Old Dominion is a five-man band ( Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi) who have made their way up the country music ranks with their catchy tunes featuring polished production and witty lyrics. Throughout the years, the CMA Vocal Group of the Year has collected many career accolades, including four CMA Awards, seven ACM Awards and many more. Many of Old Dominion's members were full-time Nashville songwriters themselves before the band made it big, and they bring their songwriting expertise into their own music while collaborating with other successful writers. The band also infuses plenty of personality into their lyrics, which was showcased right out the gate with their breakout, debut tune, "Break Up With Him." Over the years, Old Dominion has acquired a dedicated fanbase, a seemingly standing opening slot on Kenny Chesney's summer tours, and they are primed to continue to do big things in the country music genre. Here are the 8 best Old Dominion songs so far.
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8. "Snapback"
In their 2016 single, "Snapback," Old Dominion turns up the tempo to tell a free-wheeling love story. Ramsey sings from the perspective of a guy wooing a potential suitor, and he imagines how his relationship with this love interest would go. The character portrayed by Ramsey is especially in awe of how his love interest looks in a snapback hat, and the song is written around that detail.
7. "Song for Another Time"
Old Dominion breaches the subject of relationships and showcases their writing chops with "Song for Another Time." Released from their Meat and Candy album, the tune finds the group using classic songs such as "Sweet Caroline," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and more to describe a fading relationship. The song is almost entirely made up of nods to other songs, but the band still manages to get the bittersweet message of the song across.
6. "I Was On A Boat That Day"
Old Dominion is known for singing about love and life, but they also know how to have fun. No song showcases this better than their 2021 single, "I Was On A Boat That Day." The song is exactly what it seems to be —an ode to a day on the water — and it serves its purpose as a tune ready for anyone's summer playlist.
5. "Break Up With Him"
After playing music together for years as an independent group, "Break Up With Him" is the tune that put Old Dominion on the mainstream country music map. Released in 2015 as a single from their Meat and Candy album, the song finds lead singer Matthew Ramsey singing to a potential love interest and subtly (or not-so-subtly) persuading her to break up with her current boyfriend. The two characters in the tune have clearly shared some sort of chemistry, and the man is convinced they would be perfect for each other if she could just get rid of the boyfriend. "Break Up With Him" became the band's first No. 1 hit at radio.
4. "Written In the Sand"
Released as the lead single from their Happy Endings album, "Written In the Sand" ushered the band into their second album era with hit song success. Featuring a cool beat and instrumentals, the song finds Ramsey singing from the perspective of a man who is trying to define his relationship with a suitor. As the lyrics express, the relationship seems as if it could go either way, and the man in the tune is asking a simple question: are we written in the sand? Or are we written in the stars?
3. "Hotel Key"
Released as the third single from their second album, Happy Endings, which also featured "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart," "Hotel Key" finds the band looking back on a wild night. In the song's story, a couple has a one-night rendezvous at a hotel. Although the short-lived relationship surely faded, the female in the story kept the hotel key, and the male character likes to believe she looks back on that night whenever she sees that simple souvenir. This tune follows Old Dominion's fun production and again showcases their clever storytelling.
2. "One Man Band"
In "One Man Band" from Old Dominion's self-titled album, the band scraps stories about short-lived relationships and trades them for a story about finding a committed love. The song finds the group using the term "One Man Band" as a metaphor for being single, and as Matthew Ramsey sings in the tune, he doesn't want to live the solo bandmember life. The song is full of metaphors that point to finding a forever love, and the production is pleasant, with a catchy beat and rhythmic electric guitars.
1. "Some People Do"
Old Dominion dove into deeper subject matter with the release of "Some People Do" from their self-titled album, which also featured "Shut Me Up." In this song, the group sings about humans' ability to change and become better over time. Although Ramsey is singing from the perspective of a man singing to a love interest and trying to win her back, the tune is genuine in its message about allowing people the space to change and improve. The band also released an emotional music video showing homeless people receiving haircuts — which not only changes the individuals' appearance, but also their outlook on life.
