We've rounded up 12 Tim McGraw songs that show the full arc of the country singer's incredible career thus far. Over 20 years into his musical career, McGraw is a country megastar with 16 albums to his name (if we count his duet album with Faith Hill, The Rest of Our Life). He's also the recipient of over 40 industry and fan-voted awards through the years. The guy is a superstar and fans continue to love and resonate with his music.
In addition to his impressive musical success, the Louisiana native has also crossed into television and movies with ease (like the Yellowstone prequel 1883), making us wonder if there is anything that this man can't do.
His list of incredible songs goes on and on: "Grown Men Don't Cry," "Let It Go," "Angry All the Time," "She's My Kind of Rain," "Humble and Kind," "Down on the Farm" and "For A Little While." He can beautifully handle an emotional ballad just as well as he can belt out a honky tonk jam. Not to mention anything he sings with his wife Faith Hill will make you swoon.
A lot can change in over 20 years, and luckily for us, there is a musical journey map for McGraw's ever-changing sound. We've pulled 12 Tim McGraw songs that showcase his musical path so far, which is likely only the first half of his career if he continues to evolve his sound with the changes in country music.
12. "Southern Voice" 2009 - Southern Voice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdT8Tlzto20&t=5s
The title track of McGraw's 2009 album is a ton of southern fun and the ultimate name-drop anthem. He celebrates all of the great names from the American South, including everyone from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr to Dolly Parton and Hank Williams. This marked McGraw's 23rd number one hit on the charts.
11. "Something Like That" 1999 - A Place in the Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYRFgWbalBE
This catchy country tune was the most played radio single of any genre in the 2000s. How's that for a hit? "Something Like That" easily hit number one in the charts and is still one of McGraw's most beloved songs because it's just so darn good. Written by Rick Ferrell and Keith Follesé, the song chronicles a boy seeing a girl when he's 17 and falling in love and then seeing her again years later on an airplane. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much time goes by, your love can still stay just as strong.
10. "Shotgun Rider" 2014 - Sundown Heaven Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhmLcxyzc4s
Avoiding the magnetic "bro-country" trend, McGraw has stayed reliable, bringing fresh music but honoring the traditional country sound that everyone craves. This is the perfect example of old-school McGraw expertly combined with more modern guitar riffs and a breezy tempo.
9. "I Like It, I Love It" 1995 - All I Want
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHtLF6IicNk&feature=youtu.be
A simple song with a man describing how much he likes a girl, "I Like It, I Love It" has one of the catchiest choruses in country music history. The song is fun, upbeat and smart, and with its success, there was no denying that McGraw was a country superstar in the making.
8. "It's Your Love" 1997 - Everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AJ4i4S_fP8&feature=youtu.be
Teaming up with his incredibly talented wife, southern girl Faith Hill, "It's Your Love" showcased a sweet, vulnerable side of McGraw. When they sing together, they have a way of making you feel like you are part of a private moment between the two, and this duet positioned Tim and Faith as country music's newest royal couple. The song earned the duo ACM Awards for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year, as well as a CMA for Vocal Event of the Year.
7. "My Next Thirty Years," 1999 -- A Place in the Sun
McGraw's "My Next 30 Years," from the 1999 album A Place in the Sun, finds the singer pausing to reflect on life and consider what's really important.
"My next 30 years I'm gonna settle all the scores/ Cry a little less, laugh a little more," McGraw sings. "Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear/ Figure out just what I'm doing here, in my next 30 years."
6. "Just to See You Smile" 1997- Everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9jKwji7imU
A record-breaking song that spent 42 weeks on the Billboard chart, "Just to See You Smile" embodies pure happiness and continues the trend of McGraw singing about love. The sweet lyrics are complimented by the instrumentation and McGraw's pure vocals, which are significantly less twangy than only a few years prior.
5. "The Cowboy in Me" 2001- Set This Circus Down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFVpezv_Caw&feature=youtu.be
Another No. 1 hit for McGraw's catalog, "The Cowboy in Me," is an anthem for many a country boy with a wicked streak. With the focus primarily on McGraw's exposed vocals, the message to be happy with yourself and come to terms with things you cannot change resonated with audiences everywhere, men and women alike, for this smash hit.
4. "Real Good Man" 2003 - Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NnmQuT3uNo&feature=youtu.be
Only McGraw can sing this song dripping with self-confidence and sound so good. McGraw touts that he is a "bad boy," but also a "real good man" in this self-proclaimed "redneck" song that topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart.
3. "Live Like You Were Dying" 2004 - Live Like You Were Dying
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9TShlMkQnc&feature=youtu.be
Already a country megastar, the song "Live Like You Were Dying" continued to solidify McGraw's mark on country music and his connection with audiences worldwide. An emotional song that mirrored his personal experience with his father, Tug McGraw, he touched millions of fans with the story of a man whose father is diagnosed with a terminal illness. He shares how his view on life changes to enjoy every moment, and "Live Like You Were Dying."
2. "Please Remember Me," 1999 -- A Place in the Sun
Tim McGraw's powerful ballad, "Please Remember Me," from A Place in the Sun, was written by Rodney Crowell and Will Jennings. It's easily one of the most beautiful ballads he's ever recorded.
1. "Don't Take the Girl" 1994 - Not a Moment Too Soon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vn6QdqxK3g&feature=youtu.be
McGraw's first No. 1 single, "Don't Take the Girl," took Nashville by storm and melted hearts with the love story of a boy named Johnny and the evolution of his love for a girl. In his earlier years, McGraw's sound had quite a bit more twang than his music today, and he was sporting the ever-so-popular mullet hairstyle that was all the rage in the early '90s.
Honorary Mentions: "She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart," "Felt Good on My Lips," "Where The Green Grass Grows," "Damn Country Music," "My Best Friend," "Refried Dreams," "Last Dollar (Fly away)," "Watch the Wind Blow By" and the Keith Urban and Taylor Swift collaboration from his Two Lanes of Freedom album, "Highway Don't Care."
This story was originally published in 2016.
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READ MORE: 'If You're Reading This: The Story Behind Tim McGraw's Emotional Song Honoring Fallen Soldiers
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