Top of the World

Griffin wrote "Top of the World" and first recorded it in 2000 for Silver Bell, where it is the thirteenth track at 5:01. She re-arranged and re-recorded it for Impossible Dream in 2004, at 5:28, with Craig Ross producing and Lisa Germano on violin. We hold two uploads with this title, and from the titles alone it cannot be said which version each is, the 2004 studio take, the 2013 release of the 2000 take or a live recording.

The Dixie Chicks closed their 2002 album Home with it, at 6:01, produced by the group and Lloyd Maines. It was issued as a single in 2003 (the text of its Wikipedia page says mid-2003, the infobox September 2003) and did not chart. Emily Robison called it the album's biggest departure. Sophie Muller directed a video in London that premiered on VH1 on September 22, 2003, and the group's 2003 tour and live album took the song's name; the live recording won the 2005 Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The song is told by a man who has died, looking back with regret at the harm he did to those around him; Natalie Maines explained that perspective in the 2002 film An Evening with the Dixie Chicks. AllMusic called Griffin's version an aching climax, and the Washington Post said it would have flooded the country airwaves but for music business realities. One review reading says it contains a fragment of a lullaby her grandmother sang to her, which is unverified. Jessica Harp of the Wreckers, Kelly Clarkson, Jasmine Rae and Kasey Chambers have covered it, and setlist.fm lists 35 performances.