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Luke Bryan is taking a walk down memory lane with Billboard.

It’s part of the Billboard Chart History series.

Since the start of his career, Bryan has had 26 songs scale the pinnacle of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.

In his video with Billboard, Bryan discusses many of his biggest country chart hits.

He starts with his first Country Airplay No. 1, 2010’s “Rain Is a Good Thing.”

Bryan recalls how the music video conveyed where the Georgia native was in his career at that moment.

“I was right outside of my college town — I think it was our first Farm Tour show ever,” Bryan reflects.

“The beauty of that video, is just really, really me in a nutshell.

We didn’t have a super big video budget, we knew we had a great little show to video … it brings back, really, a special time in my career where I’m praying every day that I can build my career, and the best way to build your career is to have your first No. 1 song on Billboard, and obviously ‘Rain Is a Good Thing’ was that.

I wrote it with one of my best friends in the world, [songwriter] Dallas Davidson.

We were still relatively young writers, and we took a phrase [“Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey”] we grew up hearing in South Georgia … the fact that we were able to take something we heard as young men, and go on to become my first Billboard No. 1, was really incredible.”

While the lighthearted “Rain Is a Good Thing” brought an initial career milestone, Bryan also talks about how the emotional 2014 hit “Drink a Beer” helped give his career new dimension.

“I think at the time I was known as the uptempo, really energetic, high-energy party guy, and so when I put ‘Drink a Beer’ out, it just really showed another depth of my artistry.

I could have a very impactful song, with a deep subject matter, and the coolest aspect about it is Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton wrote it, and at the time, the Nashville songwriting community, we were praying that the world would learn about Chris Stapleton the artist, not just the songwriter.

And so, when I had the opportunity to perform ‘Drink a Beer’ at the CMAs [in 2013], I called Chris.

That was like, maybe the year or so before [Chris] and Justin Timberlake had their [CMA Awards] moment [in 2015].

The bottom line was I was just really happy to share that moment with Chris.

The lyrics of that song, the emotion of that song, spoke to a country audience as good as you could speak.”

Throughout the video, Bryan looks back on more hits.

He covers “Play It Again.”

He covers “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).”

He covers “Waves.”

He covers “I See You.”

He covers “Most People Are Good.”

Each song gets its own story.

Each story reveals a different side of Bryan’s journey from a small-town Georgia kid to one of country music’s biggest stars.

The Billboard Chart History series is designed to give artists a platform to tell the stories behind their chart-topping songs.

Bryan’s episode is the latest in a long line of such interviews.

The Country Airplay chart is Billboard’s ranking of the most-played songs on country radio stations across the United States.

Twenty-six No. 1 songs is a rare achievement in any genre.

It places Bryan among the most successful country artists in the history of the format.

His first No. 1, “Rain Is a Good Thing,” was released in 2010.

It was written by Bryan and Dallas Davidson.

The phrase “Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey” is a common saying in rural South Georgia, where both men grew up.

The song’s music video was shot at Bryan’s first Farm Tour show.

The Farm Tour is an annual series of concerts that Bryan started to thank farmers and rural communities.

The video had a small budget, but it captured the authentic feel of a live performance.

“Drink a Beer” was released in 2014.

It was written by Jim Beavers and Chris Stapleton.

At the time, Stapleton was primarily known as a songwriter in Nashville.

He had not yet released his breakthrough solo album “Traveller,” which came out in 2015.

Bryan’s decision to call Stapleton to perform “Drink a Beer” at the CMAs gave Stapleton significant exposure.

The performance helped introduce Stapleton’s voice to a national television audience.

Just a year or two later, Stapleton and Justin Timberlake would have a legendary moment at the CMA Awards in 2015.

That moment is widely credited with launching Stapleton’s career as a solo artist.

Bryan’s reflection on that period shows his awareness of the Nashville songwriting community’s hopes for Stapleton.

“Drink a Beer” itself deals with the theme of grief and loss.

It tells the story of a person receiving news of a loved one’s death and choosing to sit alone and drink a beer in their memory.

The song became one of Bryan’s most emotionally resonant hits.

It proved that he could handle serious subject matter as well as upbeat party anthems.

“Play It Again” is a song about a woman who keeps asking a DJ to play a particular song because it reminds her of a romantic moment.

“Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” is an uptempo dance track that became a fan favorite at concerts.

“Waves” is a more recent hit, released in 2021, that blends country with beachy, tropical influences.

“I See You” is a romantic ballad about seeing a partner clearly and loving them for who they are.

“Most People Are Good” is an optimistic song that lists reasons to believe in the goodness of people.

Bryan’s career has spanned more than 15 years.

He has released seven studio albums.

He has won numerous awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.

He has headlined multiple tours and festivals.

He is also a judge on the television show “American Idol.”

The Billboard Chart History interview gives fans a rare, intimate look at the man behind the hits.