With these tracks, country stars had already proven that they could score a chart-topper or two. Releasing these songs only reestablished their stardom. Here are three of the best last No. 1s from 90s country music.
“Bigger Than The Beatles” by Joe Diffie
“Bigger Than The Beatles”, written by Jeb Stuart Anderson and Steve Dukes, was Joe Diffie‘s fifth and final No. 1. In this song, Diffie compares the magnitude of a couple’s love to some of music’s greatest bands.
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“They got a love bigger than the Beatles/ Wild and free like a Rollin’ Stone / They got a love takes ’em higher than the Eagles / Ain’t life such a sweet, sweet song.”
“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Mark Chesnutt
Chesnutt did a country-fied cover of Aerosmith’s massive hit “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” in 1999, and it ended up being a chart-topper for him as well. At first, recording a cover was “the last damn thing” he wanted to do, as he told Taste of Country.
“…I did it because I knew if I didn’t do it, they were gonna push me back on the back burner and I was gonna lose my shot,” he explained. “Then I wouldn’t be on radio anymore. I knew that was gonna happen, so I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it, just this once.’”
He continued, “As luck would have it, it ended up going to No. 1 hit for four damn weeks!”
“It Must Be Love” by Ty Herndon
“It Must Be Love” knocked “Wide Open Spaces” by The Dixie Chicks out of the top spot when it went to No. 1 and debuted in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Originally, this one was written for the band Great Plains, with the idea that three people would sing it. Herndon’s version ended up featuring the group Sons of the Desert, who also sang vocals on Lee Ann Womack’s chart-topper, “I Hope You Dance”. This song is about being so in love that you can barely control yourself. Sons of the Desert sings the questions in the chorus.
“I don’t know, I can’t sleep/ (Is she breaking your heart?) / Yeah, but isn’t it sweet? / (Does she know how you feel?) / It’s right on the tip of my tongue / (Are you walking on air?)”
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