The Top Country Music Songs of 2009

Check out our list of the top country music songs of 2009. You won’t be disappointed!

Introduction

The decade may be over, but that doesn’t mean the hits have to stop. Here are the top country songs of 2009.

1. “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum
2. “In Color” by Jamey Johnson
3. “Hillbilly Bone” by Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
4. “Consider Me Gone” by Reba McEntire
5. “ Burning House” by Cam
6. “Trying to Love Me” by Jeanette Berry
7. “Kiss a Girl” by Keith Urban
8. “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton
9. “Telephone” by Lady Gaga featuring Beyoncé
10. “Hey Pretty Girl” by Kip Moore

“People Are Crazy” by Billy Currington

“People Are Crazy” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Billy Currington. It was released in May 2009 as the lead-off single to his album Enjoy Yourself. The song became Currington’s fourth Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in October 2009. co-writers of the song are Cory Batten and Kyle Jacobs.

The song is uptempo, with steel guitar instrumentation throughout. Its lyrics tell of two stories that illustrate the title phrase, one about a father and son, the other about a man whose girlfriend has left him for someone else.

Critics praised the uptempo arrangement and Currington’s vocal delivery. The song was nominated for Single of the Year at the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. It won Song of the Year at the 2010 ASCAP Awards on April 28, 2010.

“She’s Country” by Jason Aldean

“She’s Country” by Jason Aldean is a song about a country girl. The song was released in 2009 and went on to become a huge hit, topping the charts for several weeks. The song is also notable for its use of the word “redneck”, which is a term often used to describe country music fans.

“White Liar” by Miranda Lambert

“White Liar” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in October 2009 as the lead-off single from her album Revolution. The song became Lambert’s second Number One hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in March 2010. “White Liar” was nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning Best Country Song.

Lambert wrote the song with Ashley Monroe and Waylon Payne. Monroe co-wrote three other songs on Revolution, including “Heart like Mine”, which Lambert also recorded. In an interview with CMT, Lambert said that the three writers were in what she called “a girl power writing session”. Monroe came up with the idea for the song while Payne and Lambert were talking about guys they had dated. Monroe said that when she got home, she started playing guitar and singing the chorus of the song. The three writers finished writing the song in about an hour.

Lambert told CMT that she knew “White Liar” was a good song when she wrote it, saying “You just get chills sometimes when you write a song and you know it’s special.” She also said that she liked the fact that the lyrics could be interpreted in different ways. Lambert debuted the song at the 2009 Country Music Association festival on September 11, 2009.

“Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum

“Need You Now” is a song performed by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. The song was written by Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, and Hillary Scott, and produced by Paul Worley. It serves as the lead-off single and title track to their second studio album, Need You Now (2010), and was first released in the US on October 5, 2009. The song spent five weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart in early 2010, becoming their first top single and only number-one hit to date. The song won Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year at both the 52nd Grammy Awards (2010) and 44th CMA Awards (2010).

The trio co-wrote the song with Josh Kear, and produced it with Worley. The production team included Nathan Chapman, who co-produced Taylor Swift’s album Fearless (2008) with Swift. The song is built around a thumping bass line set against harmonic vocals; Scott sings the lead vocal while Kelley and Haywood provide harmony vocals. Lyrically, it is about a woman hoping her significant other will come home soon; she notes that “We all need somebody to lean on”.

Critics well received the song; some called it one of Lady Antebellum’s best works to date. Commercially, “Need You Now” was very successful; in addition to spending five weeks at number one on Hot Country Songs, it also peaked at number two on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. The single has been certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over six million copies in that country alone; worldwide sales are close to nine million as of February 2011. In October 2011 a Platinum Edition reissue of Need You Now debuted featuring four new tracks including two remixes of this song: a club mix by DJ Frank E & Oliver Heldens which interpolates Avicii’s “Levels”,[1] plus a pop mix done by Kaskade;[2] along with live versions of “Swingin'” recorded during their headlining tour Stop hel’in Love Tour along with another newly recorded version featuring Jason Aldean entitled “Feels Like Home”.

The video received mixed reviews from critics; many complimented its images but noted that parts appeared too similar to Lady Antebellum’s earlier work

“Hillbilly Bone” by Blake Shelton

“Hillbilly Bone” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released in March 2010 as the lead-off single to his self-titled fourth studio album. On the chart dated March 13, 2010, “Hillbilly Bone” became Shelton’s sixth Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The song achieved similar success in Canada, giving Shelton his first Number One on the Canada Country Tracks chart.

“Toes” by Zac Brown Band

“Toes” is a song by American country music band Zac Brown Band. It was released in June 2009 as the fourth single from the band’s album The Foundation. The song became the band’s first number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in August 2009.

The song was written by Zac Brown, Coy Bowles and Wyatt Durette. It is about a man who is at the beach with a woman, drinking and watching the sunset. The man reflects on his life and how he has “lived it in (his) boots”, and resolves to continue doing so.

Critical reception for “Toes” was generally positive. Billy Dukes of Taste of Country gave the song a four-star rating, saying that it was “a perfect example of what makes a hit song”. He praised the production and lyrics, calling them “emotionally complex without being sappy or overindulgent”.Engine 145 critic Brady Vercher gave the song a thumbs-up, saying that it had “potential to be one of those ubiquitous summer anthems”. He also praised the production, saying that it was “inviting without burying the listener in instruments or sound”.

“Gimmie That Girl” by Joe Nichols

“Gimmie That Girl” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Joe Nichols. It was released in October 2009 as the lead-off single to his album Old Things New. The song became Nichols’ sixth Number One hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in February 2010.

The song was written by Nichols, Hunter Hayes and Troy Verges.

“American Saturday Night” by Brad Paisley

“American Saturday Night” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in June 2009 as the lead-off single to his album of the same name. The song became Paisley’s ninth Number One hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2009. It also peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth top 40 entry on that chart as well. The song is about how country music brings people together, regardless of their background.

“Water” by Brad Paisley

“Water” is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in February 2009 as the second single from his album American Saturday Night. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and won Paisley the Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and was nominated for Single of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Paisley wrote this song with Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois. It is a mid-tempo ballad in which the narrator describes various recent events in his life in terms of bodies of water. Upon its release, “Water” received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Paisley’s vocal performance but criticized the lyrics as being too similar to his previous singles.

“Water” debuted at number 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 7, 2009.