Fall in Love With Luke Bryan All Over Again With His 10 Best Songs

Luke Bryan has emerged as one of modern country’s most popular performers, with numerous chart-topping hits and sold-out concerts across the country.

Bryan kicked off his solo recording career a decade ago, with his debut album, I’ll Stay Me coming out in August 2007.

With 10 years of party songs and tender ballads behind him, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the songs that got him to where he is today.

Here are ten pivotal songs that made audiences fall in love with Bryan over the years.

“All My Friends Say”

While Bryan has emerged as a major pop-country force in recent years, his debut single, “All My Friends Say,” is a down-and-dirty country bar song.

Bryan had a couple years of songwriting credits for artists like Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before cutting his debut album, but this song (co-written with Jeff Stevens and Lonnie Wilson) about a hard night of drinking was a perfect fit for Bryan.

In what’s basically a country version of the movie The Hangover, Bryan can’t remember what happened to him at the bar the night before. His friends fill him in on the details, which includes Bryan “starting to shoot doubles” when his ex came in the bar.

It was a surprisingly grounded debut for the soon-to-be country mega-star, and it still holds up a decade later.

“Do I”

“Do I” is the lead single from Bryan’s sophomore effort, Doin’ My Thing.

It’s one of Bryan’s first big ballad hits, and it’s still as potent as it was in 2009.

Co-written with two-thirds of Lady Antebellum (Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley), “Do I” is all about a relationship that’s going off the rails and just might break down. The subjects are not sure if it’s worth holding onto anymore.

To strengthen the Lady Antebellum connection, the group’s final third, Hillary Scott, sings back-up vocals on the song. Scott and Bryan’s dueling voices make for an interesting combination and help listeners see that the questioning is happening from both sides of the relationship.

“Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”

This 2011 single is arguably where Bryan’s career took off into the stratosphere.

“Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” was bought more than 3.5 million times, making it one of the best-selling songs by a male country artists ever. 

As for its subject matter, Bryan and co-writer Dallas Davidson give you exactly what the title suggests. Bryan urges listeners to shake it for birds, bees, “catfish swimmin’ down deep in the creek” and all other the country “critters” that are around.

It’s fun, straight-forward and catchy enough to become one of modern country’s biggest singles.

“Drunk on You”

Fresh off “Country Girl,” Bryan flexed his ballad muscles for another huge hit from his third album, Tailgates & Tanlines.

Bryan combines his signature southern charm with a simple love song penned by Rodney Clawson, Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear.

All this is done on top of a rhythm you’d expect to hear under a hip-hop or R&B song, which makes this on of Bryan’s most accessible songs, even to listeners not that into country.

More: Luke Bryan Soaks up the Summer Sun With His Family

“That’s My Kind of Night”

“That’s My Kind of Night” quickly became a party playlist staple when it came out in 2013.

The song, which was the first track on Bryan’s album Crash My Party, allows the singer to turn his swagger up to 11.

Writers Davidson, Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley set up exhilarating lines after the next. The rhythm in Bryan’s voice propels the song to as close to rap as you could get from a country song, especially when he rips into the hook:

Floatin’ down the Flint River, catch us up a little catfish dinner
Gonna sound like a winner, when I lay you down and love you right

“Play It Again”

The fan-favorite “Play It Again” is one of those moments where you can really reflect on just how massive Bryan has become.

The video for the track, which you can watch below, shows Bryan performing for a sold-out arena of die-hard fans. The video itself has racked up 87 million views, and the song itself is his most popular cut on Spotify with more than 115 million streams.

It sits in that country-pop sweet spot that’s perfect for radio, and it has a romantic sentiment that’s sure to soundtrack romantic date nights for years to come.

“Games”

We couldn’t make this list without including something from Bryan’s beloved Spring Break EP series.

Between 2009 and 2015, Bryan released six albums all about spring break, in honor of Bryan’s mainstay status as a beach party performer and his placement on ton of spring break playlists.

“Games” is taken Bryan’s final release in the series, Spring Break…Checkin’ Out. It’s bitter heartbreak ballad co-written with Gorley all about frustration towards an ex and is one of the most successful cuts from the series.

Watch: Luke Bryan’s Wife Makes Sure Father’s Day Is ‘Special’ Every Year

“Kick the Dust Up”

Bryan’s fifth album, Kill The Lights, is still getting heavy airplay from fans almost two years after it was released.

One of the reasons it’s still so popular is the lead single, “Kick the Dust Up.” 

Despite its radio-friendly nature, Bryan channels a bit of bad-boy edge on to the song. The vibe is that of a party song, but it’s bound to a party filled with trouble.

The song shot to number one when it was released and served as the title to Bryan’s tour with special guests Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Dustin Lynch and Randy Houser.

“Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day”

“Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” is down-home hit that has been slowly racking up plays since it was released as a single in March 2016.

As the title would suggest, the song (written by Bryan, Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip) is all about a country boy’s favorite things: hunting, fishing and loving, with a little bit of praying thrown in for good measure.

The music video for “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day” is Bryan’s most popular song on the YouTube, with a whopping 91 million views. It also has 58 million streams on Spotify.

You can watch the clip, which features Bryan enjoying a day in the country with his family, below.

“Here’s to the Farmer”

Our final pick is from Bryan’s latest tour tie-in release, Farm Tour… Here’s to the Farmer, 

This selection lends its name to the release and is a fitting tribute to the blue-collar men and women that make up a large portion of Bryan’s fan base.

The lyrics (written by Bryan, Michael Carter and Chase McGill) makes note of the family that “plants the fields in the spring” and “gather ’round the table” each and every night.

Bryan is prepping for another “Farm Tour” for the fall with stops at farm venues across the Midwest. He’s also currently in the midst of the “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day Tour,” which features concerts all across the U.S.