The 10 Best Garth Brooks Songs, From 'Unanswered Prayers' to 'Friends in Low Places'

The contributions Garth Brooks has made to country music cannot be overstated. Since the late 1980s, he has built an empire of hits that continues growing. Brooks is not only one of the most successful artists in country music, but he is one of the best-selling artists in the history of music. Today, Brooks is still taking his hits across the country on his record-breaking tours. Although it's a challenge to sift through Brooks' hits from the past three decades, here are 10 of the best Garth Brooks songs of all time.

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10. "Unanswered Prayers"

Brooks released "Unanswered Prayers" from his hit album, No Fences, in 1990. In this classic story song, Brooks sings about running into his high school sweetheart with his now-wife. The song preaches advice about not becoming downtrodden if you don't receive what you want in the moment, as something better may be on the horizon.

9. "If Tomorrow Never Comes"

Brooks offers some more sage advice in his 1989 single, "If Tomorrow Never Comes." Using another story, Brooks encourages listeners to tell their loved ones how they feel in the moment, so those loved ones never have to wonder in case "tomorrow never comes."

8. "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House"

Also from his album, No Fences, "Two of a Kind, Workin' on a Full House" falls under the category of Brooks' many upbeat songs. In this tune, Brooks uses language from poker to sing about a couple's idyllic life together and the children they'll bring into the world one day.

7. "More Than a Memory"

Garth Brooks slowed down his career in the early 2000s, but he still produced a few hits even while laying low. In 2007, he released "More Than a Memory," a heartbreaking anthem in which a man is haunted by the memories of lost love. Released as a new song on his Ultimate Hits collection, "More Than a Memory" became Brooks' first No. 1 song in almost ten years.

6. "Ain't Going Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)"

If someone is looking for Brooks' brand of raucous, good-time songs, they may look no further than "Ain't Going Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)." In this 1993 tune, Brooks sings about a wild country weekend full of line dancing, rodeo and driving around in a pickup truck. This song is an essential tune at Brooks' concerts and it's also one of his greatest hits.

5. "Two Pina Coladas"

Few can complain about a song about drinking two pina coladas at one time, and that's why Brooks' hit "Two Pina Coladas" is such a crowd pleaser. Released in 1998 from his Sevens album, this song finds Brooks singing about what the title implies, drinking some ice cold pina coladas — "one for each hand."

4. "The River"

Brooks once again gives life advice in the 1991 song, "The River," from his Ropin' The Wind album. In this tune, Brooks uses a river as a metaphor about living live to the fullest, urging listeners to "Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide." With Brooks' strong voice and the song's beautiful instrumentation, this tune became another home run for the singer in the '90s.

3. "The Thunder Rolls"

Brooks takes story songs to a new level with his 1991 song, "The Thunder Rolls." Released from his No Fences album, the song tells the story of a couple whose marriage is full of lies and deceit. The thunder serves as both a metaphor for the marriage itself as well as a description of the weather on the eerie night during which the song takes place.

2. "The Dance"

"The Dance" is debatably one of Brooks' most renowned songs, and it was released from his self-titled, debut album in 1990. In this song, Brooks' poetically describes the end of a relationship while looking back on their happy memories, including a dance they shared. He concludes, however, that he's okay with how things turned out because if he had never met his ex-love he would might have missed out on the pain, but he also would have missed out on the good parts of the relationship.

1. "Friends In Low Places"

The final song on this list brings us to one of the best sing-along tunes in the history of country music: "Friends In Low Places." In this tune, Brooks describes an utterly iconic scene in which a man runs into an ex-love, who has moved on with a classier man with a higher income. Brooks' character concludes that while he may not be a fancy as his old love's new mate, he's got "Friends In Low Places," and that's all that matters. The song has since become an anthem for anyone who values good friends over a snazzy lifestyle.

 

READ MORE: 'The Dance': The Story Behind Garth Brooks' Reflective Hit