Breaking up is hard to do, unless you have a song on your playlist to help you through it.
In 2006, Carrie Underwood released “Before He Cheats,“ and it quickly became an anthem for women dealing with heartbreak and betrayal at the end of a relationship. The fiery country hit gave voice to feelings of anger and empowerment, resonating with listeners who had been through similar breakups.
The song remains a popular choice for listeners enduring a breakup. Twenty years later, “Before He Cheats” remains a top pick on Spotify, where it comes in number one on its Playlist Miner in the category of Top Breakup Songs.
The tool analyzes thousands of user-generated Spotify playlists to identify the most popular songs within a given category. Underwood’s revenge anthem ultimately rose to the top of that list.
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“Before He Cheats” became a massive 2006 crossover hit for Underwood, from her debut album Some Hearts, written by Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard country charts and No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Tennessean shared the story behind the song, speaking to Kear and Thompkins 14 years after the chart-topping hit’s debut. This discussion included the song’s biggest shocker, that “Before He Cheats” wasn’t originally intended for Underwood.
Tompkins revealed that the song “didn’t start off as a song for Carrie. It basically started off as a song for Gretchen Wilson.”
“I went to a computer and was just typing what I wanted to be edgy lyrics. After the success of “Redneck Woman,” everyone wanted to get on the next (Gretchen) record. I typed up part of that verse and thought I had something kind of cool. From that point, I called Josh.”
Kear added, “We were told that the first time Carrie heard this song, it was during the American Idol tour, and it was in the back of the plane as they were getting ready to fly from one location of that tour to the next. Somebody on the label had come up and played her the demo.”
“She listened to it once and said, “I’m cutting that song.” There was no discussion of putting it on hold or just letting us know they would sit with it. It was just one listen and knowing she would record it.”
“Before He Cheats” started as a breakout hit for Carrie Underwood and has since become a lasting fan favorite. It continues to strike a chord with listeners who’ve lived through similar heartbreak.
This story was originally published by Parade on Jun 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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