Top 10 Best Country Songs of 2022
Without a doubt, the best country song of the year has to be "Something in the Orange" by Zach Bryan. He's only been growing in popularity and has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I'm glad to see people like traditional country music again. It's gaining radio attention against all odds, considering Zach Bryan is an indie country music star.
I've talked about this song before, but it's a heartbreaking song about a relationship that has ultimately failed. You feel the agony, pain, and emotion of a man whose heart is broken and defeated after the love of his life left him. He wishes for it to continue but knows deep inside it won't happen.
It's got some sad lyrics like, "To you, I'm just a man, but to me, you're all I am." And then he's like, "where the hell am I supposed to go?" It's so nice to see a song like this continuing to beat the odds and get attention on the radio. It takes a special kind of talent to do that, especially since Zach Bryan isn't coming from a major label system.
This is arguably one of the best country songs to be released in a while. Johnson won Single of the Year at the CMAs with this song. I've talked about it before, but this song is uplifting and encouraging. It's about living your life to the fullest, taking advantage of the moment, and spending time with your loved ones.
Johnson sings a reminder to say you're sorry and I love you to the people who matter the most, and to chase those dreams and take chances because one day, without warning, it'll be too late. You'll wish you had done what you put off for another day. Without a doubt, this is a home run song for Cody Johnson.
I know I've talked about this song before and it's a bit of a heavy topic, but one of the best things about this song is it makes you think. Hardy absolutely knocked it out of the park with this song, and Lainey Wilson was the perfect partner for it.
What really sets this song apart is its narrative. It's about a man who picks up a woman from the street who has been abused. Then it turns into a murder ballad as the narrator kills the abuser and gets sent to prison. There's something about how it makes you think that makes it work so well. You don't know if you agree with the narrator's actions.
It shines a light on revenge and justice and how there's a grey area in between. Lainey even sings, "I don't know if he's an angel 'cause angels don't do what he did," but her life got better because of what he did. I also like the lyric, "I never thought my day of justice would come from a judge under a seat." It's a reference to the gun the narrator uses and is just an example of how clever Hardy is with his lyrics.
"Death Row" is a gripping song where Thomas Rhett, Tyler Hubbard, and Russell Dickerson trade verses about a shared real-life experience during which they learned what they had in common with death row prisoners. The song has a lot of heart and self-reflection in it.
The song offers a stark message of forgiveness, humanity, emotional transformation, and commonality. They recall meeting an inmate who "ain't touched the grass in 30 years" and another who sings "Amazing Grace" with joy and abandon, "with one hand raised and one foot chained to the ground," just days before he's put to death. It's a very emotionally touching song.
"The Kind of Love We Make" is a steamy love song that truly sets itself apart from the other hits in his Growin' Up album, which is overall quite solid. It could honestly become one of his five biggest songs of all time. Few country songs are easier to sing along with than this one.
The guitar sound at the beginning is really cool. It's a catchy, likable song all around and could easily be one of my new favorite Luke Combs songs in a while.
ERNEST is a bit of an up-and-coming talent, but this collaboration with Morgan Wallen ties the song together perfectly. The premise is simple. The narrator knows he's messed up after a bender that left "tears in her blue, bloodshot in mine," and he's intent on buying out the flower shop's inventory in hopes of making up for his shortcomings.
It's a classic country trope of a heartbreaker seeking forgiveness, but it's the tone in their voices that makes this song so perfect.
This song was a no-brainer for this top 10. The song mentions King George (Strait), along with many of Strait's biggest hits. There's some play on the phrase "damn straight," which works well here. It becomes clear that the Country Music Hall of Famer's music was the theme to a relationship that ultimately didn't work out, leaving the heartbroken narrator feeling the urge to change the station anytime a George Strait song plays.
This became one of the biggest chart hits of McCreery's 11-year career, notching three weeks atop Billboard's Country Airplay chart.
I'll admit I'm not the biggest Cole Swindell fan, but this song is an actual banger. It pays homage to Jo Dee Messina's classic hit from the '90s, "Heads Carolina, Tails California." The whole song is about a girl singing "Heads Carolina" at a karaoke bar and Swindell falling for her, like "maybe she'll fall for a boy from South Georgia."
I don't know how, but it works well mainly because "Heads Carolina" is such a catchy song. Some people don't like it because they think it tarnishes the original song. Like, this is literally a song about singing an older song. But as a counterpoint, this song led to a mini renaissance of Jo Dee Messina and introduced her to a new generation.
Jackson Dean is a rising talent known for his gritty old-school "outlaw" style. "Don't Come Lookin'" was his first big hit. This song is about escaping and trying to get away. I don't know how, but Dean's voice sounds way older than his age. He's only 22 years old.
His deeper, older-sounding voice adds some character to this song. It works well and has a slight menacing tone. You can tell when he says, "If I don't come back, don't come lookin'," he means it. This song was also featured on Yellowstone, which further bolstered its popularity and introduced his striking talent to a wider audience.
