Tim McGraw got his start during the same time as other future legends like Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn. That's tough company — and yet McGraw still stood out. And he's still at the top of his game, both as a recording and a touring artist. Part of that success comes from his work on-screen, too. From his film acting roles to his music videos, McGraw knows how to convey a good story.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Let's look at his the top 10 Tim McGraw videos, so far.
"Please Remember Me"
From the album Jewel Of The South, 1995
This video is peak '90s gothic. It's unabashedly dark while alluding to the famous 1951 painting "Rooms by the Sea" from Edward Hopper. It's refreshing in that it lets the physical setting, rather than actors, set the the tone.
"Don't Take The Girl"
From the album Not A Moment Too Soon, 1994
The Sherman Halsey-directed video was only McGraw's second. And admittedly, it has some pretty obvious stylistic choices that nowadays we might scratch our head at (like the "blown out gaussian blur" effect). But don't let that detract from the fact that just putting any sort of visual representation to this gut-punch of a song is enough to make you take a moment to collect yourself.
"I Like It I Love It"
From the album All I Want, 1995
On the surface, it's most just footage of real people and live shows. Which is not particularly original, nor is it rare for even McGraw himself. But what makes this video so cool is how well it pairs up with the song. It captures that energy, and the rapid, wacky editing style with tons of real live McGraw fans feels like a cool pace to what now amounts to a "blast from the past" that still holds up.
"Southern Girl"
From the album Two Lanes Of Freedom, 2013
Fast forward almost 20 years in McGraw's career, and "Southern Girl" is a reimagining from what made "I Like It I Love It" such a well done tour music video. But the real reason this video makes the list is the opening few seconds, which is a buildup to the song. It'll give anybody who has seen McGraw live chills.
"Southern Voice"
From the album Southern Voice, 2009
Filmed in Watertown, Tenn. by one of McGraw's favorite directors, Sherman Halsey, "Southern Voice" is one of McGraw's most charming videos thanks to its idyllic setting. It's pretty much the opposite of a glitzy video, but it suits the video perfectly.
"Meanwhile Back At Mama's"
From the album Sundown Heaven Town, 2014
Filmed largely at Tim and Faith's Nashville farm (plus some performance footage from an ACM Awards performance), "Meanwhile Back At Mama's" is an aesthetically gorgeous video with the perfect personal touch.
"It's Your Love"
From the album Everywhere, 1997
The song that launched Tim and Faith as, well, a first-name-basis couple, "It's Your Love" is a simple concept and a simple execution, but its beauty in its simplicity — much like the song. At the time, neither country singer was necessarily at the top of the country heap. But after this monster of a song, that soon changed.
"Highway Don't Care"
From the album Two Lanes Of Freedom, 2013
Shane Drake is renowned for his music video work, and "Highway Don't Care" was a massive song at an important time in Tim McGraw's career. So it makes sense the two teamed up on this video, which highlights the dangers of distracted driving. It also features McGraw as a surgeon working on a car crash victim, one of the few times he actually assumes the role of a character other than himself in a music video. The country superstar joined Taylor Swift and Keith Urban in the video as well as the song.
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"The Rest Of Our Life"
From the album The Rest Of Our Life, 2017
Yes, it's technically not exclusively a McGraw video, since it's from his first collaborative album with Hill, but the song and video is too beautiful to not include. It features the pair getting in a fight and walking away from each other before realizing the real important things. It's a great portrayal of the realities of a more than 20-year marriage that has to be incredibly stressful.
"Humble and Kind"
From the album Damn Country Music, 2015
Tim McGraw reportedly had the spark for this gorgeous video while running on a treadmill. But he's really got Oprah Winfrey to thank for all the good stuff. That's because he saw a 30-second trailer for her 2015 documentary series Belief and just had to have some of the footage for the video. Winfrey agreed, and because of it can call herself at least a partial recipient of the 2016 CMT Music Awards' "Video of the Year."
Honorable mention music videos: "Gravy" (from his 2020 album Here on Earth and featuring throwback footage of daughters Gracie, Maggie and Audrey), "Live Like You Were Dying" and "Undivided (featuring Tyler Hubbard)
This story was first published on July 20, 2018.
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