4 Carrie Underwood Songs Every Country Music Fan Should Know (But They Aren’t All Big Hits)

Ever since winning Season 4 of American Idol in 2005, Carrie Underwood has been an integral part of country music. Although she has more than two decades of songs, these are four that every country music fan should know, even though not all of them were big hits.

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“Jesus, Take The Wheel”

The debut single from Underwood’s freshman Some Hearts record, “Jesus, Take The Wheel” is also Underwood’s first No. 1 hit. Written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson are the song’s three writers.

The song, which begins with a young woman sliding on a “thin black sheet of glass,” was partially inspired by a true story.

“My wife had a similar experience to the girl in the song,” James tells The Boot. “My wife had a car crash when we were dating. She nearly died. Her car spun around several times and went under an 18-wheeler. She said she saw angels come help her. She walked away with no injuries.”

“Jesus, Take The Wheel” says, “Jesus, take the wheel / Take it from my hands / ‘Cause I can’t do this on my own / I’m letting go / So give me one more chance / And save me from this road I’m on / Jesus, take the wheel.”

“Before He Cheats”

Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear are the writers of “Before He Cheats”, although it wasn’t written with Underwood in mind. The two writers were thinking of Gretchen Wilson when they penned the revenge-filled song. But instead, Underwood got “Before He Cheats”, which became a massive hit for her.

“Before He Cheats” says, “I dug my key into the side / Of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive / Carved my name into his leather seats / I took a Louisville Slugger to both headlights / Slashed a hole in all four tires / Maybe next time, he’ll think before he cheats.”

One of her biggest-selling songs, Underwood almost passed on the song, worried it was too rough for her squeaky-clean image at the time.

“Spinning Bottles

“Spinning Bottles” not only wasn’t a big hit at radio, but it wasn’t even released as a single. Still, the song, on Underwood’s 2017 Cry Pretty album, is a stunning tune, which also shows off Underwood’s writing skills. Penned by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and David Garcia, “Spinning Bottles” is a harrowing tale of a woman in love with an alcoholic.

The song says, “Oh, round and around and around they go / Will it end? Nobody knows / He’s passed out on the bathroom floor / Spinning rooms, spinning wheels, spinning out of control / Spinning bottles, spinning bottles.”

“Church Bells”

A multi-platinum hit for Underwood, “Church Bells” is on her fifth studio album, Storyteller. Written by James, Lindsey, and Zach Crowell, “Church Bells” tells the story of a woman named Jenny, married to a wealthy oil man, who is abusive. As the song goes on, Jenny takes matters into her own hands, poisoning him by “slipping something in his Tennessee whiskey”.

“Church Bells” says, “She could hear those church bells ringing, ringing / And up in the loft, that whole choir singing, singing / Fold your hands and close your eyes / Yeah, it’s all gonna be alright / You just listen to the church bells ringing, ringing / Yeah, they’re ringing.”

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