4 Country Songs From the 2000s That Were Also Big Crossover Hits

Country music traditionalists might think country songs belong solely at country radio. But for decades, the genre has had success on pop radio as well, even if it wasn’t always intentional. We found four country songs from the 2000s that were also big crossover hits.

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“This One’s For The Girls” by Martina McBride

When Martina McBride released “This One’s For The Girls” in 2003, she had already had two hits at pop radio, with “I Love You” and “There You Are”. But “This One’s For The Girls”, on her Martina album, became a No. 1 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart, while only hitting the Top 5 at country radio.

“‘This One’s For The Girls’ was an immediate no-brainer for me,” McBride tells Billboard of the song, which was written by Chris Lindsey, Hillary Lindsey, and Aimee Mayo. “I loved the fact that it was up-tempo and fun, but it also had something to say. It felt like such a positive message, and it’s still one of my favorite songs to do live. It’s like a shot of energy that goes through the crowd.”

“Last Night” by Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen has had plenty of hits at pop radio, although he remains rooted in country music. But one of Wallen’s biggest hits is “Last Night“, on his 2023 One Thing At A Time record, a true country crossover success story.

The song, written by John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, and Ryan Vojtesak, not only became a No. 1 pop hit for Wallen but landed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for all of 2023. Impressively, it also stayed at the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs charts for a total of 20 weeks. 

“Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood

When Carrie Underwood released “Before He Cheats” in 2006, she was already no stranger to pop radio. Her debut single after winning American Idol, “Inside Your Heaven”, was a No. 1 pop hit, without even hitting the Top 40 at country radio.

But it’s “Before He Cheats” that became Underwood’s first true country crossover hit. The song, written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear for her debut Some Hearts album, became a massive pop hit as well.

“Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line

“Cruise” is Florida Georgia Line’s debut single, and remains one of their biggest hits. Written by duo members Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, along with Joey Moi, Chase Rice, and Jesse Rice, the song became a monster hit at both country and pop radio.

While some songs might be a surprise country crossover hit, Chase Rice had a feeling “Cruise” would do well in both genres.

“It starts with a chorus,” he tells CBS. “A lot of the old rock songs started with the chorus, and they all went to No. 1. This one was the same way. We started with the chorus that day.”

Florida Georgia Line also released a version of “Cruise” with Nelly.

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