Twenty-Five Favorites: Tim McGraw

Although Tim McGraw’s initial few years in Music City were slow-going, when he finally broke through to country music superstardom with his 1994 sophomore album, Not A Moment Too Soon, his A-List status stuck. With a colossal string of smash radio anthems, undeniable sex appeal, charismatic stage-presence, and both a Hollywood-marriage and potent artistic collaboration with fellow superstar, Faith Hill, there was nothing stopping McGraw from helping extend the 90s gold-rush of Nashville-bred headliners like Garth Brooks well into the new millennium. For the past three-and-a-half decades, Tim McGraw has been an unwavering box-office attraction across the upper-echelon of all genres of music.

All of these commercially magic accolades would have secured his music legacy on their own. However, what additionally set Tim McGraw apart from the crowded sea of cowboy hats and country hitmakers that he launched beside was an impressive artistic arc that continues to this day. Slowly but steadily through the 90s and beyond, McGraw grew exponentially as a vocalist, storyteller, and curator of classic songs. Along the way, he amassed one of the most impressive runs of studio albums in country music history; you’d be hard pressed to find many contemporary collections more consistently strong than the decade-long arc that extends from 1997’s Everywhere through 2007’s Let It Go.

The countless classic hits and richly rewarding album cuts that fill those projects and others in McGraw’s discography established him as one of the finest ears for material in all of popular music, in the process spotlighting the best work from some of the greatest lyricists of a generation. Through the various trends and eras, both glorious and blasphemous, that have defined country music throughout the past thirty years, one of the great constants has been Tim McGraw and his songs. This fact makes assembling a list of Twenty-Five Favorites for the man a mighty task, but one that I relished as I indulged not only in some of the most essential recordings of their era, but also a bounty of deep-cuts. This included many selections that never left my regular rotation, and other gems that I was thrilled to unearth after many years.

I think you’ll find this list to both meet the standard expectations for essential favorites, but also diverse and littered with fantastic should’ve-been-singles ripe for rediscovery. It should really be treated as a starter-sampler if you’re just beginning to explore his catalog, as these are just twenty-five or many outstanding moments have led to Tim McGraw’s upcoming enshrinement this fall in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

25) “Don’t Take the Girl” (1994)

Not the bona-fide breakthrough as a hit-maker that the preceding single “Indian Outlaw” was, but even more importantly, “Don’t Take the Girl” proved to be the substantive follow-up smash that suggested that McGraw would be far more than just a passing “Achy Breaky” fad that the novelty sheen of “Outlaw” may have dangerously indicated. It was a contemporary take on country music’s classic three-part, tear-jerking story song, and is the first real taste of McGraw’s deeper song-sense and the capable storyteller he would become as his career evolved. A moving performance that stops at that country sweet-spot just this side of saccharine, “Girl” is the first monumental building block in his eventual legacy.

24) “I Like It, I Love It” (1995)

One of the most inescapable radio romps of the 90s, this Southern-Fried ear candy is still an irresistible sing-along three decades later. McGraw’s unwavering twang is in all its youthful glory here, and soaked with the fun, unbridled spirit of a young summer infatuation. With its undeniable chorus, infectious guitar riffs, and frivolous fiddling, this tune still knows how to fill a dance-floor and blow out your speakers. Play it alongside “Any Man of Mine” and “Sold (The Grundy County Auction)”, and you’ve got a hat-trick of hits that defined that sweltering summer of my eleventh year.

23) “7500 OBO” (2021)

A late-career guilty pleasure that I really don’t feel a damn bit guilty over. This one played loudly and tirelessly throughout that dreadful summer of quarantine, and again the following year when it received renewed attention as a proper single from 2020’s Here on Earth. As cliched country truck songs go, it’s a vast improvement over 2012’s “Truck Yeah” (one of his gravest career missteps) and just a solid and infectious story on its own merits, benefited greatly by McGraw’s potent presence and those charming “Where the Green Grass Grows” call-backs.

22) “Unbroken” (2002)

When the aforementioned Garth Brooks stunned the world by essentially retiring barely a decade into his record-breaking reign as country music’s box-office behemoth, Tim McGraw naturally slid into his spot as the superstar most capable of bridging the gap between the neo-honky-tonk and pop-crossover sounds that made country music golden again in the 90s. A pop-infused concoction like “Unbroken” exhibits McGraw’s skills in this realm as well as any moment from that early-oughts period. This track is loaded with relentless hooks–vocally, lyrically, and musically–and McGraw’s matured, friendly, and commanding voice brings it to insatiable life.

21) “Everywhere” (1997)

There were very few contemporary artists who could emote feelings of nostalgia, longing, and regret as capably as McGraw, and to this day, this outing demonstrates that about as well as any other recording in his discography. There’s a saying that declares “no matter where you go, there you are”. This performance reminds us that such a philosophy applies to the lovers in our lives as well. Regardless of where this man travels, he takes her memory with him, along with the constant wondering over how his life would be different if she was still in it. The Everywhere album signified another new breakthrough in McGraw’s rising career across all major artistic metrics: vocal growth, topical maturity, interpretive ability, and more skilled production choices. And they’re all collected in beautiful unity on the project’s titular track.

20) “It’s Your Love” featuring Faith Hill (1997)

It’s an understatement to say that once Tim McGraw and Faith Hill wed in the fall of 1996, that the trajectory for both of their young and already bright careers reached a new and unique pace. But both of their superstar statuses were firmly cemented when they released their first recorded duet six months later. The magical chemistry that their voices shared was intangibly special and ignited a pure frenzy in the music industry, and the beauty of the record holds up flawlessly decades later. Both of their Hall of Fame-worthy careers would look incredibly different without “It’s Your Love”. It’s one of the great love songs of all time, and one of those undeniable musical moments that generations are defined by.

19) “Overrated” (2014)

A tremendous hidden gem in his latter day catalog, “Overrated” is, first and foremost, one of those tunes that just makes me feel instantly happy. Between the potent sage philosophy professed about rising above life’s materialistic priorities and the banjo-driven, folk-tinged stomp that was so prevalent in the musical zeitgeist at the time, this is also a multi-listen track for me. (Sidebar: it’d be worth your while to hit YouTube and seek out the bootlegged performance of this by Faith herself, who initially planned to include it on her criminally unreleased 2012 Illusion album.)

18) “Old Town New” (2004)

Get used to seeing plenty of the Live Like You Were Dying album art from here on out; it’s track-for-track one of my favorite albums by anyone, ever. Period. That’s as much–scratch that, more–a testament to the excellent assortment of album cuts as it is the stellar singles on the record. Exhibit A is “Old Town New”. Home can most definitely be where the heart it is, but it also can be filled with constant reminders of the demons and pain that have marred one’s past. Unsurprisingly, the fabulous union of songwriters Bruce Robison and Darrell Scott does a splendid job translating those emotions lyrically, and McGraw couples that with a tremendously understated performance. Easily one of the best vocals of his career.

17) “Humble and Kind” (2016)

Via the immaculate pen of Lori McKenna, McGraw delivered what essentially became the 2010s’ version of “I Hope You Dance”, a universally sentimental and poignant reflection of the human experience, as well as a powerful call for simple kindness and humanity. And it arrived at a time when it was needed most- during the toxic political year that was 2016. The deep, organic growth as a musical interpreter that McGraw had displayed and achieved over the course of three decades is as resonant here as ever before, and proved to be the ultimate match for McKenna’s poetic lyrical prose. An instant classic and standard for generations to come.

16) “Where the Green Grass Grows” (1998)

The opening fiddle riff stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved sonic moments in Tim McGraw’s catalog, not to mention all of contemporary country lore. What follows is one of the singer’s most organic and durably delightful ear-worms, both infectiously breezy and authentically rustic. The combination of the perfectly-constructed 90s country production and McGraw’s effortlessly friendly and charismatic vocals elicit the innumerable charms of small-town living that so many lesser down-home pride anthem endlessly miss the mark on.

15) “The Rest of Our Life” with Faith Hill (2017)

The long-awaited duets album from the superstar couple finally came to fruition in 2017. And yes, if it had been released twenty, or even ten years earlier, it would have been the earthquaking commercial sensation that this record wasn’t. But, it also wouldn’t have had the same lived-in experience to offer such potently wise moments like this lovely gem of a single. This is the portrait of a gracefully aging husband and wife that has shared many glories, and weathered plenty of the nuances and storms that real-life has in store once the honeymoon is over. Yes, this is still a pair possessing undeniable romance and passion, but those qualities are also now paired with the beautiful sense of comfort, peace, and stability that can only come decades into a relationship. And when Hill gorgeously comes in on that second verse, it’s a wondrously nostalgic and beautiful visit from one of her generation’s finest voices, and one that is sorely missed in today’s music landscape.

14) “Kill Myself” (2004)

The Live Like You Were Dying record has been in my personal heavy rotation for over two decades now, but “Kill Myself” stands as one of the gems on that great album that my appreciation for has just started to blossom. Like the very best country songs, its remarkable emotional power lies in its own simple brilliance, which is achieved both by Bob DiPiero and Anthony Smith’s subtly soulful lyrical work, and McGraw’s astute delivery and turns of phrase. What starts out seemingly as a suicide ballad–certainly not off-limits in country music given that “Whiskey Lullaby” topped the radio charts this very year–beautifully reveals itself as a powerful moment of personal rebirth, and in the process becomes one of 21st-century music’s most surprising and effective anthems of growth and triumph.

13) “Between the River and Me” (2007)

Now unlike “Kill Myself”, there is no question that a literal death is taking place in “Between the River and Me”, a thunderous tale that delves deep into the Southern Gothic traditions of unflinching storytelling defined by passion, revenge, and murder. McGraw plays the role of an angry son confronting his mother’s violent abuser, and between his theatrical yet layered narration and a bold, cinematic production that leans heavily into a sizzling 70s Southern Rock roar, delivers a low-key classic in one of popular music’s darkest and most vibrant thematic canons. It’s one of his most daring cuts, and far overdue for retrospective acclaim.

12) “If You’re Reading This (Live)” (2007)

When the Let It Go album was initially released in March 2007, it did not include this tender ballad, sung from the perspective of a soldier’s farewell letter. It was added on further releases after McGraw unveiled song during a live performance on that spring’s ACM Awards, and it now seems impossible to imagine a version of the already-stellar record without “If You’re Reading This”. It arrived on the heels of a problematic era in the Nashville ecosystem where war and patriotism had become egregiously commodotized in a seemingly endless sea of shallow and commercialized jingoism. This song however helped redirect proper light to rich, modern moments that were being crafted in the same vein, songs like “Travelin’ Solider”, “Letters From Home”, and “Arlington”. Bruce Robison/The Chicks‘ contribution in this arena is impossible to match, but McGraw sure came close here.

11) “Open Season On My Heart” with Rodney Crowell (2004)

This was not the first time the pairing of Tim McGraw’s voice and Rodney Crowell’s words proved to be a recipe for magic, nor will it be the last time it does so on this countdown. This outing is far more intimate that the obvious record that awaits, but it’s equally as powerful. A classic slice of the kind of unmatchable heartbreak that is a timeless staple of the country music art-form, McGraw graces us with a uniquely teardrop vocal that he’s not quite shown before or since, and it sounds sublime against this rich, on-point platter of fiddle and steel.

10) “Something Like That” (1999)

This joyfully anthemic ditty helped define the final summer of the millennium, and will continue to do so for every summer from here until the end of time. It’s the epitome performance in terms of the lovable, twangy, heartthrob persona that is as essential to his legacy as his deep song-sense. History will predominantly credit this to the epic “BBQ stain” hook-line, but this entire track is littered with the kind of easy, feel-good energy that we long for in music as much as we do deep, poetic life portraits. An unadulterated crowd-pleasing track that never runs out of steam.

9) “My Old Friend” (2005)

In one of the barest tracks of his entire career, McGraw narrates a moving musical eulogy to a beloved, lost friend. It’s a beautifully written composition which celebrates much more than the memories these two companions have shared. It’s a poignant illustration of the perseverance that all truly great friendships sustain over time, surviving that unavoidable distance that life changes can often put between us. For all the songs written about romance, there should be more like this that so eloquently echo the love and loyalty of friendship.

8) “I Need You” featuring Faith Hill (2007)

Ten years after Tim and Faith set the music world on passionate fire with “It’s Your Love”, they did so again here, but in a far different setting than all of their preceding collaborative hits. “I Need You’s” ultimate power lies in the power that it forgoes, opting for a raw and sparse arrangement that lies in stark contrast to the typical, syrupy power-ballad fare they naturally created together. By stripping those elements, it paved the way for a classic moment rife with an undeniably fresh and sexy aura of heat, passion, and infinite adoration. Their voices never touch throughout the course of the record, which only intensifies the streamy tension and haunting nature of the song, resembling something Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter would have recorded together in the 70s. It’s easily their greatest showcase, not only of their individual vocal gifts, but the instant magic that permeates when they sing together.

7) “Live Like You Were Dying” (2004)

This stirring classic remains his signature record, even after the emergence of “Humble & Kind” a dozen years later, with its impact further fueled by the close proximity between its release and the death of his father, baseball legend Tug McGraw. Much like he did a decade earlier with “Don’t Take the Girl”, McGraw delivered a tasteful performance that translates all its dramatic sentiment into something truly significant and meaningful, rather than something bombastic and pandering. It’s a well written, touching reflection on mortality and the beauty of life. Without question, a timeless, modern classic and the cornerstone to the best album of his career. It has long since taken its lofty and deserved status amongst other genre standards like “I Will Always Love You”, “The Dance”, and the like.

6) “Whiskey & You” (2007)

It was a great moment when co-writer Chris Stapleton finally got to bestow the public with his own version of this hidden gem during his refreshing and far overdue mainstream breakthrough in the mid-2010s. All that said, this song will always be a Tim McGraw track to me first and foremost. It still baffles me that it never received its owed chance as a single, especially as Curb endlessly sent random songs from Let It Go to country radio (when that still meant something) well into 2009. It’s one of his most traditional tracks, and he sounds completely in his element, both in this heart-stricken character-sketch, and against all this steel & fiddle goodness. His grim delivery reveals all the harsh realities and costs of alcoholism, particularly on the chilling chorus: “One’s the devil, and one keeps drivin’ me insane/At times I wonder if they ain’t both the same/But one’s a liar that helps hide me from my pain/And one’s the long, hard bitter truth/That’s the difference between the whiskey and you.” It’s a moment that was made all the more chilling when McGraw came forth and confronted his own drinking struggles just a year later.

5) “Blank Sheet of Paper” with Faith Hill (2004)

A fantastic piece of lyrical personification co-written by The Warren Brothers, it’s sung from the perspective of a blank piece of paper looking up at a broken man struggling to compose a letter to his estranged lover. The somber highlight is when the potential letter recommends that the man make his feelings clear by simply soaking it with his tears: “Sunlight is shining through the curtains/ He’s almost asleep pen in hand/There’s a tear in his eye that refuses to fall/If it would land on me, that would say it all.” Its one of the most creative songs McGraw has ever recorded and a hidden gem in his catalog. Hill’s ever reliable harmonies and the traditional country instrumentation add extra potency and sweetness to the record. I was fortunate enough to witness a rare live performance that the couple gave of the song at McGraw’s concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin in the fall of 2004. This is a country music chef’s kiss; pure perfection.

4) “Red Ragtop” (2002)

Undoubtedly the riskiest single selection of his career, “Red Ragtop” tells the turbulent love story of a young couple, and the rippling effects their relationship had on both of them throughout their futures. While there are plenty of vivid details to draw from their tale, it is of course their decision to terminate an unwanted pregnancy that garnered the most attention. Though it certainly put many programmers on edge upon its release in the summer of 2002, it still managed to reach the country top five, representing perhaps the last of its kind in terms of controversial country radio triumphs. Like “The Pill”, “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, “Independence Day” and more before it, “Red Ragtop” tackled one of classic country music’s most important but avoided roles: it dared to provoke. At the same time however, McGraw never makes the record solely about moral or social issues; he simply services the story of the song, a trait at which he was one of the modern greats by this point in his career.

3) “Angry All the Time” with Faith Hill (2001)

Another gem mined from the eloquent pen of Bruce Robison, McGraw paints a heartbreaking and all too real portrait of a dying marriage. It’s a sad story that plagues and eventually cripples the love between husbands and wives in America every day. People change. They grow apart, but stay together for the benefit of the children. But what’s left when the kids grow up and move away, taking all the remaining love within a home with them? It’s certainly ironic hearing this tale sung by the epitome of picture perfect love but the McGraws’ splendid harmonies service it so damn well: “Our boys are strong now/The spittin’ image of you when you were young/I hope someday they can see past what you have become/I remember every time I said I’d never leave/What I can’t live with is memories of the way you used to be.” I highly recommend you also seek out Robison’s own version with his then-wife, the great Kelly Willis.

2) “Please Remember Me” with Patty Loveless (1999)

This cover of the 1995 Rodney Crowell single and A Place in the Sun’s biggest hit, this record set McGraw on a new path in terms of both vocal performance and song selection. Doing a Crowell composition justice is no easy task but he does so and then some. I’ll be as bold to say that he even tops the original. Powered by a subtle harmonic blend courtesy of the great Patty Loveless, McGraw delivers an iconic performance that is nothing short of hair-raising. The 1990s were the glory-days of mainstream power-ballads, both in and outside of country music. And while that realm was a rare woman’s world within Nashville and beyond, McGraw more than stakes a claim for his gender here. The chorus soars to the heavens, but never in that schlocky Michael Bolton way; he has far too much respect for the emotional grace and nuance of Crowell’s lyrics. His unquestionable power is complimented by a blend of sensitive nuance, restraint, and vulnerability, and showcases the kind of vocal skill and character that nobody ever expected from the man slinging “Indiana Outlaw” a mere five years earlier. The glow-up of Tim McGraw during the back-half of the 90s ranks among the greatest in music history, and this classic performance of a legendary song is the pinnacle of that growth.

1) “Just to See You Smile” (1997)

This song’s topping of this list is a curious case-study in how your appreciation and understanding of music grows and evolves throughout a listener’s own personal life-experience, maturity and growth. I’ve always loved this song, but when I first compiled my favorite Tim McGraw songs for a feature on Guitars, Cadillacs in 2011, I interestingly placed it a mere #14. Yet today, I knew immediately that it would crown this edition of Twenty Five Favorites, without question. It was the remaining twenty-four slots that proved pain-staking to decide upon.

I equate this ascendence in personal regard to how “Just to See You Smile” poetically speaks to the selflessness of true love, very likely greater than any other song I can think of, and the fact that I’ve experienced true love myself in the intervening decade-and-a-half since that first list. And in bittersweet fashion, the song’s special ability to achieve this is, of course, most eloquently apparent in its most painful moment:

“When you said time was all you really needed/I walked away and let you have your space/’Cause leaving didn’t hurt me near as badly, as the tears I saw rollin’ down your face…And yesterday I knew just what you wanted/when you came walkin’ up to me with him/So I told you that I was happy for you/And given the chance, I’d lie again…Just to see you smile”.

The tasteful arrangement is contemporary country production at its finest, and it brings out all the beautifully tender nuances in McGraw’s voice. In a spectacular career and catalog generously flowing with iconic moments of powerfully passionate, electrifying, and poignant moments, it is this specific verse that I feel is most emblematic of the Hall of Fame-status that is now upon him. And with its timelessly soulful fashion, it anchors what today stands as my favorite Tim McGraw song, my personal crown jewel in a three-decade (and-counting) discography filled with fabulous music.