The top 10 Scotty McCreery songs first start with a bit of history about the man. Born on October 9, 1993, in Garner, North Carolina, he became the second of two children raised by working-class parents. His sister, Ashley, grew up to become a university graduate. As for Scotty, the beginning of his musical career began when he was given an Elvis Presley book by his grandmother when he was just a small kid. He learned how to play the guitar by the time he was ten years old and was part of both the church and school choirs while growing up.
Winner, Winner
While in high school, he earned Rookie of the Year as a singer. In 2009, he won a singing contest that was held at a local radio station in Clayton, North Carolina. This led to several appearances on local radio stations and television as he embarked on fundraising campaigns on behalf of sick children. On all fronts, whether it was in singing contests or sharing his charitable goodwill, Scotty McCreery displayed the ultimate example of what a winner looks like. When he applied to audition for the 2011 edition of American Idol, this marked the beginning of the man’s international claim to fame.
McCreery was sixteen years old when he auditioned for the tenth season of American Idol. He did this in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as an alternative location choice from Nashville, Tennessee in order to stay committed to his annual church camp. His audition featured him singing Josh Turner’s “Your Man” and Travis Tritt’s “Put Some Drive in Your Country.” These were good enough to earn McCreery a weekly spot on American Idol throughout the duration of its tenth-season run. As a participant, he didn’t venture far from his country-singing roots. He did perform a few songs outside his preferred genre, which displayed the man’s ability to shift his musical talent that would include Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.”
When McCreery and fellow competitor Lauren Alaina became the two finalists to reach American Idol’s finale, the two were among the youngest competitors to make it this far in the history of the competition. Alaina was sixteen years old while McCreery had just turned seventeen. When McCreery won, this made him the youngest male winner. He became the second youngest American Idol winner overall with seventeen-year-old Jordin Sparks earning that honor when she won in season six.
Making It Clear
Scotty McCreery’s debut album, Clear as Day, didn’t take long to become certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Released in October 2011 by Mercury Nashville, it produced two top twenty hits, “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble with Girls.” Included on the album was musical material that made it clear he came from a Christian background whose ties were just as deeply rooted with Jesus Christ as ever. This was made evident in the album’s title track, as well as “Old King James.”
The album sold nearly two hundred thousand copies during its debut week, marking it the first in history for a debut country album to top the US Billboard 200. It also topped four additional Billboard Albums charts including Digital Albums, Internet Albums, Top Country Albums, and Top Current Albums. On December 5, 2011, Scotty McCreery won his first award at the American Country Awards in its Best New Artist category. He also won this same award in 2012 at the American Country Music Awards.
After this, it was 2012’s Christmas with Scotty McCreery and it became certified gold. It had nine Christmas holiday favorites, along with two originals, “Christmas in Heaven” and “Christmas Comin’ Around Again.” This was followed a year later with his next studio album, See You Tonight. This solidified McCreery’s status as a legitimate country star that rightfully earned his win on American Idol. Two top ten songs came from it, namely its title track and “Feelin’ It.” After this, McCreery released another single, “Southern Belle,” during the summer of 2015. It was intended to be the lead single for another Mercury-labeled album. Unfortunately, it didn’t receive much attention on the radio and failed to break into the top forty of any of the US Billboard music charts.
This marked the end of McCreery’s working relationship with Mercury Nashville as he opted to move on. Going into the fifteenth season of American Idol, Scotty McCreery sang with two of the show’s semi-finalists on separate occasions. The first was with Jeneve Rose Mitchell for “Gone” while the second was with Jenna Renae for “See You Tonight.” He later returned to the show’s finale as part of an American Idol alumni group.
Still Big
On May 3, 2016, Scotty McCreery’s book, Go Big or Go Home was published as a collected memoir of his life experiences. He later signed a deal with Triple 8 that would to the digital release of “Five More Minutes” on May 5, 2017. This marked the first of three consecutive number-one hits McCreery experienced as 2018’s “This Is It” and 2019’s “In Between” topped the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, as well as the Mediabase Country chart. These songs have contributed to the success of his fourth studio album, Seasons Change, as it became certified gold by the RIAA. In 2021, McCreery released his fifth studio album, Same Truck. From it, “Your Time,” “Damn Strait,” and “It Matters to Her” have joined the ranks as hit singles. In total, McCreery has seventeen hit songs to his credit so far.
As a man dedicated to his Christian faith, he didn’t allow fame and fortune to hinder his core values. In addition to his musical accomplishments, Scotty McCreery also has a bachelor’s degree in communications as a graduate of North Carolina State University. As a happily married man and proud father, McCreery’s legacy continues to remain steadfast to his true nature. Not only does he credit his upbringing as key influences on who he is today but the faith he has in a system that has continually blessed him with one successful venture after another. Aside from being a big fan of Elvis Presley, McCreery’s country-style influence was inspired by the recordings of Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Conway Twitty. When he competed in American Idol, he often sang songs from Josh Turner. As his own man, the legacy Scotty McCreery has laid out so far has illustrated he has become his own man and is proud of it, as he should be.
Top 10 Scotty McCreery Songs
#10 – Christmas in Heaven
From the 2012 album, Christmas with Scotty McCreery, “Christmas in Heaven” was a song that had deep personal meaning for the country star. He was attempting to write a song called “Christmas in Heaven” as a tribute to his grandfather but wound up receiving another song with the same title in the process. He opted to record that one instead. The original songwriters were Paul Marino and Jeremy Johnson. This was one of two original Christmas songs that were featured on his second studio album. McCreery intended to record and release a Christmas album while still in the early stages of his career.
#9 – Feelin’ It
“Feelin’ It” was Scotty McCreery’s peaked at number eight on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, as well as at number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was the second single released from the album, See You Tonight, and it was the fourth time McCreery experienced an RIAA-certified song. This time, it was certified gold. Designed as a fun song that revolved around summertime activities, it was a catchy number that quickly caught on as a contemporary country favorite among the fans. “Feelin’ It” also made an impression on the US Billboard 100 as it charted as high as number eighty-for. In Canada, it peaked as high as number forty-six.
#8 – The Trouble with Girls
It didn’t take long for “The Trouble with Girls” to be regarded by music critics as a song that beautifully contrasted the style of Scotty McCreery’s first hit single, “I Love You This Big.” There was an agreement that fans of the American Idol series voted right by favoring McCreery as the show’s big winner. His vocal talent was credited more than the production crew that played their hand in making this song a commercial hit. In fact, the label was criticized for reducing the quality level of a song that should have paralleled McCreery’s personality and ability more closely.
Nevertheless, “The Trouble with Girls” became RIAA-certified platinum as it sold over eight hundred thousand copies. The song’s music video features Gabi Dubal as the lead character during a shoot that portrayed McCreery’s days as a high school student in Garnier, North Carolina. Dubal later became his wife in 2017. Released as a single in 2011, “The Trouble with Girls” peaked as high as number seventeen on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and at number fifty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100.
#7 – In Between
The release of 2019’s “In Between” became the third consecutive song for Scotty McCreery to become a number-one hit on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart. It also became a number twelve hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and Canada’s Country Tracks chart. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it peaked as high as number fifty-three. It also became RIAA-certified gold. The first two were “Five More Minutes” and “This Is It.” The inspiration behind “In Between” was the result of a conversation he had with a few colleagues when it came to reflecting upon his life and accomplishments.
The song was about finding a perfect balance between self-identity and awareness. It was also about personal growth, which is seen in the music video as McCreery often liked to share with his audience who he was as a person, as well as one of their favorite country music artists. The song also came as his statement that despite his Christian beliefs, he had no intention to come across as a holier-than-thou kind of guy. He also chose not to live a life that catered too much to the whims of the world, either. As balanced as it gets, that’s what “In Between” was all about as a song.
#6 – You Time
Released in 2020, “You Time” was a single Scotty McCreery released from his album, Same Truck. The song’s inspiration came from the desire to spend more time with his wife in as much alone time as possible. In a world that seems to become busier by the day, making “You Time” with a loved one is every bit as important as making “me time.” When this song was written, McCreery found he was touring on the road more often than ever before. This made him homesick as he thought about his wife and the desire to be with her.
After it was released as a single, “You Time” became a number-one hit yet again for McCreery on the US Billboard Country Airplay chart. It was a number seven hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and a number fifty hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the Canadian Country Tracks chart, it peaked as high as number twenty-three. It also became certified gold by the RIAA.
#5 – This Is It
In 2018, “This Is It” was released as a single by Scotty McCreery that would top the US Billboard Country Airplay chart. It also became a number three hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and a number forty-two hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the Canadian Country Tracks chart, it peaked as high as number two. This was a song McCreery wrote two weeks before he proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Gabi Dubal. From the album, Seasons Change, “This Is It” became the second single to become a chart hit, as well as RIAA-certified platinum. The music video shared footage of the wedding that took place between McCreery and his new bride in a song that has become a big favorite among country music fans. “This Is It” quickly became a song of choice among newly married couples as their first dance.
#4 – Damn Strait
Released in 2021, “Damn Strait” came from the album, Same Truck. The song was performed by Scotty McCreery as a tribute to the country music legend, George Strait. Although not written by him, as soon as he heard of it he was all in as a huge fan of George Strait. In content, it was a tear-jerking tale of a relationship that went south, which was a Strait trademark as a singer. For McCreery, singing as if he was in the incomparable shoes of the legend, was an incredible experience.
As a hit, it paid off for him as it peaked at number one on the US Billboard Airplay chart. On the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it became a number six hit. The US Billboard Hot 100 saw “Damn Strait” climb as high as number thirty-two while on the Canadian Country Tracks chart, it soared up to number two. It also became McCreery’s sixth song to become certified platinum by the RIAA.
#3 – See You Tonight
“See You Tonight” was a song about a young man who was set to visit his girlfriend in person instead of simply settling for pictures and telephone conversations. According to music critics, Scotty McCreery’s performance suggested he finally found his true comfort zone as a singer with this song. The boyish charm of McCreery was doing more than just winning over critics. Fans all over the world found themselves swooning over “See You Tonight” and the rest of McCreery’s songs that have already become cult classics in the country music genre. “See You Tonight” became his first top-ten single as it sat at number ten on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart after it was released in 2013. On the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, it peaked even higher at number eight. On the US Billboard Hot 100, it charted as high as number fifty-two. In Canada, it peaked as high as number thirty-four on its country chart.
#2 – I Love You This Big
“I Love You This Big” was Scotty McCreery’s debut single after winning the tenth season of American Idol in 2011. This ballad peaked as high as number thirty-two on the US Billboards Hot Country Songs chart. It marked the highest debut for a single since its identity conversion in 1990. It also became certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The music video featuring the song was shot near Dodger Stadium on Angels Point. In June 2012 at the Country Music Television Awards, it earned the win for Breakthrough Video of the Year. To date, “I Love You This Big” holds the mantle as one of McCreery’s best-selling singles since he started his incredible recording career. If there was a McCreery signature song, “I Love You This Big” would be it. Since its release, this song has become a favorite choice for newly married couples to dance to.
#1 – Five More Minutes
Digitally released on May 5, 2017, “Five More Minutes” was a new single performed by Scotty McCreery he wrote after his grandfather passed away. A music video was shot and released shortly after that included home videos of his personal life. “Five More Minutes” made history as the first song released without a record label to make it into the top fifty of the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart. He’d later sign a recording deal with Triple Rogers Records and its parent company, Sony Music Entertainment.
On the US Billboard Country Airplay chart, “Five More Minutes” peaked at the very top, marking it the first time McCreery earned himself a number-one hit. On the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, it peaked as high as number four. It was a number forty-four hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. In Canada, it became a number two hit on its country chart.
“Five More Minutes” was a heartfelt song as it was written by an inspired McCreery as he learned to cope with his grandfather’s death. In the lyrics, he shared how precious time really is. If there was ever a song McCreery poured all of his soul into, “Five More Minutes” was definitely it. “Five More Minutes” was RIAA-certified platinum three times over and remains a solid favorite among fans who often include this song when it comes to coping with the loved ones they’ve lost in their lives.
Top 10 Scotty McCreery Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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