For nearly 25 years, Blake Shelton has been at the center of the country music zeitgeist. It all began in 2001 with his debut single and No. 1 hit "Austin," and has continued into 2025, when the aptly titled "Texas" became his 30th chart-topping tune on May 5.
"I've always been a nerd for stats and things like that in country music," Shelton said in a statement about the news. "I'm always looking up artists' stats, whether it's Ronnie Milsap or Alabama or George Strait or Reba [McEntire], and just to see how many albums they've sold or how many No. 1 songs they've had. Because of that, the idea of me having 30 No. 1 singles, it blows my mind. I can't even wrap my head around it because I know how long it takes to get there, how hard it is, and how blessed and lucky you must be to get here."
The milestone comes at a fitting time for the Oklahoma-born singer, whose first album in four years — For Recreational Use Only, his 13th LP — arrived on May 9, with "Texas" among it's 12 new tracks. Also included are features from country legend John Anderson (on a cover of his hit song "Years"), Craig Morgan ("Heaven Sweet Home"), and wife Gwen Stefani ("Hangin' On," their sixth collaboration together).
As his 30 No. 1s suggest, Shelton hasn't slowed down since bursting onto the scene at the turn of the century. And while his career hit an all-time high from 2009-2016, when he scored 17 No. 1 singles in a row, the eight-time GRAMMY nominee remains one of the genre's most beloved superstars thanks to his endearing wit and relatable anthems — both of which are prevalent on his latest release.
As Shelton unveils For Recreational Use Only, revisit 15 of his signature songs.
Shelton's career got off to a fast start — mullet and all — with his narrative-driven debut single "Austin." Despite releasing in 2001, the song has a distinctly '90s feel that, paired with its message of lingering love, helped it become the Oklahoman's first No. 1 hit.
Along with topping Billboard's Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, the song's five-week run at No. 1 tied Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" for the longest reign for a debut single. Though Shaboozey now holds that record with his seven-week No. 1, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," "Austin" remains a staple in Shelton's discography — and hinted at the long-running success that was to come.
Although it never reached No. 1 on the country charts like its predecessor "Austin," "Ol' Red" — a swampy country remix about running from the Georgia law's prized bloodhound, previously recorded by George Jones and Kenny Rogers — has become arguably the singer's signature song.
In fact, it's such a fan favorite that when he went to open a bar in his hometown of Tishomingo, Okla. in 2017, he chose the song title as its name. The concept, much like his music career, has proven so successful that it's expanded to include locations at the Nashville International Airport and on the city's Broadway strip as well as in Las Vegas, Orlando, Fla., and Gatlinburg, Tenn.
"The Baby" ('The Dreamer,' 2002)
Even more story-focused than "Austin," "The Baby" sees a sentimental Shelton singing about growing up a youngest child, the gift of maternal love and the heartbreak of losing a parent.
The piano-driven ballad is a roller coaster of emotions, best encapsulated in the lines "And I knew that she'd been taken and my heart it was breakin'/ I never got to say goodbye/ I softly kissed that lady and cried just like a baby." Becoming his second No. 1 hit, "The Baby" suggested that Shelton was quickly becoming a country mainstay, and that poignant songs would be an important part of his discography.
A departure from looking back fondly on old relationships, "Nobody But Me" instead sees Shelton focusing forward as he proclaims, "Those loves from the past aren't getting no closer/ When I look in my future you're all I can see/ Don't go loving on nobody but me."
While the shift in perspective didn't yield No. 1 status, "Nobody But Me" persists as one of the most beloved tracks from Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill courtesy of a vocal performance that, even over 20 years later, remains one of his best to date. (Plus, the song came full circle a decade and a half later thanks to his relationship with Stefani, as the two released the starry-eyed "Nobody But You" in 2020.)
Shelton lands in the middle of soft country twang and Jimmy Buffett-esque yacht rock on "Some Beach," a ditty where life's various stressors — from dealing with road ragers, to sitting around at the dentist office, to being swindled out of a parking spot — leave the narrator dreaming of escaping to "Some beach/ Somewhere."
The song was perhaps Shelton's attempt to snag a vacation-ready hit during a time when other tropical jams like Alan Jackson's "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" and Kenny Chesney's "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" were topping the charts. No matter the inspiration, "Some Beach" scored Shelton his third No. 1 single.
"She Wouldn't Be Gone" ('Startin' Fires,' 2008)
Touching on the lovelorn themes within "Austin" and "Nobody But Me," "She Wouldn't Be Gone" captures an almost desperate Shelton as he pleads his case to win his ex-lover back. As he speeds down the highway and searches for her with tears rolling down his face, he questions to himself, "If I had loved her this much all along… She wouldn't be gone."
The song would go on to become his fifth No. 1 single and marked his first ever back-to-back No. 1s after a cover of Michael Bublé's "Home" reached the same mark a few months prior. The time also marked his shift from a rising country star to a household name in the world of entertainment, with Shelton making his first television appearances as a judge on "Nashville Star" and "Clash Of The Choirs," setting the stage for his eventual debut on "The Voice" a few years later.
Shelton has teamed up with several big-name stars over the years, from Christina Aguilera to Garth Brooks. But few have been able to match the country-fried, southern rock rap stylings of "Hillbilly Bone."
A duet with fellow GRAMMY-nominated country star Trace Adkins, the No. 1 banger sees Shelton shining in quite possibly his most unserious self as he rhymes things like "New York City" with "Conway Twitty" and "Grits and greens" with "South of Queens."
"Honey Bee" ('Red River Blue,' 2011)
Shelton has often talked about Conway Twitty's influence on his music, and "Honey Bee" may be his most playful nod to his idol to date. Along with directly referencing Twitty and Loretta Lynn in its second chorus ("If you'll be my Louisiana/ I'll be your Mississippi/ You'll be my Little Loretta/ I'll be your Conway Twitty"), the lighthearted love song tapped into a poppier side of Shelton's country twang — likely inspired by Twitty's knack for mixing things up.
"Every time I make a record, I try and take a step in some other direction," Shelton told Audacy in 2024. "I always loved Conway Twitty for that reason. If you listen to his entire catalog, if you listen to every record, he's kind of all over the place with what he did and he kept it exciting. He was a song guy more than anything else. I want to be that also."
Notching Shelton his ninth No. 1, "Honey Bee" also became his highest-charting single on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 at No. 13 — a feat he's only since topped with "Boys 'Round Here."
Like many songs in the country canon — and Shelton's discography — "Boys 'Round Here" tells a rowdy story of southern pride, partying, having fun, and living in the moment. In turn, it's as much a signature song as "Ol' Red," and has become an embodiment of Shelton's live shows through the years.
Though the song featured female supergroup Pistol Annies (including his then-wife Miranda Lambert), its mentions of trucks, girls and beer leaned into the bro country movement of the early 2010s. That undoubtedly helped it become his 14th No. 1, along with its chant-worthy "Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit" hook.
One of Shelton's more deceiving love songs, "Mine Would Be You" begins with a man building up his partner as he sings, "Baby, if I had to choose/ My best day ever, my finest hour/ My wildest dream come true/ Mine would be you."
However, the lovey-dovey song takes a turn for heartbreak by the end; the final chorus flips to "Taillights fadin', daylight breakin'" and "Standing there like a fool" after he loses the love of his life. Not only did Shelton follow the rowdy party starter "Boys 'Round Here" with a heartfelt breakup tune, but he managed to score No. 1 hits with both — proving his chart-topping power isn't defined by one style.
"Sangria," ('BRINGING BACK THE SUNSHINE,' 2015)
Shelton delved into Latin-inspired territory with the sultry love song "Sangria." The story of an ecstasy-filled (and Spanish wine-fueled) night contains some of the singer's most suggestive lyrics: "Your skin is begging to be kissed by a little more than the sun/ You take my hand in yours, you lean in and/ Your lips taste like sangria."
Described by Shelton as "one of the sexiest songs I've ever cut," "Sangria" shows off a more provocative version of the singer compared to the one who rode the success of "The Baby" and "Austin" to stardom. And the risqué turn paid off: "Sangria" notched Shelton his 21st No. 1 on country radio.
Shelton returns to the evocative, narrative-driven ballads that sparked his rise in the early 2000s with "I Lived It," a number that cites everything from memories with his Daddy and Momma to his Uncle Joe and even "Them old Duke boys." Although the song never reached No. 1 (it peaked at No. 3 on the Country Airplay chart), Shelton has said that its nostalgic, relatable sentiments made "I Lived It" "one of the greatest songs I've ever had a chance to record."
A Southern rock anthem about being proud of where you come from, "God's Country" celebrates everything that defines small-town folks like Shelton himself — from breaking bread on Sundays to "Sittin' back in a 40 on the muddy river side."
The song marked another of-the-moment move for Shelton, who delivered a straight-shooting country smash during a time when trap country was dominating with hits like Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road." And there was clearly an audience hungry for a backwoods anthem: "God's Country" became Shelton's 27th No. 1, and his first to top both the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts since "Sure Be Cool If You Did" in 2013.
Fresh off of landing their first No. 1 together with "Nobody but You" in April 2020, Shelton and Stefani delivered another ode to their love story with "Happy Anywhere" that July. The sunny track celebrates the strength of their bond by declaring "Since I met you, I swear/ I could be happy anywhere" — a feeling that took on an entirely new meaning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What's arguably their most charming duet to date, "Happy Anywhere" landed the couple their second chart-topper in a row in December 2020.
"Let Him In Anyway" ('For Recreational Use Only,' 2025)
Offering a poignant moment on For Recreational Use Only, "Let Him In Anyway" is a prayer to God after the passing of a close friend. The song explores themes familiar to Shelton (faith, loss, and redemption), yet his impassioned delivery makes it one of the most emotional in his entire catalog.
While "Texas" may be the chart-topping hit from For Recreational Use Only, Shelton has said that "Let Him In Anyway" is "one of the most powerful songs I've ever had the chance to record." As his latest set proves, the country star is not only still inspired after 25 years — he's still making songs that resonate.