The No. 1 hit—One of, if not the most sought-after, achievements in music. Many people have succeeded and many people have failed, but many people have also come incredibly close. Matter of fact, one decision kept them apart from acquiring one. A decision they might not regret, but a decision that still stings nonetheless.
Videos by American Songwriter
Most music fans are well aware of the fact that some of their favorite artists don’t write their own songs. This is not new news. That being so, songwriters, record labels, and publishing houses pitch songs in hopes that the artist in question will sing them. The arist can say no, and these three country musicians did say no, and they said no to songs that would later become No. 1 hits.
Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan’s “Drink A Beer”
In 2013, Luke Bryan released the Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers-written track, “Drink A Beer”. Upon its release, the single peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. As of today, the single has nearly two hundred million streams on Spotify. All of this success belongs to Bryan, but it nearly all belonged to Dierks Bentley.
Before Luke Bryan agreed to record the song, it was pitched to Dierks Bentley. Concerning the decision, Bentley once stated, “It’s all about the right song finding the right home,” per The Tennessean.
Alan Jackson and Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried”
“Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band is without a doubt the band’s most popular song. Following the release of the single in 2008, the single was a crossover hit in country music and in mainstream music. Specifically, the single peaked at No. 1 Billboard Hot Country songs chart and No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This song made the Zac Brown Band famous, but it almost made Alan Jackson more famous, as it initially was supposed to be recorded by Jackson. Jackson decided to opt out of the No. 1 hit simply because he had too many songs about food. Regarding “Chicken Fried”, Jackson stated, “Man, I just had a song about cornbread and chicken, and I had a song about bologna. Every album I’ve got has these songs about food, so I just don’t think I want to do one about chicken fried right now,” per Country Now.
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s “House That Built Me”
Miranda Lambert‘s biggest hit is her 2010 single, “House That Built Me”. Released in 2010, “House That Built Me” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earned her several awards. Particularly, Lambert’s single won her an ACM award, a Grammy Award, and a CMA award.
Before Lambert garnered loads of success with the song, it almost belonged to Lambert’s ex-husband, Blake Shelton. Though, as the story goes, Blake Shelton gave the song to his then-partner after he learned how much it meant to her. This seemingly wasn’t any sweat off of Shelton’s back. After all, without the song, the country singer still has 30 No. 1 hits.
Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
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