The 10 Best Jason Aldean Songs of All-Time
Over the past two decades, Jason Aldean has converted millions of fans to his particular brand of “Bro-Country.” To date, he’s released nine albums, most of which have certified platinum, and 35 singles, 23 of which have sailed to number one on either the Hot Country or Country Airplay charts. Along the way, he’s also managed to pick up four Grammy Award nominations, including two for Best Country Album. Here’s our pick of the 10 best Jason Aldean country music songs of all time.
10. Fly Over States
Released in 2012 as the fifth and final single off Aldean’s hugely successful album My Kinda Party, Fly Over States is a touching piece of country that showcases a more serious, thoughtful side to Aldean. Despite being a departure from his usual rowdy, easily digestible country-rockers, it still performed well in the charts, becoming his seventh number-one single on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and earning him crossover success on the Hot 100, where it peaked at number 32.
9. Crazy Town
Named as one of the best Jason Aldean songs by recording-history.org. Crazy Town is a solid rocker with a rollicking melody and a fine vocal performance from Aldean. Released in March 2010 as the fourth single from the album Wide Open, it earned Aldean his tenth consecutive Top 20 hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
8. Any Ol’ Barstool
Jason Aldean has never been a straightforward country artist, but on Any Ol’ Barstool, he comes as close to that title as he ever has. A heartbreaking song by Deric Ruttan and Josh Thompson that finds the narrator trying, unsuccessfully, to convince his ex his life is just fine without her, its moves Aldean away from his comfort zone and lands him squarely in old-school country territory. Released in 2016 as the third single from the album They Don’t Know, it snagged Aldean his thirteenth number-one hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart and his eleventh top 5 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart.
7. Tattoos On This Town
Jason Aldean loves taking us on a journey down memory lane, and he does it particularly finely on the nostalgia-laced Tattoos On This Town. As he sings about his experiences growing up in small-town Macon, Georgia, and the impact it’s had on his life, it’s impossible for the listener not to reflect on how their own past has helped shape their present. His vocal performance is outstanding, adding an extra layer of pathos to the emotive lyrics. A fan favorite to this day, it spent six weeks at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
6. My Kinda Party
My Kinda Party is a simple celebration of coming to the end of a long week at work and marking the start of the weekend around a bonfire with your lover. It’s simple, fun, and proof that things don’t have to be complicated to work. Described by AOL Radio Blog as a “raucous, feel-good bit of country that’s absolutely perfect for getting your late summer party poppin’,” the song became Aldean’s tenth Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number two. A crossover hit, it also managed to land a place at number 54 on the Hot 100 chart, eventually certifying platinum.
5. Big Green Tractor
As onecountry.com notes, any doubt that Aldean could pull out a light and fun song was put to bed for good with the release of Big Green Tractor, a sing-along country anthem about, well, big green tractors. There’s nothing complicated about it, but that’s the beauty. Released as the second single off Wide Open, it sailed to the top of the country charts and stayed there for a full 4 weeks, selling over three million downloads in the process. Coincidentally, one of its writers, Jim Collins, had scored another major hit a decade before with Kenny Chesney’s She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.
4. The Truth
As Billboard points out, if you record a song written by Brett James and Ashley Monroe, there’s a good chance you’re going to be singing it for a while. That certainly applies to The Truth, which Aldean released in 2009 and is still performing as a regular part of his live concerts to this day. Aldean spends most of the song begging his ex-lover not to reveal what went wrong in their relationship before finally revealing that he still loves her. Sung with a grateful balance of emotion and irony, the song earned Aldean his fourth No.1 single.
3. Dirt Road Anthem
Before 2011, people weren’t quite sure if they were ready for Aldean to come out rapping. After it (or more specifically, after Dirt Road Anthem), they couldn’t get enough of it. There’s nothing subtle about the song, which hammers home Aldean’s country pride and southern values with a sledgehammer, but if you’re a card-carrying member of the bro-country movement, you’re guaranteed to love it. By far and away his biggest hit, it soared to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and earned a nomination at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards for “Best Country Solo Performance.” Since then, it’s sold over 4 million units and become the best-selling song in digital history by a male country solo artist in the US.
2. She’s Country
The lead single from Aldean’s 2009 album Wide Open is She’s Country. Cliche-laden it might be, but this poppy celebration of country ladies is irresistible, with an instantly recognizable melody and the kind of big chorus that’s impossible not to tap your toes to. Released in December 2008, the song became Aldean’s second number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
1. Don’t You Wanna Stay
What do you do if you want to add a bit of extra power to a ballad? Rope in Kelly Clarkson, who, in 2010, added her mighty pipes to Aldean’s on Do You Wanna Stay. The duo’s performance of the song at the CMA Awards is one of the most memorable in the history of the show. The studio version isn’t exactly lacking either, with the two vocal powerhouses performing at the very top of their game. Written by Andy Gibson, Paul Jenkins, and Jason Sellers and released as the second single from Aldean’s fourth album My Kinda Party, it was a major crossover hit, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.
