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Before Tim McGraw<\/a> became one of country\u2019s most bankable hitmakers, he was locked in a fight with his own label over a song they were convinced would be a disaster.<\/p>\n On a recent episode of The Tim Ferriss Show<\/em><\/a>, McGraw looked back at \u201cIndian Outlaw,\u201d the track he once had to fight to record \u2014 even after executives warned him it was \u201ctoo controversial\u201d and \u201cnot country.\u201d<\/p>\n McGraw said he originally tried to include \u201cIndian Outlaw\u201d on his 1993 self-titled debut album, but couldn\u2019t get it past the gatekeepers.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/em>\u00a0<\/b>How Faith Hill Helped Save Tim McGraw\u2019s Life and Career<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe label didn\u2019t like it,\u201d he recalled. Only producer Byron Gallimore was in his corner.<\/p>\n He was told the song<\/a> wouldn\u2019t get radio play and could damage his credibility. But McGraw had already seen something his label hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n After hearing songwriters Tommy Barnes and Max D. Barnes perform it live in Nashville, he began playing it in honky-tonks and clubs across the country. Crowds loved it \u2014 sometimes so much that he had to play it multiple times a night.<\/p>\n Still, he didn\u2019t have enough leverage to override the decision on his first record, and the song was left off.<\/p>\n When it came time to record<\/a> his second album, Not a Moment Too Soon<\/em>, McGraw made sure things were different.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like this is either going to work in a huge way, or it\u2019s going to ruin my career forever,\u201d he said. The risk paid off. \u201cIndian Outlaw\u201d became his first Top 10 hit and eventually went platinum.<\/p>\n Read More:\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>15 Country Stars Who Went to War Against Their Own Record Labels<\/a><\/p>\n McGraw believes releasing it \u2014 and then following it with \u201cDon\u2019t Take the Girl\u201d \u2014 created the momentum<\/a> that truly launched his career.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll forever believe that the combination of those two songs is what set my career in motion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n McGraw has also acknowledged why the song stirred backlash. \u201cIndian Outlaw\u201d drew criticism for leaning into Native American stereotypes \u2014 something he says he understood.<\/p>\n Over the years<\/a>, he has met with Native American leaders to discuss those concerns. Some embraced the song; others did not.<\/p>\n When he performs at Native American-owned casinos, he even offers to leave it out of the set. Most of the time, he says, they tell him that\u2019s exactly the song they hired him to sing.<\/p>\n Looking back, McGraw sees \u201cIndian Outlaw\u201d as a swing that could have ended very differently. Instead, it became the moment he bet on himself \u2014 and won<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s party music or songs that stop you in your tracks, Tim McGraw’s catalog has songs for every mood and emotion. Though the Louisiana native launched in 1990 with his self-titled debut record, it wasn\u2019t until the release of his sophomore project four years later that McGraw got the adoration of both country professionals and fans alike. These are the 50 best Tim McGraw songs, ranked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Jeremy Chua<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe Song Nobody Wanted<\/h3>\n
A Career Gamble<\/h3>\n
The Controversy That Followed<\/h3>\n
Top 50 Tim McGraw Songs, Ranked<\/h2>\n