Carrie Underwood Songs: Revisiting Her 9 Biggest Hits
Carrie Underwood is one of the most successful artists in country music, having earned 15 number [...]
'Jesus, Take the Wheel'
Underwood's second single, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was the star's first song to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay, earning a three times platinum certification by the RIAA and selling 2,573,000 copies.
"After I released 'Jesus, Take the Wheel,' people started saying, 'Oh, it's kind of risky. You're coming out with a religious song,'" Underwood told Esquire. "And I was thinking, Really? I grew up in Oklahoma; I always had a close relationship with God. I never thought it was risky in the least. If anything, I thought it was the safest thing I could do."
prevnext'Before He Cheats'
"Before He Cheats" remains one of the singer's signature tracks and won the Grammy for Best Country Song and the CMA Award for Single of the Year. It also earned Underwood a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and was the first ever country song to sell over two million digitally. The song is the most successful of Underwood's career, having been certified five times platinum by the RIAA and selling 4,312,000 copies.
prevnext'All-American Girl'
Underwood's second album, Carnival Ride, saw the star venturing into songwriting, penning "All-American Girl" alongside Ashley Gorley and Kelley Lovelace. Underwood has said that the song, which describes a father who was hoping for a boy but instead got a daughter, is slightly autobiographical, as she is the youngest of three sisters.
prevnext'Last Name'
The Oklahoma native also helped pen "Last Name," the third single from Carnival Ride. The song earned Underwood her third consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and has sold 1,300,000 copies. It also helped Underwood score a coveted CMA Triple Play Award, which is given to a songwriter who has written three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period.
prevnext'Just a Dream'
The fourth single from Carnival Ride, "Just a Dream" finds Underwood narrating a story of a woman who appears to be going to her wedding before the listener realizes she's actually attending her husband's funeral after he died serving overseas. The song was certified platinum and sold 1,280,000 copies.
prevnext'Cowboy Casanova'
"Cowboy Casanova" was the lead single from Underwood's third studio album, Play On, finding Underwood doing what she does best and taking down a no-good man. The track was written by Underwood, Mike Elizondo and Brett James and was certified two times platinum.
prevnext'Undo It'
Another powerhouse track, "Undo It" finds Underwood wishing she could erase a past relationship that went sour, with the track incorporating blues and R&B influences.
"The guys had their guitars and they were playing something kind of bluesy, and Kara [DioGuardi]'s got such a great R&B sense about her," Underwood told The Boot of writing the track, which she did alongside DioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen and Luke Laird.
"And I started, 'Na, na, na-ing' to whatever they were playing. And they were like, 'What if that was the hook?' I said, 'Aw, I don't know?' And before you knew it, we had 'Uh, uh, uh undo it.' It was something that it didn't take that long to write and it's so much fun to sing on stage, and people get into it."
prevnext'Good Girl'
Like "Cowboy Casanova," "Good Girl" serves as a warning from Underwood to whoever may be listening, letting her know that she might not want to trust that guy who's sending up more than a few red flags. Underwood co-wrote the track with with Chris DeStefano and Ashley Gorley and it was certified two times platinum and sold two million copies.
prevnext'Blown Away'
The second single from Underwood's fourth album of the same name, "Blown Away" is a classic storytelling track detailing a woman who seeks shelter from a tornado in a storm cellar, leaving her alcoholic father sleeping in their home. The song was certified three times platinum and won Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.
Photo Credit: Getty / Jeff Kravitz
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