'Tennessee Whiskey' Was Most-Streamed 2010s Song of 2025
Chris Stapleton’s ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ Was Most-Streamed 2010s Song of 2025
Chris Stapleton‘s cover of David Allan Coe’s “Tennessee Whiskey” is widely regarded as one of country music’s biggest and easily-recognizable songs, but now the modernized country classic has reached new heights.
11 years after its release, Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” was the 2010s’ most-streamed song in 2025, beating out every song from every genre released between 2010 and 2019.
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“Tennessee Whiskey” catapulted Stapleton into country music superstardom after his performance of the song with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards on Nov. 4, 2015. Days after the performance, the song shot up the country charts. Two weeks after the awards show, the song topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, where it would remain for another two weeks. Not bad for a non-single.
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As of January 2026, Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” is the fifth-highest-streamed country song on Spotify, with nearly 1.4 billion streams to date.
A Growing Legacy
“Tennessee Whiskey” stands as the only country song in history to be certified 2x Diamond by the RIAA, which equates to selling 20 million units.
“Tennessee Whiskey” is the only country song to lead an entire decade of songs in streams in 2025. Rock songs dominated the 20th-Century streams in 2025, with classic rock hits like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing'” leading the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, respectively. The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” lead the way for songs from the 1990s.
“Mr. Brightside” by the Killers led the way for the 2000s, and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” was the most-streamed 2020s song in 2025.
George Jones had also covered “Tennessee Whiskey,” releasing his version in 1983. While Coe’s version only peaked at No. 77 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, Jones’ version reached No. 2. While it was a hit, “Tennessee Whiskey” didn’t become a true country classic until Stapleton’s cover.
