Music - Top 50 Videos of the Decade
Search Videos
TOP 10 STREAMED VIDEOS ON CMT.com
- Undo It
- The Boys of Fall
- Only Prettier
- Trailerhood
- The House That Built Me
- Farmer's Daughter
- Lover, Lover
- Chicken and Biscuits
- Love Like Crazy
- White Liar
- Free
- Our Kind of Love
- Makin' Me Fall in Love Again
- Little White Church
- Up on the Ridge
- No Good in Goodbye
- Water
- Hard Hat and a Hammer
- All About Tonight
- Ain't Back Yet (From the film Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3-D)
All right! Here are your favorite 50 videos from the past decade. We presented a list of the 50 most voted-for and most requested
videos on CMT over the last 10 years and asked you to vote for your absolute favorites. The results may delight you, may shock
you or puzzle you or even anger you -- but, they will not bore you. There's an unexpected twist around every bend, a little
kink in every corner, a little bump in every road. Count them down, read about each one and see if you agree with the consensus
of CMT viewers of how the most popular music videos fared in the first decade of a new century.
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
It's the top video of the past decade, according to CMT.com's poll of country music fans. Aside from a powerhouse vocal performance, Underwood owns the screen from the first scratch of the car key.
Honky Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
With a persistent groove, an outrageous catchphrase and Adkins' rowdy charisma -- not to mention the roller-skating babes -- this flashy video captured everybody's attention, even the ones who were turned off by the overtly sexual tone.
How Do You Like Me Now? - Toby Keith
Although the song came from the 1999 album of the same name, the chart and video success of the song transitioned throughout 2000. The video is self-explanatory.
Stay - Sugarland
The video is primarily a close-up of Jennifer Nettles' face as she bravely sings of being "the other woman" who's tired of her painful situation. The raw performance proved the duo's staying power and the depth of Sugarland's artistic potential.
All Summer Long -
From its mashup of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" to its celebration of summer, the song and video resonated for many months through the end of the Oughts decade.
Whiskey Lullaby - Brad Paisley
From the dramatic footage to the first line, this masterful piece of work drips with sadness, heartache and regret. The viewer's heart is held captive as the story unfolds of a soldier's devastating discovery of his woman in the arms of another man.
Live Like You Were Dying - Tim McGraw
With McGraw dressed in a white shirt and posed against a solid white background, it quickly occurs to you that he's playing a guardian angel. Whatever the symbolism, the video is a persuasive argument for seizing the day.
Love Story - Taylor Swift
Inspired by the Shakespearean characters Romeo and Juliet, Swift rewrote their fatal ending to give these two lovebirds the more positive finale she thought they deserved. Country music fans couldn't have agreed more.
Kerosene - Miranda Lambert
Hell hath no fury like a wronged woman equipped with an inexhaustible can of fire accelerant. When it comes to looking absolutely and irreversibly pissed off, no one does it better than this gal.
What Hurts the Most - Rascal Flatts
If the bone-chilling cry of the agonizing young woman in the opening scene isn't haunting enough, the message is. The dramatic video depicts a young woman whose boyfriend dies in a car accident before she can tell him how she foresees their future.
The Seashores of Old Mexico - George Strait
King George reigns again as he makes his way to paradise in this goodtime Merle Haggard cover. This beautiful video helped Strait nab a 2008 Grammy nomination for best male country vocal performance.
Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood
Director Roman White provides a prime example of a video that expands the emotional impact of a song's lyrical content. The visual of Underwood being transformed from wearing a white wedding gown to the black dress of mourning is hard to forget.
Believe - Brooks & Dunn
The perennial favorites won two more CMA Awards for this spiritual song, which Ronnie Dunn co-wrote with Craig Wiseman. It's religious without being preachy, and the lyrics are truly poetic.
Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me - Keith Urban
The lyrics claim he had a job and lost it, but everything is working out to Urban's advantage here. It's essentially a performance video, but Urban's face is filled with the joy of playing music, regardless of the venue's size.
Concrete Angel - Martina McBride
Only the hardest heart can watch this video without shattering. We know the story it tells is true -- that there are children like this little girl who are being battered and killed every day. This is a truly powerful video.
You're Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
Adkins' tender delivery of "You're Gonna Miss This" can reduce a country fan to tears. He returned to his own hometown of Sarepta, La., to film this heartfelt video, and its final scene just might choke you up.
The One - Gary Allan
He'd been releasing singles for more than five years, but Allan finally broke into the Top 5 at country radio for the first time with "The One." The romantic ballad embodies all of the emotions a woman would like to hear from her man.
You Belong With Me - Taylor Swift
To say that Swift ruled 2009 would be quite the understatement. "You Belong With Me" resulted in three of her eight current Grammy nominations, including record of the year, song of the year and best female pop vocal performance.Because of You (featuring Kelly Clarkson) - Reba McEntire
In a perfect marriage of lyrics and images, McEntire and Clarkson play singers in an elegant nightclub in the 1940s. Clarkson, who's abused by her stylishly-clad lover, is the bad example McEntire learns (and perhaps overlearns) her lessons from.
Long Black Train - Josh Turner
With inspirational lyrics that sounded as though he'd channeled the spirit of Hank Williams, Turner's deep, authoritative voice cut through the clutter when this single and video were released in 2003.
Online - Brad Paisley
Seinfeld's Jason Alexander stars as a routinely dissed pizza-delivery guy who aspires to be a singing superstar. With guest appearances from William Shatner, Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler, Paisley settles for a supporting role.
Whatever It Is - Zac Brown Band
The man singing realizes he's not the most articulate guy around, but at least he realizes he's finally found the woman who's going to make him happy for the rest of his life. The simple but effective video was filmed around Cumberland Island, Ga.
Redneck Woman - Gretchen Wilson
For better or worse, "Redneck Woman" sealed Wilson's identity, although the success of the single and video helped sell more than 5 million copies of her debut album, Here for the Party.
Don't Blink - Kenny Chesney
The glass house in the video may be ultra-contemporary, but the message is timeless: Life is short. Or as Kenny Chesney sings, "A hundred years goes faster than you think." The flickering home movies in the video could have come from any family.
I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
Director Gerry Wenner's use of gorgeous cinematography underscores the message of a mother's dreams for her children's ultimate happiness and fulfillment in life. The video itself is dreamlike in its tone and features Womack with her two daughters.
Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) - Big & Rich
Although it didn't even crack the Top 10 at country radio, "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" refused to quietly ride into the sunset. Instead, the freak parade boldly marched across a pedestrian bridge in downtown Nashville for a career-making video.
Hurt - Johnny Cash
This is not background music. Indeed, the elderly Cash demands your attention as his magnificent life flashes before your eyes. That final image could be the most unsettling, as he quietly caresses the gleaming piano as if it's a closed casket.
Like We Never Loved at All - Faith Hill
From the 2005 album, Fireflies, which followed three years after Cry. The song won her a Grammy. The album cover featured Hill as a new brunette.
Drive (For Daddy Gene) - Alan Jackson
From Jackson's 2002 album, Drive, it is regarded as an innovative video for its blend of reality footage with graphic overlays. All three of his daughters are featured in this tale of how his Daddy Gene taught him to drive.
Forever and for Always - Shania Twain
She was featured on a New Zealand beach in the video issued by her record label, but Twain's fans were particularly fond of this live performance with Alison Krauss & Union Station at the 2003 CMT Music Awards.
Boondocks - Little Big Town
It gets a little creepy at first, watching all those down-home folk emerge like zombies from the woods and fields to converge on Little Big Town's nocturnal hoedown. Ultimately, the mood lightens up, and all is well in the semi-natural world.
Why - Jason Aldean
A storm is brewing in this dramatic video. Aldean notched his first No. 1 hit with the power ballad, hinting that the new guy from "Hicktown" would have a lot more to offer in years to come.
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow - Soggy Bottom Boys
A lot of people mistakenly thought actor George Clooney sang lead vocals on the hit from the 2000 film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but it was Dan Tyminski and background vocalists Harley Allen and Pat Enright who brought the song to life.
Don't Think I Don't Think About It - Darius Rucker
Full of heartbreak, regret and lost loves, Rucker holds himself accountable for past mistakes but still questions the "what ifs" and "could-have-beens." The former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman hit No. 1 with this -- his debut country single.
Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
This cinematic video finds Bentley stuck in a Mexican prison after a violent bar fight. Once he's home, a solitary life looks inevitable. The video illuminated the fact that he was willing to cut through his signature image, literally, for art's sake.
You Save Me - Kenny Chesney
From his 2005 album The Road and the Radio. "You Save Me" was overshadowed on the album by the success of "Beer in Mexico" and "Living in Fast Forward," but this video revealed its strengths.
I Could Not Ask for More - Sara Evans
From Evans' 2000 album, Born to Fly, it was a No. 2 hit in 2001. Prolific pop music songwriter Diane Warren wrote it.
If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows) - Rodney Atkins
When you have a really, really bad day, Atkins doles out some hard-won advice: "If You're Going Through Hell (Keep On Going)." Following this crowd-pleasing hit, he did keep on going as his breakthrough album boasted four No. 1 hits.
Nothin' Better To Do - LeAnn Rimes
Portraying a prison inmate, Rimes dances her way through this sassy little number as she offers her cell sisters a story she's proud to tell. Though her character doesn't escape the slammer, Rimes brings a lot of excitement to the production.
Mississippi Girl - Faith Hill
A track from 2005's Fireflies album, the autobiographical-sounding song was actually written by John Rich after they toured together. It became a No. 1 for Hill in 2005.
I Miss My Friend - Darryl Worley
The dramatic twist comes at the end of what initially appears to be a straightforward video depicting Worley sitting in a chair, playing his guitar and singing to a woman sitting on a couch. It's the most powerful video of his career so far.
Girls Lie Too - Terri Clark
A single release which also appeared on the album Greatest Hits 1994-2004. It was a No. 1 hit for Clark in 2004. This was her second chart-topper.
Let Me Touch You For Awhile - Alison Krauss
The song is from the 2001 album New Favorite, which won a Grammy Award for best bluegrass album.
Bring on the Rain - Jo Dee Messina
Standing in a stone-floored enclosure where water seems to run and ebb magically, Messina gently dares the world to do its worst. The rain does come, but in the process, the falling leaves of autumn evolve into the pink blossoms of spring.
It's A Great Day To Be Alive - Travis Tritt
Filmed before an enthusiastic audience, Tritt, director Jon Small and songwriter Darrell Scott each succeeded in striking an optimistic chord in their work on this Top 10 hit from 2000. You believe every word the guy is singing.
Mendocino County Line - Willie Nelson
Lee Ann Womack and Nelson play star-squashed lovers now united only by photographs of sunnier times (and an unexplained tendency to ride their horses down city streets). It's a thought-provoking look at the butt-end of a smoked-out relationship.
Speed - Montgomery Gentry
How fast a car does it take to outrun a memory? Troy Gentry swaps his truck for an old and battered eight-cylinder rocket on wheels. But the image of the woman he's trying to forget still rides shotgun with him, regardless of his speed.
When You Come Back Down - Nickel Creek
Mandolinist Chris Thile sings the lead, urging his lover to test her wings and fly as high as she can. But implicit in this encouragement is the assumption that she will eventually fall -- and that he'll be there to catch her.
CMT