The Best of 2009: My Ten Favorite Country Songs

As a huge country music fan, narrowing the year down to just ten songs is somewhat daunting, but these songs, in no particular order, are ten of my favorites.

Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song) - Chris Young. Young was named the winner of "Nashville Star" in 2006, but this song is what most consider his breakthrough hit. The second single from his sophomore album, The Man I Want To Be, Young co-wrote the song with Cory Batten and Kent Blazy.

I Told You So - Carrie Underwood. A remake of Randy Travis' #1 hit from 1988, Underwood made the song her own on her sophomore album, Carnival Ride. A second version - a duet between the two Grand Old Opry stars - was released a s a digital single.

Living For The Night - George Strait. The first single from Strait's most recent album, Twang, it is also the first single Strait has co-written in his career; he co-wrote the track with his son George Jr. ("Bubba") and long-time Strait favorite Dean Dillon.

Small Town USA - Justin Moore. The first #1 by newcomer Moore, this little slice of small-town living was co-written by Moore, Brian Maher, and Jeremy Stover.

I Run To You - Lady Antebellum. The third single from "Lady A's" debut album became their first #1 hit. Co-written by Tom Douglas and group members Charles Kelly, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood, the song was named 2009 Single of the Year by the Country Music Association.

Down The Road - Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnnaly. Originally released by McAnnaly in 1990, Chesney resurrected the song for his Lucky Old Sun album. The song reached the #1 position back in February, but it remained a radio staple long after that.

Strange - Reba McEntire. If Reba was ever truly gone, this makes a great comeback single. Written by Jason Sellers, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher, the song peaked at #11, but reminded the world that Reba could still belt one out.

You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift. It would be next to impossible to make a country or pop song list for 2009 without including Miss Swift. You Belong With Me, co-written by Swift and Liz Rose, hit #1 on the country chart and #2 on the pop chart. The video made her the first country artist to win an MTV Video Music Award - much to Kanye West's dismay.

Out Last Night - Kenny Chesney. Chesney's upbeat, tropical-flavored country music could make him the Jimmy Buffet of the 2000s. This ode to what he remembers was co-written by Chesney and Brett James, and hit #1 in the early summer.

Start A Band - Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. Released as the first single from Paisley's 2008 album, Play, the duet hit #1 in late January. Written by Dallas Davidson, Ashley Gorley, and Kelley Lovelace, it was one of four non-instrumental tracks in Paisley's album.