Country Crossovers

With Lady Antebellum returning to the top 10 and quickly becoming a hit at top 40 radio (it's up 7 to #31 this week on Mediabase), I think it's safe to say that "Need You Now" has crossed over from being just a country hit to a mainstream one. Country crossovers have been an occasional thing on the charts the last 20 years, particularly from the late '90s to early '00s, but now they seem to be popping up again. Frequently they are country songs that have been remixed for a "pop" market; however, as far as I know, no such remixing has been done to "Need You Now."

Here's a rundown of the 10 biggest country crossovers of the last 20 years...

1. How Do I Live - Leanne Rimes (#2, 1997)

Until it was beat last year by Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours," this single held the record for longest stay on the Hot 100 at 69 weeks. An even "more" country version was also recorded by Trisha Yearwood. Country fans responded more to Yearwood's version, which peaked at #2, while Rimes' peaked at #43.

2. You're Still the One - Shania Twain (#2, 1998)

Shania Twain's second album, Come On Over, is the best-selling album by a country or female artist. Released in the fall of 1997, it immediately starting scoring big country hits--it had 11 country singles, including 8 top 10s--but then in 1998, remixes of these songs starting becoming pop hits too. This was the biggest, and like Rimes's "How Do I Live," was also a top 10 hit in Britain in 1998. Turning this "country" song into a "pop" song seemed to require little more than removing a few twangy guitars. Both songs are quite similar otherwise.

3. Breathe - Faith Hill (#2, 2000)

Faith Hill's "Breathe" never topped the Hot 100, but was the chart's biggest hit of 2000. This was the second and biggest of Hill's string of pop hits from 1998 to 2001. The single was remixed as a "pop" version.

4. Amazed - Lonestar (#1, 2000)

The original version topped the country chart in 1999, then the pop/AC remix hit #1 on the Hot 100 the following year. It was by far their biggest hit.

5. You Belong with Me - Taylor Swift (#2, 2009)

You already know this one. Swift's second major hit of 2009. There is a pop version of this song, but it's not very well known. The video features the country version and unlike for "Love Story," the pop version is not available as a single. It features heavier guitars and no banjo. I prefer the country version.

6. Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus (#4, 1992).

This was the first major country crossover hit of the '90s. Despite not having a pop version, it was still a top 30 hit at top 40 radio, in addition to being a nominee for the Record of the Year Grammy. Kids these days will know him better as Miley Cyrus's daddy. She was born just a few months after this was a hit.

7. Over and Over - Nelly feat. Tim McGraw (#3, 2004)

This is so much a country crossover as an interesting intersection between country and hip-hop, when rapper Nelly teamed up with country superstar Tim McGraw for this ballad from Nelly's album suit. Although McGraw has had lots of Hot 100 hits, this is his highest-charting one and only significant pop hit.

8. Love Story - Taylor Swift (#4, 2009)

Swift's big 2009 crossover began with this single, which was remixed for pop audiences.

9. That Don't Impress Me Much - Shania Twain (#7, 1999)

In contrast to the other major Come On Over hits, this single got a significant overhaul on its journey to becoming a pop hit. The arrangement is completely different, pushing the upbeat country song into almost dance pop territory.

10. From This Moment On - Shania Twain (#4, 1998)

As a country single, this was a duet with Bryan White, but as a pop single, his appearance in the verses were removed, making him just a backup singer during the chorus and other key points. It's a really lovely song, one of my favorites from her. Musically, the two versions are pretty similar--just a slightly different arrangement, again with twangy guitars removed.