Luke Bryan has long been a country music staple. His stake in the genre was firm before he ever stepped out into the spotlight himself. The start of his career saw him writing hits for the likes of Travis Tritt and Billy Currington.
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In 2007, Bryan stepped out to be an artist in his own right with his debut album, I’ll Stay Me. Ever since, Bryan has been dominating the charts, scoring our summers and healing our heartbreaks with his incomparable hits.
We’ve raised our glasses to Bryan below with a list of his top 10 songs. Revisit our picks for a little reintroduction to the country star.
10. “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day”
“Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” is a mid-tempo ode to the simple pleasures in life. If I could make a nickel off a turning ’em bass / Never worry about the price of gas / I’d be wheelin’ and dealin’ and sittin’ there reelin’ ’em in, he sings. Knowing his audience, Bryan reminds the listener that he, too, pines for country living.
9. “All My Friends Say”
“All My Friends Say” acted as the debut single from Bryan’s first studio album. The introduction was a strong one with Bryan delivering one of the best honky tonk party songs of all time. And all my friends say / I started shooting doubles / When you walked in / All my friends say / I went a little crazy / Seeing you with him, he sings.
8. “Rain Is A Good Thing”
Bryan flexes his songwriting chops on “Rain Is A Good Thing,” drawing a connection between the weather and his girl. You don’t have to be a country superfan to know the chorus to this one. It has seeped its way into every corner of pop culture. Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey, whiskey makes my baby get a little frisky, he sings.
7. “Knockin’ Boots”
This radio needs three songs to play / To get me across town to you / That dress needs to slip off / That hair needs to come down, Bryan sings in this track. Slower than his usual offerings, “Knockin’ Boots” is a nice change of pace in Bryan’s discography.
6. “Drink A Beer”
Despite first impressions from the title, “Drink A Beer” takes the listener on an emotional journey. Penned by Chris Stapleton, the song acts as a goodbye to a friend who has passed away. To soothe the pain, Bryan sings about watching the sunset with a beer in his hand.
5. “Roller Coaster”
Bryan has proven time and time again that he knows how to tell a story with his music. “Roller Coaster” is a great example of that skill. When listening to this song you can almost feel yourself on a pier by the ocean. And we spent that week wide open / Upside down beside the ocean / I didn’t know where it was goin’ / Just tryin’ to keep my heart on the tracks, he sings.
4. “Someone Else Calling You Baby”
Despite the upbeat tempo, Bryan is reeling from a lost love in “Someone Else Calling You Baby.” If anyone ever finds themselves nursing a broken heart this track is a good place to start on the recovery journey. It’s a deeply cathartic experience to sing along to this one.
3. “Drunk On You”
“Drunk On You” is one of Bryan’s many No. 1 hits. It is also one of the best summer anthems of all time. Girl you make my speakers go boom boom / Dancin’ on the tailgate in the full moon / That kinda thing makes a man go mmm mmm / You’re lookin’ so good in what’s left of those blue jeans, he sings. Though Bryan has since taken many songs from other writers, “Drunk On You” marked the first single he didn’t write himself.
2. “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”
As made very clear by this Tik Tok trend, “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” is one of those country songs that seems to unite fans of the genre and those who normally wouldn’t be caught dead listening to anything with a twang – and it’s easy to see why. Bryan, literally, commands that you dance along to this one and, even if he didn’t expressly ask that of the listener, we’d wager you’d throw a little two-step anyway. It’s a classic country song that earned its rightful crossover success.
1. “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
It’s easy to see why “I Don’t Want This Night To End” dominated the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The chorus is tailor-made for a sing-a-long amid a packed bar in the summertime. An ode to love at first sight, it doesn’t get more quintessentially Bryan than this track.
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
