Over the years, many pop artists have taken creative liberties with the classic country sound, resulting in some of the best-selling pop and country songs in chart-topping history. Here are 3 of our favorite hits that have broken records, blurred the lines, and redefined genres.
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"Old Town Road" (Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus)
Originally promoted as a country single by Lil Nas X, this song sparked a heated debate about what truly defines the "country sound" in music and was criticized for lacking enough "true country" elements. However, a collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus helped solidify the song's status as a country song, allowing it to spend even more time on the charts, including topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a record-breaking consecutive 19 weeks. Another rendition of this song featured a collaboration with country artist Mason Ramsey as well.
2. "Heartless" (Thomas Welsey and Morgan Wallen ft. Diplo)
Also credited with his own version of the Old Town Road hit featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, Diplo has been known to work with artists of all genres, especially country hitmakers like Morgan Wallen, ERNEST, and Thomas Rhett. This version of the song "Heartless," originally written by Wallen, Wesley, and Diplo for Diplo's country music project, spent 39 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard US Pop Airplay Chart.
3. "Cruise - Remix" (Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly)
Initially released in 2012 as a breakout single for the duo Florida Georgia Line, this hit quickly climbed the country charts all the way to No. 1. It did so well that some pop radio stations suggested making the song a little more poppy so they could play it as well, and the duo delivered with a collaboration featuring rapper Nelly, who added a verse and gave pop radio the sound it needed to justify playing it on the radio. This contributed not only to the song's extended success in the country genre but also led to it becoming one of the best-selling country songs in digital history.
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