We've rounded up 25 Tim McGraw songs that show the full arc of the country singer's incredible career thus far. Over 30 years into his musical career, McGraw is a country megastar with 16 albums to his name (if we count his duet album with Faith Hill, The Rest of Our Life). He's also the recipient of over 40 industry and fan-voted awards through the years. The guy is a superstar and fans continue to love and resonate with his music.
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In addition to his impressive musical success, the Louisiana native has also crossed into television and movies with ease (like the Yellowstone prequel 1883), making us wonder if there is anything he can't do.
His list of incredible songs goes on and on: "Grown Men Don't Cry," "Let It Go," "Angry All the Time," "She's My Kind of Rain," "Humble and Kind," "Down on the Farm" and "For A Little While." He can beautifully handle an emotional ballad just as well as he can belt out a honky tonk jam. Not to mention anything he sings with Hill will make you swoon.
Across his long-running —and still running strong— career, McGraw's released 17 studio albums. From those full-lengths, we've gotten 30 No. 1 hits, starting with 1994's "Don't Take the Girl."
A lot can change in well over three decades, and luckily for us, there is a musical journey map for McGraw's ever-changing sound. We've pulled 25 McGraw songs that showcase his long and winding musical road so far, which is likely only the first half of his career if he continues to evolve his sound with the changes in country music.
Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images Acoustic guitar and pounding drums get accentuated by other country instrumentation on one of McGraw's first (and best) radio-ready unit shifters from his earliest years as a superstar. Mark Mainz/Getty Images With "Back When," McGraw rewinded the clock back to his best '90s material. It's a fun trip down memory line to simpler times in the rural South. Plus, it's got a Drivin N Cryin vibe. Paul Natkin/WireImage This list will spend a lot of time in the '90s. Not only did McGraw break through back then. His best early material remains the measuring stick for new material. Back then, many of his finest moments came when he walked us back to the halcyon days that preceded the end of the 20th century. M. Caulfield/WireImage When he wasn't flying solo or with Hill, McGraw lent his instantly-recognizable voice over the years to others' songs. In this case, his the voice of country sentimentality was featured on a smash Messina hit. Isaac Brekken/Getty Images An even fresher cut, "One Bad Habit" gets the party started by introducing McGraw's more upbeat material to the conversation. There's a sweetness to the song, though, as it's about thanking God for a partner with their act together. Paul Natkin/WireImage An early fan favorite, "Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It" found McGraw in the middle of the hat act era of country music. He fit right in, and not just because of his ever-present cowboy hat. Beth Gwinn/Redferns Another '90s country playlist must from McGraw's breakthrough album, "Refried Dreams" sheds sentimentality for a breakup song about someone who's hiding out in Mexico after a crushing heartbreak. Ebet Roberts/Redferns As we've made obvious, All I Want's chock-full of memorable McGraw tunes. In this case, he caught listeners' attention with a song about a faithful lover who's immune to the flirting of others. John Atashian/Getty Images McGraw might've laid the groundwork for "bro-country" with this celebration of farm field bonfires, summertime romances and other common song topics embraced by future McGraw collaborators Florida Georgia Line and their peers. Michael Hickey/Getty Images McGraw's never went through the motions. His songs remained relevant —and just downright good— decade to decade. Here's one of his best selections from the past few years. KMazur/WireImage The down-home sentimentality that's always been part of country music —and permeates Lainey Wilson's career-breaking material— remains a recurring theme here. This time around, Hill helped McGraw tell such a story on one of their finest duets. Michael Hickey/Getty Images One of the aught's best proofs that country music was far from "dead" at that point, McGraw dials into the storytelling styles of Waylon Jennings and this song's namesake, Kris Kristofferson. Terry Wyatt/WireImage The title track of McGraw's 2009 album is a ton of southern fun and the ultimate name-drop anthem. He celebrates all of the great names from the American South, including everyone from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr to Dolly Parton and Hank Williams. This marked McGraw's 23rd number one hit on the charts. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images This catchy country tune was the most played radio single of any genre in the 2000s. How's that for a hit? "Something Like That" easily hit number one in the charts and is still one of McGraw's most beloved songs because it's just so darn good. Written by Rick Ferrell and Keith Follesé, the song chronicles a boy seeing a girl when he's 17 and falling in love and then seeing her again years later on an airplane. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much time goes by, your love can still stay just as strong. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Avoiding the magnetic "bro-country" trend, McGraw has stayed reliable, bringing fresh music but honoring the traditional country sound that everyone craves. This is the perfect example of old-school McGraw expertly combined with more modern guitar riffs and a breezy tempo. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images A simple song with a man describing how much he likes a girl, "I Like It, I Love It" has one of the catchiest choruses in country music history. The song is fun, upbeat and smart, and with its success, there was no denying that McGraw was a country superstar in the making. KMazur/WireImage Teaming up with his incredibly talented wife, McGraw's "It's Your Love" showcased his sweet, vulnerable side. When they sing together, they have a way of making you feel like you are part of a private moment between the two, and this duet positioned Tim and Faith as country music's newest royal couple. The song earned the duo ACM Awards for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year, as well as a CMA for Vocal Event of the Year. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images McGraw's "My Next 30 Years," from the 1999 album A Place in the Sun, finds the singer pausing to reflect on life and consider what's really important. "My next 30 years I'm gonna settle all the scores/ Cry a little less, laugh a little more," McGraw sings. "Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear/ Figure out just what I'm doing here, in my next 30 years." Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images A record-breaking song that spent 42 weeks on the Billboard chart, "Just to See You Smile" embodies pure happiness and continues the trend of McGraw singing about love. The sweet lyrics are complimented by the instrumentation and McGraw's pure vocals, which are significantly less twangy than only a few years prior. M. Caulfield/WireImage Another No. 1 hit for McGraw's catalog, "The Cowboy in Me," is an anthem for many a country boy with a wicked streak. With the focus primarily on McGraw's exposed vocals, the message to be happy with yourself and come to terms with things you cannot change resonated with audiences everywhere, men and women alike, for this smash hit. R. Diamond/WireImage Only McGraw can sing this song dripping with self-confidence and sound so good. McGraw touts that he is a "bad boy," but also a "real good man" in this self-proclaimed "redneck" song that topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. Thomas S. England/Getty Images Already a country megastar, the song "Live Like You Were Dying" continued to solidify McGraw's mark on country music and his connection with audiences worldwide. An emotional song that mirrored his personal experience with his father, Tug McGraw, he touched millions of fans with the story of a man whose father is diagnosed with a terminal illness. He shares how his view on life changes to enjoy every moment, and "Live Like You Were Dying." Paul Natkin/Getty Images Tim McGraw's powerful ballad, "Please Remember Me," from A Place in the Sun, was written by Rodney Crowell and Will Jennings. It's easily one of the most beautiful ballads he's ever recorded. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images "Where the Green Grass Grows" stands up as one of the best neo-traditional hits of its time, and that's including the work of Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie and others. It follows the "small towns are superior to highfalutin cities" trope, but it does that better than just about anything fitting in that same box. Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images McGraw's first No. 1 single, "Don't Take the Girl," took Nashville by storm and melted hearts with the love story of a boy named Johnny and the evolution of his love for a girl. In his earlier years, McGraw's sound had quite a bit more twang than his music today, and he was sporting the ever-so-popular mullet hairstyle that was all the rage in the early '90s."All I Want is a Life" (All I Want, 1995)
"Back When" (Live Like You Were Dying, 2004)
"For a Little While" (Everywhere, 1997)
"Bring on the Rain" (With Jo Dee Messina) (Messina's Burn, 2000)
"One Bad Habit" (Poet's Resume EP, 2023)
"Maybe We Should Just Sleep on It" (All I Want, 1995)
"Refried Dreams" (Not a Moment Too Soon, 1994)
"She Never Lets It Go to Her Heart" (All I Want, 1995)
"Down on the Farm" (Not a Moment Too Soon, 1994)
"I Called Mama" (Here on Earth, 2020)
"Meanwhile Back at Mama's Farm" (With Faith Hill) (Sundown Heaven Town Deluxe Edition, 2014)
"Kristofferson" (Let It Go, 2007)
"Southern Voice" (Southern Voice, 2009)
11. "Something Like That" (A Place in the Sun, 1999)
"Shotgun Rider" (Sundown Heaven Town, 2014)
"I Like It, I Love It" (All I Want, 1995)
"It's Your Love" (With Faith Hill) (Everywhere, 1997)
"My Next Thirty Years" (A Place in the Sun, 1999)
"Just to See You Smile" (Everywhere, 1997)
"The Cowboy in Me" (Set This Circus Down, 2001)
"Real Good Man" (Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors, 2003)
3. "Live Like You Were Dying" (Live Like You Were Dying, 2004)
"Please Remember Me" (A Place in the Sun, 1999)
"Where the Green Grass Grows" (Everywhere, 1997)
"Don't Take the Girl" (Not a Moment Too Soon, 1994)
This story was originally published in 2016. It previously ran on Aug. 12, 2022.
