3 of Blake Shelton’s Biggest Hits That He Didn’t Write

Blake Shelton knows how to write a hit song. It’s Shelton who is the writer behind his songs like “All Over Me”, “Go Ahead And Break My Heart”, “Love Gets In The Way”, and more. But Shelton has no problem recording songs by other writers. We uncover three of his biggest hits, songs that Shelton didn’t write.

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“Austin”

Shelton’s very first single, and his first No. 1 hit, is “Austin“. The song, from his eponymous 2001 record, was written by Kirsti Manna and David Kent, one of six songs written by someone else from the project.

The song says in part, “It was almost a year before she called him up / Three rings and an answering machine is what she got / If your calling ’bout the car, I sold it / If this is Tuesday night, I’m bowling / If you’ve got something to sell your wastinf your time, I’m not buying / If it’s anybody else wait for the tone, you know what to do / And P.S., if this is Austin, I still love you.”

“I’m not sure how many people actually have an ‘answering machine’ anymore. But the song is still as powerful and special as the first time I ever sang it,” Shelton tells People. “I’m grateful for all the fans who continue to connect with it like I do.”

“God’s Country”

Shelton’s “God’s Country” was released in 2019 on his Fully Loaded: God’s Country album. Written by HARDY, Devin Dawson, and Jordan Schmidt. “God’s Country” not only became a multi-platinum, No. 1 hit for Shelton, but also, at least in his mind, helped save his career.

At the time, Shelton believed his days of being a successful artist might be in the past. But when his producer, Scott Hendricks, sent him “God’s Country,” Shelton listened to it while working on his Oklahoma ranch, and had a complete change of heart about his future in country music.

“I said, ‘Man, that song sounds like a remedy, like a cure, like everything that I need in my life to hear on the radio and to hear myself sing,’” Shelton tells The Tennessean. “I went, ‘That’s it. Let’s record this thing.’”

“Texas”

Blake Shelton just celebrated his 30th No. 1 hit with “Texas“. Written by Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Kyle Sturrock, and Lalo Guzman, “Texas” is the debut single from his latest For Recreational Use Only record.

Admittedly, “Texas” is not like anything Shelton has released in the past. That’s precisely why he wanted to record the song.

“The thing that struck me about ‘Texas’ immediately was how different it sounded for me. And I’m always looking to push myself,” Shelton says (via Billboard). “I think there’s something really special about this record, and it feels important to me.”

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