Chart Rewind: In 2006, Carrie Underwood Carved Her Name Into the No. 1 Spot

Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart on 11 November 2006, becoming a defining hit from her debut era. The song challenged the wholesome image she had developed as an American Idol contestant and helped establish her as a prominent voice for assertive female anthems.

Songwriters Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear had originally imagined Gretchen Wilson singing the story of a woman damaging her unfaithful boyfriend’s vehicle. Underwood chose it for her 2005 debut album, Some Hearts; it became her third radio-promoted country single and her second Hot Country Songs No. 1. The track also reached the top 10 on three other radio charts, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 during a 64-week run, and won single of the year from both the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.