Top Country Songs of 2009

2009 brings us country songs covering everything from George Strait's heartrending 'Living for the Night' to Kenny Chesney's summer party tune 'Out Last Night.' But the charts, as well as our list of top country songs heavily focus on relatable odes about family and home. Admit it, we like Keith Urban's guitar picking, Lady Antebellum's duet ballad, and Brad Paisley's metaphorical lyrics because they all remind us of the simple yet vital components in life. As rated by AOL Radio listeners, here are our Top Country Songs of 2009.

10) Justin Moore: 'Small Town USA'

Penned by Moore and songwriters Brian Dean Maher and Jeremy Stover, this top country song has both acoustic and electric guitar elements, matching the lyrics about appreciating the simple things in life: "Old dirt road and I'll be just fine / Give me a Sunday morning that full of grace / A simple life and I'll be okay / Here in small town USA."

9) Dierks Bently: 'Sideways'

Backed with electric guitar and banjo, this playful tune about about picking up a girl at a bar reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

8) Keith Urban: 'Only You Can Love Me This Way'

An ode to his wife, Nicole Kidman, this country ballad has gentler guitar strums and a simpler production. 'Slant' magazine says the song "recall[s] the drippiness of early-'90s Richard Marx and Bryan Adams."

7) George Strait: 'Living for the Night'

With classic and steel guitar accompaniment, this top country song is the first Strait had co-written and the first he wrote with his son Bubba and country artist Dean Dillon. The country song reveals a man who would rather be "living for the night" and bury his sorrows than face the reality of losing someone close.

6) Kenny Chesney: 'Out Last Night'

The summer-themed tune is about a guy recalling a party he attended the night before, with relatable stories and one-liners such as, "One thing started leading to another / Out last night / Getting to know everybody and their mother / There were two karaoke girls drunk on a dare / Singing "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher." This was the only new track on his 2009 'Greatest Hits II' album.

5) Dierks Bentley: 'I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes'

The second Bentley song on this top country songs list, this sexy yet romantic ballad is about commitment and a sense of home. Bentley says of the tune: "One of the best compliments I can get is when a guy comes up to me and says that one of my songs helped him out at home...maybe helped him smooth something over with his girlfriend or wife. That's the goal with this one."

4) Luke Bryan: 'Do I'

Bryan croons about whether his lover loves him and wants to know if their relationship is worth fighting for: "Do I have your love, am I still enough / Tell me don't I, or tell me do I baby / Give you everything that you ever wanted / Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely / Do I just need to give up and get on with my life."

3) Lady Antebellum: 'Need You Now'

A duet sung by Scott and Kelley with a beautiful piano intro, the song is about the longing of companionship a separated couple yearns for late at night. Scott adds: "[the song is] about what we are learning as we go through the ups and downs of different relationships."

2) Jason Aldean: 'Big Green Tractor'

Jim Collins -- who also co-wrote Kenny Chesney's tune 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' -- penned this tune with David Lee Murphy. The single spent four weeks at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the first to be at the top of the country charts for that long since Brad Paisley's 2008 'Letter to Me.'

1) Brad Paisley: 'Then'

With predominant piano and a string set, this ballad expresses a man's love for his partner with lyrics that recall milestone events in their relationship, emphasizing how much stronger his love has grown since their first meeting: "Like a river meets the sea, stronger than it's ever been / We've come so far since that day / And I thought I loved you then."