'I Hope You Dance,' Lee Ann Womack (2000)

This uplifting, crossover smash is about way more than just cutting a rug -- it's about "taking chances," giving "faith a fighting chance" and never losing "your sense of wonder." In short, Lee Ann's career-defining song defines what country music is all about.

1. 'Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning,' Alan Jackson (2001)

The event that devastated our decade inspired our No. 1 pick for the hit of the decade. The "singer of simple songs" wrote it just a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, voicing the fears of a grief-stricken nation and giving an anything-but-simple message of hope and love in a time of devastation.

Best Songs of the 2000's - The Boot

My congrats to Carrie!!!!

Personally, I think JTTW is quite overrated but I'm glad that Before He Cheats made the list.

I've NEVER listened to "Red Neck Woman" and the songs # 1, # 3, # 7 --sorry about my ignorance of country songs . I love "I Hope You Dance".

I agree Jeff, these are very solid choices. You can make arguments for other songs that should be included in the list, but on the other hand, it's really hard to think of what song to pull out from the list. IMO, BHC for Carrie, Stay for Sugarland, RW for Gretchen and IHYD for Lee Ann are all career-defining songs for those artists, and made such a huge impact not only for the artists but for country radio as well, and in BHC and IHYD's cases, on other formats too. It's hard to argue against those. And Stay didn't even make it to #1. How awesome is that?

I could probably argue for Brad's When I Get Where I'm Going, but Whiskey Lullaby is no pushover either. And BTBR may probably be the sweetest love song of the decade.

Since the decade is ending, there will be a lot more "Best of....Singles" lists that will come out. And I expect BHC to be on most, if not, all of the lists. Most of the staff at Country Universe already has the song at their unofficial best singles of the decades list.

JTTW should have definitely been on the list as well. And BHC should have been higher.

Woot for "Before He Cheats". I'd agree with making it one of the top ten of the decade - its blend of Nashville and Southern Rock gave Country radio a well deserved boost, and its feisty lyric gave Carrie a wonderful opportunity to show the world that she was a stage performer with a genuinely wide ranging personality,

I understand the disappointment at not including "Jesus, Take the Wheel" - but this is a fan community, and from the writer's point of view it would probably make the list look unbalanced to include two songs out of ten from the same artist in a decade-wide survey.

Looking at the rest of the list, I'd agree with "Stay" and "Whiskey Lullaby". - and (at a pinch) "Bl;ess the Broken Road" (I'm not sure it should really belong to the 2000s, but as Jeff Hanna said, it's a song whose time has finally come!)

The others probably show me how far away much of my taste is from the Mainstream. They're good songs - but I wouldn't put them in a top listing.

I've followed the Dixie Chicks for years (I wrote the fan page for one of their very early members), and I don't even think NRTMN is the best song on that album, let alone their best offering of this decade. For example, this achingly sad song on regrets after an abortion seems more memorable to me on almost all counts:

YouTube- Dixie Chicks - Voice Inside My Head (Acoustic)


As for the momentous public events of the 2000s, which tinspired so many fine songs in the Roots Country community, it's hard to pick a winner. But I'm going for R.B. Morris's "Empire" (also covered by John Prine). That an East Tennessee poet had the vision to write this out of a climate of questioning despair is one of the things that makes me proud of Country Music

YouTube- RB Morris sings Empire

Woohoo Carrie and BHC! JTTW would have fit better with most of the other songs listed, but BHC is a great song!