Rodney Atkins achieved his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in August 2006 with “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows).” The song became a major breakthrough after several earlier singles and resonated as an anthem of perseverance, including with a listener who said it stopped them from attempting suicide.

Released from Atkins’ second album, the track rose for seven months and spent four weeks at the summit after first entering the chart in January 2006. Written by Sam Tate, Annie Tate and Dave Berg, it combined a driving country sound with references to a Churchill quotation and an Irish toast; it was later certified Platinum and performed at White House and Memorial Day events.