Top country songs of 2019

Released on the album “GIRL,” Maren Morris’ “The Bones” was the album’s second single on hot adult contemporary radio. A study on reliability in relationships, the song opines “The house don't fall when the bones are good." “The Bones” spent 11 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The first single from Brett Young’s sophomore album “Ticket to L.A.,” “Here Tonight” has been described as a steamy song about a man in love. This is reflected in the song’s music video, which ends with a couple necking in a car. “Here Tonight” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at 42 in April.

“Rearview Town” is the fourth single from Jason Aldean’s album “Rearview Town.” Like the three singles before it, the single hit #1 in the Billboard Country Airplay chart. “Rearview Town” spent 18 weeks on the Billboard 100, peaking in August at #40.

When most people that are not country music fans think of country music, they imagine a lost soul pounding out a tough break story on a worn-out guitar. Luke Combs’ “She Got the Best of Me,” off “This One’s for You,” appears to follow this pattern at first glance. However, the song’s music video actually chronicles Combs’ career trajectory from penning lyrics in a notebook to becoming a country star. Combs co-wrote while he was still in college. “She Got the Best of Me” spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #31 in January 2019.

Marshmello and Kane Brown are an unlikely pairing. EDM star Marshmello, whose trademark helmet has become a viral hit on the internet, seems to be worlds away from the country superstar. However, “One Thing Right” meets the two in the middle with a light, catchy song about a lost soul finding redemption in his choice of loves. “One Thing Right” spent 23 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #36 in November.

Centered around a real-life story about a romantic night Chase Rice spent in Hawaii with a woman, “Eyes on You” is a single from Rice’s 2017 album “Lambs & Lions.” The song spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and—despite its album dropping two years ago—peaked at #38 in May 2019.

Matt Stell’s debut single “Prayed for You” is drawn from the experiences of Rice and co-writers Ash Bower and Allison Veltz, based on an organic conversation between the three about someone charmed by luck in most parts of their life. “Prayed for You” was the first debut single to reach the top spot since Jimmy Allen’s “Best Shot” in 2018.

Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell’s “What Happens in a Small Town” is featured on Gilbert’s “Fire & Brimstone.” The song centers around how local landmarks from his hometown remind him of a past love (in Gilbert’s case, a past breakup with his now-wife, Amber). “What Happens in a Small Town” spent 14 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at #53 in November 2019.

The unapologetic snapback single “Miss Me More” details Kelsea Ballerini’s real-life breakup and subsequent rediscovery of herself. “Miss Me More” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #47 in June 2019.

Maren Morris won CMA’s Best Album of the Year in 2019 for “GIRL.” For the album’s title track, Morris took an introspective step back, asserting that there is no need for her to compete with herself and that she should accept who she is. “GIRL” spent 21 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #44 in August 2019.

The third single from pop-country duo Dan + Shay’s self-titled album, “All to Myself” offers a traditional love song with a Caribbean flair. “All to Myself” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #31 in August 2019.

Essentially a pick-up line set to music, Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” is a slow jam where the narrator is trying to seduce a woman in a bar. The track is the second single off Lane's sophomore album, “Laps Around the Sun.” “I Don’t Know About You” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #39 in October 2019.

“Good as You” is the second single on Kane Brown’s second album “Experiment.” The ballad’s lyrics are about wanting to be a better man. “Good as You” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at #36 in June 2019.

The R&B-influenced balled “Talk You Out of It” by Florida Georgia Line is hat co-writer Hunter Phelps called that album’s “baby-making song.” The track spent 26 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #57 in August 2019.

“Look What God Gave Her,” off Thomas Rhett’s fourth studio album “Center Point Road,” is a love song to Rhett’s wife, Instagram influencer Lauren Akins. The song is a list of Akins’ best qualities, as well as a moment of introspection when Rhett wonders about the God that created her. In a first for Rhett’s career, the musician co-wrote all of the tracks on “Center Point Road.”  “Look What God Gave Her” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #32 in June 2019.

“Meant to Be” is a track off of two Bebe Rexha albums, “All Your Fault: Pt. 2” (2017) and “Expectations” (2018). Featuring Florida Georgia Line, there are two versions of the song: one where Rexha sings the first half of the verse alone before being joined by Florida Georgia Line, and one where Florida Georgia Line sings the first verse and the first version of the chorus before Rexha takes over. The best-performing country song of the year, “Meant to Be” spent a full year on the Hot 100, reaching the second position in March 2018.

“Knockin’ Boots” was released in April 2019 as the lead-up single to Luke Bryan’s forthcoming seventh album. The track spent 22 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at 31 in September 2019.

The second single into Lee Brice’s self-titled album, “Rumor” is about a small-town man and woman who is in a long-term, but wholly platonic relationship. Due to their closeness, rumors are circulating around them at the same time the man is ready to take the relationship to the next level. “Rumor” spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #25 in June 2019.

With a name like “Tequila,” one could expect a drinking song from Dan + Shay. The Grammy Award-winning song is a heartbreak song that deals with breakup, regret, and remorse. “Tequila” spent 50 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #21 on June 2018.

Thought to be a possible sequel to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Blanco Brown’s “The Git Up” seeks to take up the mantle of hit country rap. “The Git Up” is the first single from Brown’s first studio album, “Honeysuckle & Lightning Bugs.” In July, the song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Song chart.

The pragmatic song “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” off Luke Combs’ second studio album “What You See is What You Get,” is the first of two Combs tunes in our top five. Drawing a line of skepticism, Combs argues that beer never did him wrong, like many of the loves in his life. The song spent 21 weeks on the chart, hitting #21 in April 2019.

“Beautiful Crazy” was the Country Music Awards’ Song of the Year. Written for his fiancée Nicole Hocking, it is a love song about a woman with a free spirit. The song was released, however, before the two started to date. The song spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100, with the song peaking at 21 in April 2019.

The first single from Blake Shelton’s compilation album “Fully Loaded: God’s Country,” “God’s Country” was an accidental hit. Shelton first heard the demo for the song while working on his farm and was enthralled by it. “God’s Country” spent 23 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #17 in July 2019.

A track from the duo’s self-titled third album, “Speechless” was inspired by how Dan + Shay felt seeing their wives walk down the aisle on their respective wedding days. Not only was the duo married within a few months of each other, but they were also each other’s groomsmen. “Speechless” spent 40 weeks on the Hot 100, with the song peaking at #24 in January 2019.

The best country song of 2019, per Billboar data, is “Whiskey Glasses” by Morgan Wallen. The tune is about a man drinking to numb the pain of being left by a woman he’s in love with. “Whiskey Glasses” is the third single from the studio album “If I Know Me.” “Whiskey Glasses” spent 27 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at 17 on June 2019.