The 10 Best Country Singles of 2014

Every year songs come and go and while only a handful will ever go onto become time tested favorites, there are others that deserve to be placed in our time capsule as part of 2014's year in review features. This Top 10 list showcases our thoughts on the our 10 favorites from the year but we also include a list of other songs that we liked throughout 2014's 12 months. Now, on to the countdown!

10: Drunk On A Plane - Dierks Bentley (Capitol)

We loved "I Hold On" from RISER last year and were very happy to have this uniquely written rocker end up on our best-of 2014 list. "Drunk On A Plane" is the kind of sing-a-long favorite. The songwriting is strong and it became one of the anthems for the summer of 2014 and became one of the biggest hits of Dierks Bentley's career.

9: Dirt - Florida Georgia Line (Republic Nashville)

"Dirt" would've been a hit for anyone who recorded it but with FGL, it gave them the "much-needed" variety the band was needing to showcase for their harshest of critics. It may become an outlier in their early catalog but it's still perhaps the best song they've released outside of "Cruise."

8: Invisible - Hunter Hayes (Atlantic Nashville)

The young artist lived these lyrics and while it never became a Top 10 hit for him, it did eventually hit Gold certification from the RIAA. The lyrics are heartfelt and strong and something we all need to hear, no matter how old we are. Bullying was a huge topic in 2014 and perhaps no song gave the silenced a voice more than "Invisible" did.

7: Girl In A Country Song - Maddie & Tae (Dot)

The duo hit #1 towards the end of 2014 with this, their Gold-certified hit. The lyrics are sharp and the song, which is basically a ditty, helped Maddie & Tae break out on a brand new label affiliated with Republic Records and Big Machine Records. The talented Maddie & Tae wrote this song with their co-writer Aaron Scherz and it helped them score a record deal and brought some fresh female talent to the Top of the Country charts.

6: Leave The Night On - Sam Hunt (MCA)

A talented songwriter who also penned hits for Keith Urban ("Cop Car") and Billy Currington ("We Are Tonight") in 2014 alone, Sam Hunt proved to be the type of unique artist mainstream country music was looking for (their own version of Ed Sheeran or a Southern Drake type). "Leave The Night On," with clever lyrics and a strong R&B-influenced melody, proved to be a huge hit for Sam and helped propel him to upper-tier country star status in short order.

5: Something In The Water - Carrie Underwood (19 Recordings/Arista)

Powerful. One doesn't need to be faith-based to enjoy the message of hope that is prevalent in the beatuifully-written "Something In The Water." Carrie Underwood's break from recording took much of 2014 (she released this on a Greatest Hits album) but 2015 looks like it'll feature her big time return.

4: "I Don't Dance" - Lee Brice (Curb Records)

The gifted songwriter has scored a handful of award-nominated and winning hits in his still young career but this serves as the first self-penned single of his career to hit #1. Written about his wife and used as his wedding song, "I Don't Dance" has become an anthem for anyone who has found that one person that loves them enough to get them outside of their comfort zone. This one will be a wedding staple for years to come.

3: The Way I’m Livin’ - Lee Ann Womack (Sugar Hill Records)

Lee Ann Womack is such a talented singer that she could probably sing the menu of the Waffle House and make it sound good but "The Way I'm Livin'" is clearly one of the best songs she's ever released. Her voice has nuance and elegance missing from the country charts. Sadly, this song (from the album of the same name) didn't get all that high up the charts but it's certainly worth seeking out.

2: Meanwhile Back At Mama’s - Tim McGraw/Faith Hill (Big Machine Records)

After the misstep that was "Lookin' For That Girl," Tim McGraw brought Faith Hill back onto the charts with this sterling ballad which was perhaps the most traditional-leaning song of McGraw's career (since the late 1990s at least). The songwriting is amongst the best of any year (as the Grammy and CMA award nominations proved).

1: What We Ain’t Got - Jake Owen (RCA Nashville)

Some may be surprised to see this song here but if you really listen to this honest to God country song you'll learn two things: songwriter Travis Meadows went through a damn lot of horrible things to live the words of the song and that Jake Owen is superb vocalist. He's the kind of vocalist that country music needs more of and hopefully this will allow Jake to shine on his forthcoming follow-up. Even if he doesn't reach the apex of this single, kudos to him and RCA for having the guts to release a powerful piano and steel guitar laden ballad in a sea of rockin' party tunes.

Some of Roughstock's favorite singles from 2014:

• "Doin' What She Likes" - Blake Shelton
• "Day Drinking” - Little Big Town (Capitol)
• "Play It Again" - Luke Bryan (UMG Nashville)
• "Shut Me Up" - Old Dominion (ReeSmack/Thirty Tigers)
• "Gentle On My Mind” - The Band Perry (Republic Nashville)
• “Drinkin’ Beer” - Ray Scott (DeciBel Nashville)
• “Sunshine & Whiskey” - Frankie Ballard (Warner Bros. Records)
• “Yeah” - Joe Nichols (Red Bow Records)
• “Like A Cowboy” - Randy Houser (Stoney Creek Records)
• “Look At You” - Big & Rich (Big$Rich)
• "Mom" - Garth Brooks (Pearl/RCA Nashville)
• "Shotgun Rider" - Tim McGraw (McGraw Music/Big Machine)
• "Songs About Trucks" - Wade Bowen (AMP)
• "Lettin' The Night Roll" - Justin Moore (The Valory Music Co.)
• "That Look - Aaron Watson (Big Label/Thirty Tigers)
• "Drink To That All Night" - Jerrod Niemann (Sea Gayle/Arista)
• “Feelin’ It” - Scotty McCreery (19 Recordings/Interscope/Mercury)
• “Cop Car” - Keith Urban (Hit Red/Capitol)
• “Lonely Tonight - Blake Shelton/Ashley Monroe (Warner Bros. Records)
• “Me Without You” - Jennifer Nettles (Mercury)
• “Rewind” - Rascal Flatts (Big Machine)
• “Lay Low” - Josh Turner (MCA Nashville)
• "Young In America" - Danielle Bradbery (Republic/Big Machine)
• "Bottom's Up" - Brantley Gilbert (The Valory Music Co.)
• Mean To Me - Brett Eldredge (Atlantic Nashville)
• "Burnin' It Down" - Jason Aldean (Big Machine)
• "Ready Set Roll" - Chase Rice (Dack Janiels/Thirty Tigers/Columbia)
• "Trailer Hitch" - Kristian Bush (Streamsound Records)
• "Helluva Life" - Frankie Ballard (Warner Bros Records)
• "PrizeFighter" - Trisha Yearwood (Gwendolyn/RCA Nashville)
• "Wanted Me Gone" - Josh Turner (Show Dog)
• "Kiss You Tonight" - David Nail (MCA Nashville)
• "Don't It" - Billy Currington (Mercury)
• "Somethin' Bad" - Miranda Lambert/Carrie Underwood (Columbia/Arista)
• "Automatic" - Miranda Lambert
• "Play It Again" - Luke Bryan
• "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" - Cole Swindell
• "Say You Do" - Dierks Bentley
• "Dirt On A Road"  - Old Dominion (ReeSmack/Thirty Tigers)
• "Hope In Front Of Me" - Danny Gokey (BMG)
• "New Country Singers" - James Carothers (Independent)
• "Closer To Nowhere" - Kellie Pickler (Black River)
• "Love Me Like You Mean It" - Kelsea Ballerini (Black River)
• "Touch The Stars" - Rachele Lynae (
• "Satellite" - Randy Rogers Band (Thirty Tigers)
• "Middle Of America" - Will Hoge (Cumberland/Thirty Tigers)
• "Workin' On" - Colt Ford (Average Joes)
• "Dirt Road" - Kip Moore (MCA)