Kenny Chesney’s "There Goes My Life," the lead single from When the Sun Goes Down, spent over a month at No. 1 and went gold. Perhaps most importantly for Chesney — a man who is arguably the most important country artist of the century — it reinserted him as a singer with some depth. His storytelling is at his finest on this song, and the performance allowed him to do things like “Anything But Mine” and “Who You’d Be Today” later.

About this list: Taste of Country’s Top Country Songs of the Century were decided by a panel of country music experts and fans using sales and chart data, a song’s social and musical impact and lyrical integrity. Select artists were also surveyed. You’ll hear from several throughout the list.

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