Since the mid-90s, Kenny Chesney has proven himself to be one of country music’s most successful superstars. Chesney has built a decades-long career by releasing great songs, whether he wrote them or not. While Chesney doesn’t write all of the songs on his records, he has written several of his own hits, along with songs for other artists.
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These four songs prove that Kenny Chesney is one of the best songwriters of all time.
“The Tin Man”
Some might argue that “The Tin Man” is one of the greatest country songs ever written, and they wouldn’t be wrong. Released twice, first in 1994 and again in 2001, the song was written by Chesney, Stacey Slate, and David Lowe.
When Chesney first released “The Tin Man”, his career was just getting started, and it failed to chart at radio. But seven years later, Chesney had several No. 1 singles to his credit and believed in the song enough that he wanted to try it as a single again, with a newly-recorded version.
“The Tin Man” says, “It’s times like these / I wish I were a tin man / You could hurt me all you wanted / And I’d never even know / I’d give anything just to be the tin man / And I wouldn’t have a heart, and I wouldn’t need a soul.”
“Just To Say We Did”
“Just To Say We Did” is very autobiographical to Chesney’s own life. Out in 2024, Chesney wrote “Just To Say We Did” with Brett James, David Lee Murphy, and Matt Dragstrem.
The song, on Chesney’s latest Born album, says, “Drove from Knoxville to Myrtle Beach / Seven buddies and an old RV / Beer cooler and no AC / Just to say we did / That night we climbed up Chimney Rock / Knowin’ it was a real long drop / Three, two, one, and we jumped off / Just to say we did.”
“I wanted a song that really lifted up the heart of No Shoes Nation, these super-passionate people who just live wide open right where they are and create fun when they’re not working harder than anyone,” Kenny Chesney explains. “And when it came time to do a video, how do you capture that? Where do you go or how do you show it? But really, No Shoes Nation is all of it.
“Take Me There” by Rascal Flatts
“Take Me There” became a three-week No. 1 single for Rascal Flatts in 2007. The song, on their Still Feels Good record, is written by Chesney, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher.
Chesney originally planned on recording “Take Me There” himself. When he decided it wasn’t right for him, the song went to Rascal Flatts instead.
“Take Me There” says, “I wanna know everything about you then / And I want to go down every road you’ve been / Where your hopes and dreams and wishes live / Where you keep the rest of your life hid / I want to know the girl behind that pretty stare / Take me there.”
“Wild Child”
In 2015, Chesney released “Wild Child” with Grace Potter. On his The Big Revival record, the song comes four years after the pair’s first duet, with “You And Tequila”.
Chesney wrote “Wild Child” with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. The imaginative song says, “She’s a wild child / Got a rebel soul and a whole lot of gypsy / Wild style, she can’t be tied down but for a while / I’ll be falling free and so alive / I’d break my heart but God she drives me wild, child.“
“When you write about women, the best place to start is their spirit,” Chesney tells Taste of Country. “And there’s not a woman that has a better free spirit than Grace Potter.”
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMA
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