What a decade it was for country music. With superstars like Blake Shelton pumping out a string of hits, and newcomers like Florida Georgia Line and Luke Combs jumping fully in to the fray, it was a powerful 10 years of hits.
WKML is counting down the hits and you can hear the countdown on New Year’s Day starting at 10 a.m.
A little background on how this countdown was put together: This list is based on a variety of factors including country radio airplay, streaming success, and sales success. So it’s not necessarily our PERSONAL choices, but we’ll have those for you in the coming days too.
95 – Luke Combs – “She Got The Best Of Me”
ShareWhat a start to a career this North Carolina native has had. Stringing together a series of No. 1 hits in the second half of the decade, including this massive hit.
94 – Brett Eldredge – “Lose My Mind”
ShareFrom his hit 2015 album, Illinois, Brett made waves with this hit.
93 – Luke Bryan – “Crash My Party”
ShareLuke certainly knows how to crash a party. This hit was all over country radio for nearly the whole decade.
92 – Brett Eldredge – “Wanna Be That Song”
ShareBrett makes another splash on the chart with another track from "Illinois".
91 – Jerrod Niemann – “Drink to That All Night”
ShareWe could drink to this song all night too. Thanks Jerrod!
90 – Luke Combs – “When It Rains It Pours”
ShareThis chart entry from Combs reminded us that sometimes the best things in life come from the worst experiences.
89 – Eric Paslay – “Friday Night”
ShareWe're a little surprised Eric didn't have an even bigger decade, but this ode to the best party night certainly was a big hit for him.
88 – Zac Brown Band – “Keep Me In Mind”
ShareZac and the gang owned the beginning of the decade with a string of hits, including this monster hit from 2011.
87 – Lee Brice – “Hard to Love”
ShareAn extremely relatable song for most guys this decade, Lee had a huge hit in 2012 with this one.
86 – Old Dominion – “Break Up With Him”
ShareThe hit that started it all for the superstars. "Break Up With Him" was the first No. 1 for Old Dominion.
85 – Jason Aldean w/ Kelly Clarkson – “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
ShareA massive crossover hit for Jason Aldean, with Clarkson's influence helping it rank on pop and country charts.
84 – Brothers Osborne – “Stay A Little Longer”
ShareWe honestly can't wait to see what the next decade holds for the Brothers Osborne. If the last couple years have been any indication, we're in for a treat!
83 – Thomas Rhett – “Get Me Some of That”
ShareProblematic, maybe. Catchy, for sure.
82 – Billy Currington – “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To”
ShareIf we're being honest, there definitely should have been more Billy on this list.
81 – Luke Bryan – “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”
ShareAh the good ol Luke.
80 – Jordan Davis – “Singles You Up”
ShareThe most up-beat of the "I'm gonna take your girl" country jams of the decade.
79 – Keith Urban – “Blue Ain’t Your Color”
ShareThere's never been a better "girl, you can do better" track than this one.
78 – Thomas Rhett – “T-Shirt”
ShareThis catchy tune manages to stick with us long term.
77 – Miranda Lambert – “White Liar”
ShareThe title of Queen of Country Music for the 2010s would be a fierce battle between Miranda and Carrie. We'd give the edge to Miranda thanks to gems like this one.
76 – Josh Turner – “Hometown Girl”
ShareThe captain of sultry country hit this one out of the park.
75 – Thomas Rhett – “Unforgettable”
ShareIs it bad if you forget a song called unforgettable? Well we didn't, but just in case you had...
74 – Luke Combs – “One Number Away”
ShareWe probably could have done a list of all of Luke Combs' songs and it would be pretty close to the best of the decade. The king of the 2010s was on a roll.
73 – Kenny Chesney – “Save It For A Rainy Day”
ShareThe king of beach country probably should have had "Better Boat" on this list, but this track was a bigger hit.
72 – Jason Aldean – “Crazy Town”
ShareIt's always a party in Crazy Town.
71 – Sam Hunt – “Take Your Time”
ShareWhile the charts may say otherwise, this was the best Sam Hunt song of the decade.
70 – Eli Young Band – “Crazy Girl”
ShareSilly woman, you probably don't want us calling you crazy. But Eli said it was ok.
69 – Florida Georgia Line – “Round Here”
ShareOh look, it's more FGL.
68 – Jason Alden – “Lights Come On”
ShareJason's ode to power outages (not really) was the perfect concert anthem.
67 – Darius Rucker – “Come Back Song”
ShareThe evolution from Hootie to Darius was never more completely evident than with this awesome track. We are all in for team Hootie Country!
66 – Brantley Gilbert – “Bottoms Up”
ShareWhile some may argue this was the pinnacle (or basement if you will) of Bro Country this decade, we loved this catchy track. The video didn't do it any favors though.
65 – Keith Urban – “Long Hot Summer”
ShareWho wants to break it to Keith that wearing jeans on the beach is so not cool?
64 – Luke Bryan – “That’s My Kind of Night”
ShareYay! More Luke Bryan!
63 – Josh Turner – “Why Don’t We Just Dance”
ShareHow do you expect us to just dance when you win us over with that voice Joshua?!
62 – Brett Eldredge – “Beat Of The Music”
ShareFalling in love to any other rhythm just wasn't possible after this hit.
61 – Kip Moore – “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck”
ShareWe can forgive Kip for not singing this at Stars & Guitars this year. He's probably a bit tired of this massive hit.
60 – Zac Brown Band – “Homegrown”
ShareHad completely forgotten about this song...
59 – Florida Georgia Line – “Get Your Shine On”
ShareOh, look, it's them again...
58 – Luke Bryan – “Drunk On You”
ShareIf you're gonna get drunk and high...it should be on your partner. Thanks for the reminder Luke!
57 – Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane”
ShareOur choice for best breakup party song of the decade hands down.
56 – Luke Bryan – “Rain Is A Good Thing”
ShareRemember way back when Luke was just the simple aww shucks rain guy? Man have things changed!
55 – Brett Young – “In Case You Didn’t Know”
ShareHere at WKML behind the scenes central, we have a deep fondness for Brett Young, so forgive us for wanting to bump this one up a few notches on the list.
54 – Thomas Rhett – “It Goes Like This”
ShareIt goes way too far down on this list if you ask us. A great track from Rhett, that we'll remember for decades to come.
53 – Luke Bryan – “Play It Again”
ShareThe peak of Luke Bryan winkwink nudgenudge lyrics this decade.
52 – Chris Young – “I’m Comin’ Over”
ShareAside from the troubling traffic violations in this track, we can't argue how great it is!
51 – Rodney Atkins – “Take A Back Road”
ShareNo finer country groove song was produced this decade.
50 – Eli Young Band – “Even If It Breaks Your Heart”
ShareOne of the more inspiring hits of the decade, Eli Young and his band encouraged us to power through no matter the adversity we've faced.
49 – Blake Shelton – “God Gave Me You”
ShareLet's not let Blake's relationship woes after this song be a beacon for others. Keep blasting this at all your wedding receptions!
48 – Billy Currington – “Do I Make You Wanna”
ShareYes Billy, you do make us wanna.
47 – Carrie Underwood – “Blown Away”
ShareIt was right about this song that we all realized Carrie was going to be WAY more than just some American Idol contestant.
46 – Florida Georgia Line – “H.O.L.Y.”
ShareThe guilty-pleasure track none of us wants to admit we love.
45 – Dustin Lynch – “Where It’s At”
ShareWhere it's at...is at number 45 on our chart!
44 – Luke Combs – “Hurricane”
ShareLuke didn't miss this decade. Like literally no misses. Everything was a huge hit.
43 – Miranda Lambert – “The House That Built Me”
ShareVery few Miranda Lambert songs capture such deep emotion as this ode to her roots. A song that will endure long past this decade.
42 – Florida Georgia Line – “May We All”
ShareMay we all...appreciate that FGL put together quite an impressive run this decade.
41 – Randy Houser – “How Country Feels”
ShareWhy yes, Mr. Houser, that IS how country feels!
40 – Dan & Shay – “Tequila”
ShareWhen I taste tequila...I just get stupid drunk and pass out. But for megastars Dan & Shay, it helps them look back on lost loves. To each his own.
39 – Zac Brown Band – “As She’s Walking Away”
ShareIt's easy to forget how big ZBB was this decade since they've kind of disappeared, but hits like this one were so big, it helps to leave that lasting legacy.
38 – Lady Antebellum – “Bartender”
ShareHey bartender! Stop serving tequila shots to Dan & Shay and get us a drink, geez!
37 – Hunter Hayes – “Wanted”
ShareThat baby face and that powerful voice made every woman feel wanted when this hit owned the charts.
36 – Kane Brown – “Heaven”
ShareKane makes a good point here. Life is good. Celebrate the moment you are in!
35 – Thompson Square – “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not”
ShareThis ode to impatience was a massive hit for Thompson Square. But don't worry, a little impatience paid off in the song, so maybe it'll work for all of us.
34 – Florida Georgia Line – “This is How We Roll”
ShareWell, it certainly was a big decade for FGL.
33 – Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina – “What Ifs”
ShareWhile we were sad to not have Lauren at Stars & Guitars in 2019, we love how huge this hit was for her and her former high school classmate.
32 – Blake Shelton – “Boys ‘Round Here”
ShareBlake Shelton turned into a massive mega-wattage superstar this decade, and we loved (nearly) every minute of it.
31 – Kenny Chesney – “American Kids”
ShareThe evolution of Kenny Chesney country star has been fascinating, and this hit was a brilliant example of it.
30 – Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”
ShareWell, it certainly got people dancing.
29 – Blake Shelton – “A Guy With a Girl”
ShareWell, it was a song, and it's on this chart.
28 – Lady Antebellum – “Downtown”
ShareWe honestly can't wait to see what the next decade has in store for Lady A.
27 – LOCASH – “I Love This Life”
ShareThe brief but brilliant flame that was LOCASH had a huge hit with this great inspirational tune.
26 – Carrie Underwood – “Undo It”
ShareNot our favorite Carrie track, but the charts don't lie!
25 – Dierks Bentley – “Somewhere On a Beach”
ShareAlso not our favorite Dierks song, but charts don't lie!
24 – Jason Aldean – “When She Says Baby”
ShareJason Aldean had a monster decade. Can he keep up the pace in the 2020s?
23 – Luke Combs – “Beautiful Crazy”
ShareThis should probably be higher up on the chart. Just sayin.
22 – Randy Houser – “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight”
ShareOne of those tracks that you can't help but turn up full volume and enjoy!
21 – Brett Eldredge – “Don’t Ya”
ShareA modest decade for Brett, but it included some huge hits, like this great bop.
20 – Jake Owen – “Barefoot Blue Jean Night”
ShareJake has been largely quiet lately, but this song will always get us going.
19 – Jon Pardi – “Dirt on My Boots”
ShareWhile Bro Country owned the decade, Jon Pardi showed that some good ol' boy country music still has a great place on the air.
18 – Luke Bryan – “I Don’t Want This Night To End”
ShareOne of the better Luke songs from the early half of the decade.
17 – Blake Shelton – “God’s Country”
ShareWe got to hear a special treat at Stars & Guitars as HARDY performed the hit that he wrote for Blake Shelton. You can't argue how impactful this track has been in a short amount of time.
16 – Joe Nichols – “Gimme That Girl”
ShareA surprise hit in the top 20 of this chart, but nonetheless it belongs here. Such a great song.
15 – Sam Hunt – “Leave the Night On”
ShareSam was a great portion of our musical decade, and we're looking forward to the 2020s with him as well.
14 – Zac Brown Band feat. Jimmy Buffet – “Knee Deep”
ShareHonestly, we miss these kinds of songs from ZBB.
13 – Jason Aldean – “My Kinda Party”
ShareLet's get the 2020s started! It's our kinda party!
12 – Thomas Rhett – “Die A Happy Man”
ShareWe can die happy people if Thomas keeps putting out music like this in the next decade.
11 – Miranda Lambert – “Mama’s Broken Heart”
ShareYou heard Miranda, put on those big girl britches and move on!
10 – Jason Aldean – “Dirt Road Anthem”
ShareNot many songs epitomized the evolution of country music this decade than this one. And it's place on this chart shows that.
9 – Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now”
ShareLust, longing, heartbreak and more. It's the song we all needed to get through our emotional breakups in the 2010s.
8 – Dustin Lynch – “Small Town Boy”
ShareThis aww shucks mega-hit made Dustin a bona fide superstar.
7 – Eric Church – “Drink In My Hand”
ShareThis isn't the last you're gonna hear from Eric on this countdown....
5 – Darius Rucker – “Wagon Wheel”
ShareWhile this was a remake, Darius made it one of the biggest hits of the decade.
5 – Florida Georgia Line w/Bebe Rexha – Meant to Be
ShareThe biggest song of 2018 helped pace FGL as the biggest stars of the last few years.
4 – Eric Church – “Springsteen”
ShareWho would have thought early in the decade that Eric Church would evolve into who he is today? "Springsteen" was huge in setting that tone and we're thrilled to see it near the top of the list.
3 – Blake Shelton – “Honey Bee”
ShareCertainly the most widely seen country star in the 2010s, Blake made waves in every avenue of entertainment. "Honey Bee" will be a standard in country music for decades to come.
2 – Florida Georgia Line w/Nelly – “Cruise”
ShareIt all pretty much started here. FGL vaulted into stardom with this crossover hit that was EVERYWHERE. And there doesn't appear to be an end in sight, for better or worse.
1 – Sam Hunt – “Body Like A Back Road”
ShareWhile personally, we like other Sam Hunt tracks more than this, it's hard to argue the massive impact "Body" had on the airwaves. It was everywhere and generally, most people loved it. It's not exactly the pinnacle of country liracism, but it certainly evokes a lot of familiar feelings throughout.