11 Luke Combs Songs That Proved ‘Em All Wrong
Luke Combs was told he wasn’t interesting enough, that he wasn’t a true headliner and that “no one is ever going to pay money to see you.” The hitmaker and songwriter has proven them wrong with these 11 songs.
This playlist and gallery is more than a simple listing of his best songs according to some dude. Each song validates the singer’s decision to quit college early and chase a music dream despite having few contacts in Nashville and very little money.
Early on, few men and women in suits encouraged Combs. His popularity on the now-defunct social media platform Vine wasn’t translating to a record label contract or publishing deal. His reputation as a talented live act wasn’t preceding him as he walked into meetings, a fact he pointed out in an interview with Hits Daily Double in 2019.
“I finally got a meeting with a big publisher in town. I had “Hurricane,” “When It Rains It Pours,” “She Got the Best of Me“ and a work tape of “One Number Away“ on my phone,” he said. “I played this guy all of it, and he says, ‘I’ve got two things to tell you.’ And I got ready. He says, ‘First, you need to write better songs. And you’re never gonna be an artist. No one is going to pay money to see you.'”
Of course, all four of those songs went on to hit No. 1 and become staples of Combs’ live show, something that might surprise the doubters. That list includes Big Machine Label Group president Scott Borchetta, who once insinuated that Combs wasn’t yet a true headliner.
That was in the summer of 2019, and within six months, Combs’ entire arena tour had sold out, setting him up for a huge 2020, had the pandemic not brought the industry to a halt. We’re going to call the anthemic “Beer Never Broke My Heart” the song that proved him wrong.
There are two more groups of haters that deserve mention: The first is the group that came after Combs’ then-fiancee, now-wife, Nicole, for dating a larger man, insinuating that she was only in it for his money. The baseless claim (the pair met before he first tasted success with “Hurricane”) was emphatically dismissed with their marriage in 2020, but also with a series of songs that describe their romance. “Beautiful Crazy,” is most obvious: This multi-week No. 1 song is among his all-time best songs (see below), and it’s one that best defines their relationship. Another chart-topping single called “Better Together” is also about Hocking.
Producers from NBC’s The Voice also get a call out on this list of songs that helped Combs prove them wrong. He was cut from the reality show because they didn’t think he was interesting enough (per Whiskey Riff). That gave him confidence, however, because he learned he had the talent but maybe just wasn’t going to break on national television.
The No. 1 song on the below list of Combs’ top songs pays tribute to how interesting he is today. Just about all of the songs mentioned above and listed below hit No. 1, though we added a few more favorites for color, including his popular duets with Eric Church (yes, another chart-topper) and Brooks & Dunn.
