3 No. 1 Country Hits of the 2000s Defined by Their Original Story Telling

The facets that make some country songs a No. 1 hit can sometimes be fairly cliché. That being so, it seems there have been several musicians over the years who have simply hit the copy-and-paste button to garner the result they desire. However, on the contrary, there are a few country musicians who run the risk of failure through originality. Although, their originality has paid off immensely.

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We don’t need to spell out the elements that make a popular and generic country music song peak at No. 1 on the charts. But, we might need to spell out why a handful of songs reached No. 1 because of their sheer novelty and inventiveness. So, here are three country songs that don’t fit the prototypical country-hit formula thanks to their original storytelling.

“Letter To Me” by Brad Paisley

Released in 2007, Brad Paisley’s No. 1 hit high juxtaposes the beer-drinking and backroad-driving songs of the ‘2000s. Even though its musical arrangement is fairly standard, Paisley’s coming-of-age tale offers listeners sensible pieces of wisdom and a unique storytelling angle that rivals many songs of the decade.

Following its release, Paisley’s vulnerable tune peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in February of 2008. Furthermore, it also reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for a total of four weeks.

“Live Like You Were Dying” by Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw’s 2004 No. 1 hit tells the tale of a dying man who is set to live his life to the fullest before his passing. The song remains one of the most tear-jerking tales in McGraw’s catalog, and it’s thanks to the poignant prose embedded in the verses. Nothing about this song is trite and or kitschy; rather, it divulges universal truths in a million-dollar casing.

Upon its release in 2004, Tim McGraw’s melancholically optimistic tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It sat at No. 1 for a whopping seven consecutive weeks. Additionally, it also won Tim McGraw the 2004 Grammy for Best Country Song of The Year.

“The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert

Many could and surely have argued that “The House That Built Me” is the best song in Miranda Lambert’s catalog. That is up to you and you alone. However, Lambert’s homage to the past is a country song that toils with far deeper subjects than the songs of this decade typically did. It’s not a fun song, but it is an essential song. Essential, given the fact that it makes you revisit places in your mind that might have been collecting dust.

Thanks to the nuance in the lyrics, Lambert’s song climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and remained there for four consecutive weeks. This was Lambert’s first No. 1 country hit, and arguably, the song that made her a household country music name.

Brad Paisley performs onstage during iHeartCountry Live per Getty Images