19 Years Ago, Carrie Underwood Proved Critics Wrong With an Overtly Faith-Based Song on Her Way to Country Music History

In November 2005, Carrie Underwood released her debut country album, Some Hearts. Six months earlier, viewers had crowned her the winner of the fourth season of American Idol. Her consistently dominant performances earned Underwood a million-dollar recording contract, the use of a private jet for a year, and a new car. Now, it was time for her to show the country music world that she was more than a reality TV star. More than two years after her victory—on this day (June 9) in 2007, Some Hearts officially topped the U.S. country albums chart.

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Carrie Underwood Faced Criticism For the Album’s Lead Single

Certified nine times Platinum by the RIAA, Some Hearts remains the best-selling debut album by a solo female country artist. It is also one of the most successful country albums of the 2000s, outselling all other LPS in both 2006 and 2007.

The album’s lead single, “Jesus Take the Wheel”, became the first of Carrie Underwood’s record-setting 15 number-one singles on Billboard’s Hot Country Song chart.

Written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson, it also enjoyed crossover success, peaking at number four on the Hot Christian Songs chart and cracking the top 20 on the Hot 100.

In a 2020 interview with Esquire, Underwood revealed that some critics questioned her decision to release such an overtly faith-based track right out of the gate.

“People started saying, Oh, it’s kind of risky. You’re coming out with a religious song,” recalled the American Idol judge. “And I was thinking, Really? I grew up in Oklahoma, I always had a close relationship with God. I never thought it was risky in the least. If anything, I thought it was the safest thing I could do.”

This Smash Hit Was Intended For Another Country Artist

However, Carrie Underwood did have reservations about the album’s fourth single: a scorching up-tempo revenge anthem called “Before He Cheats”.

According to songwriter Chris Tompkins, he and co-writer Josh Kear wrote “Before He Cheats” with Gretchen Wilson in mind. Instead, it went to Underwood.

“I remember even when we were talking about recording that song, it was kind of like, ‘Oh, is this too aggressive? Is this too…’ ” Underwood, 43, told People magazine in 2025. “Because I was like a sweet farm girl on [American Idol] — and I hope that’s who I still am — but it was almost, ‘Maybe we don’t do this song.’”

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In the end, they did. The song spent five straight weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart. Additionally, “Before He Cheats” reached the top five on the Adult Top 40 chart and number eight on the all-genre Hot 100. It remains the highest-certified solo female song of all time.

Throughout her 20-year career, Carrie Underwood has stacked 16 number-one singles on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, more than any other female artist.

She is also the most-awarded country artist of all time, with eight Grammys, 16 ACM Awards, and nine CMA Awards.

Featured image by Tom Briglia/FilmMagic