The Best 80s Country Songs

Alabama - Dixieland Delight

“Spend my dollar, parked in a holler / ‘Neath the mountain moonlight / Hold her up tight / Make a little lovin' / A little turtle-dovin' / On a Mason-Dixon night / Fits my life, oh, so right / My Dixieland Delight.”

Alabama’s ‘Dixieland Delight’ is undoubtedly the Fort Payne-formed band’s magnum opus. From the moment it was released in 1983, the hiccuping country ode became a standout among the group’s storied catalogue, earning them another Hot Country No. 1.

Over the years, the tune has become more than a staple for the band, it’s also a game day tradition for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The song has been blasted during the fourth quarter of their college football games for years, a moment in which – winning or losing – fans sing along to the song, putting a crafty, albeit less than appropriate, spin on the chorus.

- Alli Patton

Barbara Mandrell & George Jones - I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool

Any OG country fans feeling a little aggrieved recently by the surge of new fans coming to the genre with its increase in popularity over the last few years will be comforted to know it's nothing new.

Back in 1981 country music was enjoying a mainstream boom much like it is today, thanks mostly to the success of Urban Cowboy, and songwriters Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan captured a growing sense of unease from the country day oners with the brilliantly bang on 'I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool.'

Taken from Barbara Mandrell's 1981 live album, Barbara Mandrell Live, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in July of that year and was nominated for Single of the Year at both the CMA and ACM Awards.

The song also featured an uncredited guest vocal from George Jones, whose unmistakable baritone comes in after getting a shout out in the lyrics earlier in the song.

Truckin' country legend Dave Dudley recorded an answer song called 'I Was Country Before Barbara Mandrell' which suggested that artists like Mandrell were merely cashing in on country's popularity, too, while Dudley was genuinely country and had been before Mandrell. Although seeing as Dudley had his first hit in 1963 and Mandrell had hers only 3 years later in 1966, it seems a little nugatory to suggest he predated her in the genre by much. George Jones released his first single in 1954 after all.

- Jof Owen

Ronnie Milsap - Smoky Mountain Rain

As lush strings, twinkling keys and a persistent beat give life to the achy breaky tale of lost love that is Ronnie Milsap’s ‘Smoky Mountain Rain’, it’s instantly understandable the hold this song had all those years ago. The 1980 tune is undoubtedly the story song of the decade.

Written by songwriters Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan, the narrative track, with its bombastic flourishes and weepy words, was a success through and through. It topped the Hot Country Songs chart, bested in Adult Contemporary and even graced the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately sitting pretty at No. 24.

‘Smoky Mountain Rain’ would usher in many more hits for the country crooner, but the song still holds a top slot in his hit-riddled repertoire.

- AP

Ricky Van Shelton - Somebody Lied

The best ‘80s country ballads make you feel as though you’re privy to an intimate conversation, epitomised by a number of entries on this list, including Ricky Van Shelton’s yearning ode, ‘Somebody Lied’.

Released in 1987 to widespread acclaim and chart-topping success, ‘Somebody Lied’ put Van Shelton’s sinuous croons on full display, lacing an extra dose of emotion into each line. The longing cry of steel consolidates the heartbroken ambience of ’Somebody Lied’, with the writers, Joe Chambers and Larry Jenkins, playing on the classic country trope of wanting to appear stoic to other characters in the narrative, before allowing the listeners see the true extent of their despair.

‘Somebody Lied’ was originally recorded by Conway Twitty two years before Ricky Van Shelton got his hands on it.

- Maxim Mower

Vince Gill - When I Call Your Name

"Oh, the lonely sound of my voice calling / Is driving me insane / And just like rain, the tears keep falling / But nobody answers when I call your name."

A four-minute song with an iconic piano riff and just barely one hundred words (if you only count the chorus once), Vince Gill's 'When I Call Your Name' is one of the most gut-wrenchingly iconic heartbreak ballads in country music history.

The title track of his 1989 record, Gill penned 'When I Call Your Name' alongside Tim DuBois and somehow managed to get Patty Loveless to contribute her chilling harmonies to the final product, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

What results is an iconic '80s hit that hurts just a little too good.

- Lydia Farthing

Rodney Crowell - I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried

Listening to this gentle track from Crowell’s album Diamonds & Dirt, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stepped back to the '50s rather than 1988.

With its blend of doo wop and back porch fiddle, what appears to be a straight up love song turns out to be bittersweetly unsure in its lyricism, with Crowell’s insistence that he couldn’t leave his lover if he tried, seemingly based on pride and familiarity rather than genuine longing.

A prolific songwriter, one-time son-in-law of Johnny Cash, and a former member of Emmylou Harris’ The Hot Band, the song is the perfect example of Crowell’s versatility, highlighting the juxtaposition of his Americana and alt-country roots with his ability to achieve mainstream success.

The tender crooning of 'I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried' took it to No. 1, one of the five singles from Diamonds & Dirt to achieve such an accolade and bringing it in at No. 45 on our chart.

- Holly Smith

Sylvia - Nobody

Taken from Sylvia's 1982 album, Just Sylvia, the worldwide crossover hit 'Nobody' peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 20 weeks on the chart, turning Sylvia into a global pop star on both sides of the Atlantic in the process.

A classic country heartbreak anthem, 'Nobody' is elevated by its clever wordplay and attention to detail, and with its squelchy bassline, girl group shoo-be-doos and glossy pop production, 'Nobody' was as far away from the '80s neo-traditionalists as it could be.

'Nobody' was fairly typical country pop fare for the early '80s, though, as the new stars of the decade picked up the baton passed on by Crystal Gayle and Barbara Mandrell in the '70s. Just Sylvia and Sylvia's two albums either side–1981's The Drifter and 1983's Snapshot–are near perfect country pop albums, even if none of her other songs ever crossed over to the extent of 'Nobody.'

The song became Sylvia's signature song and got nominated for a Grammy award in 1983 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It also helped her take home the ACM award for Top Female Vocalist of 1982 and the song received the BMI Song of the Year award for receiving the most radio airplay in 1983.

- JO

Mel McDaniel - Louisiana Saturday Night

“Well, you get down the fiddle and you get down the bow / Kick off your shoes and you throw 'em on the floor / Dance in the kitchen 'til the mornin' light / Louisiana Saturday night,” McDaniel sings over the bare foot thumping beat that opens the impossible-to-resist magic of ‘Louisiana Saturday Night.’

A song that was not only a 1981 hit for McDaniel but would become a permanent lifestyle anthem for the masses of the Deep South.

The song is woven together by the rich tapestry of Bob McDill’s prolific songwriting. McDill blends together a striking scene of unforgettable characters that evoke a nostalgic feeling, all of which is brought to full life by McDaniel’s worn but positively inviting vocals.

He’s not just calling from the porch to his next of kin but for all of us to join the fun. And we happily have for over 40 years.

- Soda Canter

Willie Nelson - Seven Spanish Angels (feat. Ray Charles)

While it might have been a big of an unlikely pairing in 1984, this Ray Charles and Willie Nelson duet has become one of the biggest duets in country history.

Included on Charles' Friendship record, the pair trade off verses of the soulful murder ballad as they tell the tale of an outlaw and his lover who die on the run from the authorities.

Written by Troy Seals and Eddie Setser, the tune was originally pitched to Nelson, yet eventually ended up in Charles' deft hands. In the end, 'Seven Spanish Angels' notched one week atop the Hot Country Songs chart and twelve total weeks on the survey.

- LF

Johnny Lee - Lookin' For Love

Would the 1980 film Urban Cowboy have been the hit it was without its stellar soundtrack? Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, the soundtrack of the rowdy Western dance flick would go on to harbor a number of Top 10 Country Singles. Among them was Johnny Lee’s ‘Lookin' For Love’, a breezy ballad that would not only find favor across genres but also catapult the then-relatively unknown country crooner to wide acclaim.

When it graced the silver screen, the 1980 tune, penned by Wanda Mallette, Bob Morrison and Patti Ryan, steadily climbed the charts in return, becoming a Hot Country No. 1 and crossing over into the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Lee would shortly rerelease the song on his own album of the same name; and today, ‘Lookin' For Love’ remains Lee’s biggest success.

- AP

Shelly West - José Cuervo

In 2005, Joe Nichols released 'Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off,' and frankly that song might as well have been referring to the woman in Shelly West's 1983 hit, 'José Cuervo.'

Originally written and recorded by Cindy Jordan in 1981, West cut the track after a three-year stint as a duo alongside David Frizzell.

Notching her second and final No. 1 hit from her career–apart from her and Frizzell's 'You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma' in 1981–'José Cuervo' is nothing more than a good old fashioned drinking song, but it's clearly one that struck a chord with country listeners as it ushered in quite the sales boost for the tequila company it's named after.

'José Cuervo' notched the top spot on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks, as well as landed at the peak of the US Hot Country Songs Year-End chart for 1983.

- LF

K.T. Oslin - 80s Ladies

K.T. Oslin was performing in a folk trio with Guy Clark whilst at college but ultimately chose the bright lights of the Broadway in New York City rather than the one in Nashville, spending the next 20 years trying to crack acting and playing parts in West Side Story and Hello Dolly!

After failing to become a star, destiny called when Oslin turned her attention to country music and signed to RCA Records at the age of 45. The next year, in 1987, Oslin released '80s Ladies', the song that would finally bring mainstream success.

Oslin’s grit is mirrored in the anthemic track about girls born in the '50s who became ‘stoned rock n rollers in the '60s’ settled down in the '70s and who, by the '80s, had seen it all. With its dramatic keys that seems fit for the climax of that '80s family drama that your mum loved, it’s all big hair, big dreams and big '80s production.

The song went on to win a Grammy and CMA Award in proof that fortune favours the bold, not just the young.

- HS

George Strait - All My Ex's Live In Texas

One of the most widely quoted country songs in history, ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ joins ‘Ocean Front Property’ as the two yardsticks for country with a sense of humour.

‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ is as hilarious as it is infectious, with George Strait bringing the playful, tongue-in-cheek lyrics to life with his swaggering delivery, making it feel as though he’s sharing an inside joke with you. It’s one of those titles that left songwriters across Nashville and Texas kicking themselves for not thinking of it first.

Written by Sanger D. Shafer and Lyndia J. Shafer, ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ received a 1988 Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and drove Strait to No. 1 in the US and Canada. Just in case there was any remaining doubt as to the impact ‘All My Ex’s Live in Texas’ has had on popular culture, few country songs can claim to have been name-checked by Drake - but this one was, in ‘HYFR’.

- MM

Randy Travis - On the Other Hand

Sometimes even with the midas touch of Randy Travis, the second time in fact is the charm.

Written by songwriting dynamos Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, ‘On the Other Hand’ was released first as a single without much fanfare at all. It took the ample success of Travis’ next venture ‘1982’ to pave the way for a reissue. By the spring of 1986, the song became Travis’ first No. 1 hit on the charts and eventually led to a career total of sixteen in that position.

The neo-traditional tune reinvents the standard tropes of a cheating song by displaying the complicated journey of a long term relationship. Travis is neither the louse nor the hero but simply a man making a choice based on his values. With such a rich catalog, ‘On the Other Hand’ always stands out as an early example of Travis’ innate abilities as an emotive storyteller.

- SC

Reba McEntire - How Blue

The opening track of Reba McEntire's 1984 album, My Kind of Country, kicked off a bold collection of songs with a more traditional sound for McEntire as she departed from the more pop-orientated production of her previous albums and embraced the burgeoning neo-traditionalism of artists like George Strait and Ricky Skaggs.

The album helped McEntire to win the CMA award for Female Vocalist of the Year, an award she would win for the next four years as the reigning queen of '80s country.

- JO

Patty Loveless - If My Heart Had Windows

While ‘If My Heart Had Windows’ was first recorded by George Jones in 1967 and covered endlessly for years after, it would be Patty Loveless’ 1988 rendition that turned the Dallas Frazier-penned number into an enduring classic.

Loveless would release the weepy waltz on her sophomore album of the same name, and the cover would earn her first career Top 10 on the Hot Country charts where it peaked at No. 10.

‘If My Heart Had Windows’ would open the door for innumerable Loveless hits to follow, but, today, her version of the now-standard continues to endure.

- AP

Lyle Lovett - If I Had A Boat

While it originally wasn’t met with the acclaim we feel it deserved, we’re still hard-pressed to name a more iconic tune than Lyle Lovett’s ‘If I Had a Boat’.

Released in 1988 as the opening number of his sophomore studio album, Pontiac, the dazzling tune never entered the Top 40 on the Hot Country Songs chart, stalling at No. 66. Still, it has gone on to grace several film and television soundtracks, the wistful number able to score any life-affirming montage and aim straight for the heart while at it.

'If I Had a Boat’ undoubtedly deserves a place among these ‘80s country classics and a spot on your personal playlists, too.

- AP

Nanci Griffith - From a Distance

Initially penned in 1985 by singer-songwriter Julie Gold, you may know this classic hit from the mega-successful 1990 cover by Bette Midler. The original crooner for the tune, though, is none other than Nanci Griffith.

Included on her 1987 album, Lone Star State of Mind, Griffith's recording of the song only charted in Ireland, where it spent 17 non-consecutive weeks on the chart before eventually peaking at No. 9.

While today the song could be interpreted as being extremely political, with references to war, guns, poverty and religion, Griffith has explained that, at its core, the simple piano ballad is simply about the difference between how things might appear and how they really are.

- LF

Dan Seals and Marie Osmond - Meet Me in Montana

This 1985 Billboard Hot Country Songs No. 1 revolves around a distinctly country storyline, with two lovers going their separate ways to chase down their dreams, but promising to make their way back to one another in the future.

The achingly bittersweet feel of the lyrics and Dan Seals and Marie Osmond’s impassioned delivery means you can’t help but desperately root for the couple to stay together.

Written by Paul Davis, ‘Meet Me in Montana’ zeroes in on that unique emotional space that only country is able to convey as viscerally as this–when a break-up is inevitably looming, despite there still being love present, as that love isn’t quite strong enough to pull the protagonists away from their ambitions.

- MM

Alabama - If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)

They may be the Yellowhammer State’s finest but Alabama put aside their geographical loyalties to pay tribute to Texas and its love of traditional instruments in this 1984 track.

Giving away everything upfront, it’s a straight-talking shot of wisdom on making music in the lone star state, where the rules are simple; get a fiddle or get out of town.

The song was originally released as a B-side on their 8th album Roll On but ending up being one of its most popular tracks and part of a wild run of success for the band in the '80s which included tracks as enduring as 'Love In The First Degree' and 'Dixieland Delight.'

At first the track seems curiously devoid of fiddle, leaving the listener to wonder if the band have taken their own advice. Not to fret, though, with the instrument simply biding its time until it begins to spill out in frantic bursts amidst the band’s classic Southern Rock sensibilities reminding us that it’s true what they say; you don’t mess with Texas.

- HS

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fishin' in the Dark

“Lazy yellow moon comin' up tonight / Shinin' through the trees/ Crickets are singin' and lightning bugs / Are floatin' on the breeze, baby get ready.”

It’s hard to imagine another song opening that could produce such visceral imagery of a country summer night than Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ‘Fishin’ in the Dark.’ All city and country folk alike can relate to that transitional magic of day turning to night especially when sitting next to the possibilities of new romance.

From the thumping guitar to Jimmy Ibbotson’s stirring vocals, it’s not a surprise that the song stood out on the band’s seventeenth album, Hold On. The Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo penned tune reached the height of the Billboard Country charts in 1987 and eventually would become the band’s signature song.

- SC

Keith Whitley - Miami, My Amy

Sometimes a song that defined one decade finds a new lease of life years later in a completely different one when a new generation of country fans rediscovers the song.

So it was with Keith Whitley's 'Miami, My Amy,' which began trending on TikTok when users began posting nostalgic videos set to the song in the spring of 2022, 37 years after the song originally became a hit in 1985.

Taken from the album L.A. to Miami, the song tells the story of a man who returns to LA after he has fallen hard for a woman called Amy in Miami only for her to call him and convince him to get straight back on a flight to Miami again as soon as he lands.

It became Whitley's first Top 40 country hit on that chart, peaking at No. 14 in early 1986 and set the stage for the Kentucky native to dominate the country charts with his blend of Appalachian bluegrass and neo-traditional honky tonk for the next few years.

- JO

Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson - Pancho and Lefty

First, we need to get past the fact that two of the greatest country artists of all time paired up for this song.

Now that we've had a moment to thank the country music gods, 'Pancho and Lefty' is a standard case of a cover going absolutely feral and giving a song a second life.

Written and originally released by Townes Van Zandt is 1972, it's this 1983 cover by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard that have cemented 'Pancho and Lefty' into the history books... and its the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020.

Reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the vocals were impressively recorded in one take on a random night, with the pair of legends introducing us to Lefty, a rambling soul, and Pancho, a Mexican bandit.

While the tale is unfortunate in the end, the song is simply iconic.

- LF

Alan Jackson - Chasin' That Neon Rainbow

"Just trying to be somebody / Just wanna be heard and seen / I'm chasing that neon rainbow / Living that honky-tonk dream."

It's a tale as old as time. Artists singing about the plights, pitfalls and bliss of choosing a life as an entertainer. Written by Alan Jackson and Jim McBride, the tune was released on Jackson's Here in the Real World record and eventually peaked at No. 2 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

Taking listeners through his journey of cutting teeth in smoky bars and honky tonks around the south despite his loved ones encouraging him to hang up his hat.

Lucky for us, Jackson's stars aligned as he eventually found the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow he was chasing.

- LF

Ricky Skaggs - Country Boy

“Show me where I start / Find a horse and cart / I’m just a country boy, / Country boy at heart…”

Ricky Skaggs’ break-neck bluegrass epic ‘Country Boy’ is an ‘80s country classic if we’ve ever heard one.

Penned by Tony Colton, Albert Lee and Ray Smith, the 1985 tune was far from Skagg’s first No. 1 hit. In fact, the multi-instrumentalist had notched around a dozen chart-toppers during this decade alone. ‘Country Boy’ is still among his most enduring, the racing opus acting as a striking showcase of Skaggs’ unparalleled musicianship.

During an era rife with songs about country boys (i.e. ‘A Country Boy Can Survive’ and ‘A Few Ole Country Boys’), Skaggs’ hit goes toe-to-toe with them all.

- AP

Dolly Parton - Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That

Hard as it is to believe, Dolly Parton’s career hasn’t always been solid country gold.

Following the critical and commercial disappointment of 1987’s pop-country effort, Rainbow, Parton made a prudent decision to return to her country roots. 1989’s White Limozeen helped to revitalise Dolly’s career, spawning the No. 1 hits 'Yellow Roses' and 'Why’d You Come In Here Lookin' Like That.'

With a vocal more ferocious than Parton's usual trills, even accompanied by the odd growl, the tune’s theatrical instrumentation of chorus-ending guitar punches that sound like a full stop on a rollercoaster is the perfect match for the heart-quickening longing of the story, which sees Dolly struck down by a case of undying love for an unfaithful lothario clad in skintight jeans.

Cheerful even in heartbreak, it’s Parton at her most relatable.

- HS

The Judds - Mama He's Crazy

During the height of his songwriting pinnacle, Kenny O’Dell wrote hits for the likes of Charlie Rich, Loretta Lynn and Tanya Tucker. One of his most revered cuts, though, was for a little known mother and daughter duo named The Judds.

‘Mama He’s Crazy’ was first introduced to the world on the duo’s extended play Wynonna & Naomi and then again on their groundbreaking full length debut Why Not Me? in 1984. The pure coming-of-age tale immediately plucked the heart strings of listeners and became their first of eight continuous hit singles.

Listening to that soaring chorus where their voices combine in perfect crystalline harmony it's easy to see why the Recording Academy awarded them the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1985.

A treasured classic of hopeful love from the best female duo of all time.

- SC

The Highwaymen - Highwayman

Although this legendary track has become inextricably associated with the supergroup of the same name, comprising Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, ‘Highwayman’ was actually recorded twice prior to this star-studded quartet getting their hands on it.

Originally written and recorded by Jimmy Webb in 1977 about a jarring dream he had about being reincarnated as a bandit, ‘Highwayman’ was then covered by Glen Campbell two years later.

Having the four different voices in the mix brings a whole new sense of personality to each character in this vibrant track, which follows a protagonist looking back at a series of past lives he’s lived. The atmospheric, almost eerie instrumental helps to highlight the otherworldly, Wild-West-inspired feel of the song.

It served as the enchanting title-track for the iconic debut album by The Highwaymen.

- MM

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

Released in October 1988, the title track to Steve Earle's third studio album, 'Copperhead Road' raised the bar for county rock in the '80s with its blend of heavy metal and traditional bluegrass indebted country.

Similarly to rousing, stadium sized heartland rock albums like Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. and John Cougar Mellencamp's Scarecrow, the lyrics of 'Copperhead Road' looked at the way working-class Americans struggle against the establishment as Earle tells a story of a soldier returning from Vietnam to a family moonshine business along the Copperhead Road, a real road in East Tennessee where moonshine was made and two generations later, marijuana was grown.

In 2023, the Tennessee General Assembly passed an act recognizing the song as the 11th official state song of the state.

- JO

Lucinda Williams - Passionate Kisses

Originally released in 1989 as the fourth single from Lucinda Williams' self-titled third album, 'Passionate Kisses' wouldn't win a Grammy until four years later when Mary Chapin Carpenter picked up the awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song in 1994.

"Is it too much to ask?" Williams implores society. "I want a comfortable bed that won't hurt my back / Food to fill me up and warm clothes and all that stuff / Shouldn't I have this?

A jangly alt-country feminist anthem about there being no shame in wanting to have it all and a call for women to believe they have the right to demand more from society, 'Passionate Kisses,' along with the album it was taken from, signified a turning point for like-minded left-leaning country traditionalists who didn't quite fit the Nashville mould and is often credited as being a key release in the development of the Americana movement.

Lines like,"I shout it out to the night / Give me what I deserve 'cause it's my right / Shouldn't I have all of this, and passionate kisses?" feel as prescient and timely as they did 35 years ago as women's rights get rolled back all over the world.

- JO

Hank Williams Jr. - A Country Boy Can Survive

In some ways, 'A Country Boy Can Survive' walked so that Jason Aldean's 'Try That In A Small Town' could run.

Clinging to a tried and true pillar of country music–that being that you have to defend your southern way of life against those darn city-dwellers–this Hank Williams Jr. tune has become one of his signature hits and a calling card for proud country folks everywhere.

Warning of all the perceived dangers found in cities and urbanized areas, 'A Country Boy Can Survive' underlines all the ways in which American lifestyles have changed while encouraging the "country boys" to continue living off the land and doing their country boy thing.

Written and recorded by Bocephus in 1982, the song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles. Following the terrorist attack in New York City on September 11, Williams released a reimagined version called 'American Will Survive.'

- LF

Juice Newton - Queen of Hearts

When you think of ‘80s country, maybe Juice Newton doesn’t immediately come to mind, but she should.

The ethereal pop vocalist of ‘Angel of the Morning’ fame had a number of successes on the Hot Country chart, one of them being the rollicking ‘Queen of Hearts’. Released in 1981, her version of the Dave Edmunds tune would become a massive crossover hit, finding a home in pop, country and Adult Contemporary charts. The song would go on to meet global success, entering the Top 10 in countries like Australia, Canada, Denmark, South Africa, Switzerland and beyond.

Next time those scratchy strings and that barreling rhythm meet your ears, remember that Juice Newton and ‘Queen of Hearts’ are just as country as the next hit.

- AP

Reba McEntire - Whoever's In New England

One song can change the course of an artist’s career, and so it was for Reba McEntire.

McEntire had been steadily rolling out country tunes for a decade, with a string of Top 10 hits and accolades from the CMA, but it wasn’t until the release of her ninth album, Whoever’s In New England, in 1986 that the foundations of her status as a modern day country music icon truly began to be laid.

In this gentle, piano sprinkled track that allows McEntire to lean into the softer folds of her voice, she sings of the pain of loving a man who spends just a tad too much time "on business" in New England, leaving her to wonder who, rather than what, might be keeping him there. Unable to break free, she vows to keep her home and heart open to him, whenever he finishes his business up north.

Part of a unique musical lineage, the song was supposedly partly inspired by Barry Manilow’s 'Weekend In New England', whilst it in turn may also have inspired Sugarland’s 'Stay', told from the perspective of the other woman. Regardless of its journey, the song remains a timeless example of the importance of ‘place’ in country music songwriting and, for McEntire, a career propelling classic.

- HS

Kathy Mattea - Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses

On her fourth studio album, Untasted Honey, Mattea finally received the chart success that her warm voiced talent so richly deserved. Launched behind hit lead single ‘Goin’ Gone,’ ‘Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses’ would achieve the same success but secure itself as her longest career tenure on the charts.

On the beloved classic, Mattea imbues her tender storytelling to celebrate long time truck driver Charlie’s transition from the road to being back at home with his beloved.

Her bluegrass and folk sensibilities shine across this innocent story of sacrifice and steadfast commitment. When she sings, “With pieces of the old dream / They're gonna light the old flame” it's hard not to cheer for this love story as we envision Charlie pulling into the driveway for the final time.

- SC

George Strait - The Chair

One of the most lustrous gems in George Strait’s expansive catalogue of chart-toppers, ‘The Chair’ was penned by two songwriting maestros, Hank Cochran and Dean Dillon. Arriving in 1985, ‘The Chair’ surged to No. 1 on both the US and Canadian country charts, and remains a touchstone for neo-traditional ballads.

The beauty of ‘The Chair’ is the fact that there is no hook, with the entirety of the song following a flirtatious yet polite exchange between a man and a woman in a bar, who accidentally – or, at least, that’s how it seems at first – end up at the same table. Cochran and Dillon capture the conversational element of ‘The Chair’ perfectly, with one of the best lines undoubtedly being the amusing, “Well, thank you, could I drink you a buy? / Oh, listen to me, what I mean is, can I buy you a drink? / Anything you please”.

While ‘The Chair’ is laced with songwriting magic, it wouldn’t shine in the way it does without Strait’s delivery, with the King of Country striking his signature balance between endearing innocence and rakish charm.

- MM

Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind

While Willie Nelson’s songwriting chops are second to none, his cover of ‘Always On My Mind’ showcases why Nelson has also secured his status as one of the all-time great vocalists.

Originally popularised by Elvis Presley in 1972, Nelson took a swing at the bittersweet, heartfelt ballad ten years later. Accompanied by evocative keys and the faint cry of steel, Willie Nelson gives ‘Always On My Mind’ a distinctly conversational ambience, making the listener feel as though they’re eavesdropping on a break-up confessional.

It’s a sparse, intricate offering that harks back to one of Willie Nelson’s earliest triumphs, ‘Crazy’, with ‘Always On My Mind’ deservedly picking up a trio of Grammy Awards in 1982 for Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Male Country Vocal Performance.

- MM

Conway Twitty - Tight Fittin' Jeans

One of the defining elements of '80s country was the way the stars of the '70s were forced to reinvent themselves to find success in the changed landscape.

While Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash struggled with glossier '80s production, other stars, like Dolly Parton, took country with her to the discos and then returned to her roots to take her rightful place among the country traditionalists, while Kenny Rogers embraced the soulful side of early '80s easy listening to great effect.

Conway Twitty, who first found fame in the '50s and '60s with a blend of rockabilly and countrypolitan and was still having hits at the end of the '70s, didn't look like being such an easy fit as '80s began.

It turned out to be the decade that gave Twitty some of his biggest, most well loved and innovative hits as he embraced '70s disco soul and country funk on hits like 'I'd Love To Lay You Down' and a countryfied cover of the Pointer Sisters' 'Slowhand.'

Released in June 1981 as the first single from the album Mr. T, 'Tight Fittin' Jeans' was Twitty's 26th No. 1 on the country chart and remains a solid country funk classic over 40 years later.

- JO

Randy Travis - Forever and Ever, Amen

"I'm gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, amen."

More than just an iconic song from the '80s, Randy Travis' 'Forever and Ever, Amen' might be one of the most iconic country love songs of all time.

Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz–a pairing whose pedigrees include hit songs for the likes of Alabama, Keith Whitley, Kenny Rogers, the Judds and countless others during this time period–the idea spawned from Schlitz's son who would utter the hook to his mother after his nightly prayers.

Coming together in just a matter of days–from writing, recording the demo and pitching it to Warner Bros.–the song fell into the capable hands of Randy Travis, who released the song in March of 1987.

Within three months, the song surged to the top of the Billboard country charts, spending three weeks at No. 1. 'Forever and Ever, Amen' also went on to win the Best Country & Western Song at the 1988 Grammy Awards, as well as Song of the Year at both the CMA and ACM Awards.

While Travis has been unable to perform the song himself sense his stroke in 2013, he has often treated audiences to delivering the final "Amen" during performances over the years, and we can only hope there will be plenty more amens to come.

- LF

The Oak Ridge Boys - Elvira

“Elvira, Elvira, My heart's on fire for Elvira / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / High-ho silver, away...”

From its hiccuping chorus to its rich harmonies throughout, ‘Elvira’ is a bonafide classic. Few country songs have come to define a decade, or even an outfit’s entire catalogue, quite like The Oak Ridge Boys’ 1981 opus.

The chug-a-lugging tune, written by Dallas Frazier, would single-handedly catapult the long-standing vocal quartet from a Southern gospel staple to mainstream country elites.

The song would not only become a Hot Country No. 1, it would cross over into Adult Contemporary and find a place on the cross-genre Billboard Hot 100. Today, Elvira still stands as the group’s biggest hit.

- AP

Dolly Parton - 9 to 5

If the theme of this pop-country crossover smash feels eerily resonant to anyone who’s felt the pain and repetition of endless years of slogging for the man, there’s a reason why Dolly Parton was able to land her 1980 hit quite so close to the bone.

The song, and the film of the same name that it was written for, were inspired by true events and the work of 9 to 5, the National Association of Working Women, who know more than enough about the bossman’s ladder.

The grin-and-bear-it cheeriness of the jangly tune scored Parton an Oscar nomination and three Grammy Awards, topping both the country chart and the Billboard Hot 100 and, like many of Parton’s hits, continues to be reinterpreted to this day, having most recently been interpolated on Pitbull’s 2024 song 'Powerful Women', which featured a new verse from Parton herself.

Dolly’s actual life might be light years away from the reality of working 9 to 5, but the song’s exemplification of her ability to connect to and beautify even the most humdrum of human existences is a prime example of why she’s one of our greatest storytellers.

- HS

Eddie Rabbitt - I Love A Rainy Night

Co-written with Even Stevens and David Malloy, the second single from Rabbitt’s sixth studio album, Horizon, in 1980 would become a crossover No. 1 smash on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles, Adult Contemporary Singles and Hot 100 charts. With a swayable beat, Rabbit’s smooth vocals cast a spell to celebrate one of life’s simplest joys.

The contributions of Rabbitt to the genre are sometimes overlooked due to a few traditionalists believing his sound was more pop influenced than country. Though within the first few seconds of his 1984 Austin City Limits performance of this hit no one can possibly deny his appeal and effortless talent. As the camera pans to the audience, it’s clear they don’t just love the drizzle but the electrifying sizzle of Rabbitt himself.

- SC

Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs

While many of his contemporaries were slowing down the tempo and mimicking the lonesome, steel-backed laments of George Strait, Dwight Yoakam stayed true to his distinctive Rockabilly style throughout the ‘80s.

‘Guitars, Cadillacs’ remains the Kentucky native’s biggest hit to date, rising to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. The joyously twangy bass is the cornerstone of this uptempo earworm, with Yoakam’s commanding vocals keeping the energy high throughout this playful anthem.

There’s always a casual, off-hand air about Yoakam’s delivery, which lights up ‘Guitars, Cadillacs’ and accentuates the appealingly light, jovial atmosphere of the track, despite being a song about heartbreak.

- MM

Rosanne Cash - Seven Year Ache

It was no surprise when the first single and title track from Rosanne Cash's 1981 album crossed over and became, not just a hit on the US Country chart, but reached No. 22 on the Billboard Pop Chart. Rodney Crowell's radio-friendly production draws as much from new wave pop and late 7'0s FM rock as it does the more straight up country of Cash's 1979 debut.

Originally written as a poem by Rosanne Cash in 1979, 'Seven Year Ache' tells the semi-auto-biographical story of two lovers who fight, break up, then get back together again, and was written after Cash had an argument with her husband Crowell at a French restaurant on Ventura Boulevard.

It presumably takes its title from the George Axelrod play, The Seven Year Itch, which popularised the idea that seven years into a relationship, men start get itchy feet and stray outside the relationship. Marilyn Monroe starred in the 1955 film version along with Tom Ewell from the original broadway version as they brought the romantic comedy to the big screen.

With its stylish insouciance and effortless cool it set a template for pop country as it took on on the more polished production sound of the '80s pop mainstream to ensure its survival.

- JO

Clint Black - Killin’ Time

Released in the summer of 1989, ‘Killin‘ Time’ continued the momentum following Clint Black’s break-out hit, ‘A Better Man’. Both tracks appear on the neo-traditional crooner’s celebrated debut album, with ‘A Better Man‘ and ‘Killin’ Time’ slotting in at No. 1 and No. 2 on Billboard’s Year-End Hot Country Singles Chart, respectively.

‘Killin’ Time’ tips its Stetson to George Strait’s '80s gold standard, with Black’s charismatic, honeyed vocals gliding smoothly across an undulating, steel-drenched instrumental. The track pivots around a simple yet irresistible piece of wordplay, as Black leans on the age-old country staple of drowning his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey.

As was also the case with ‘A Better Man’, Black penned ‘Killin’ Time’ alongside Hayden Nicholas.

- MM

Steve Earle - Guitar Town

"Hey pretty baby, are you ready for me," Steve Earle asked us on the title track to his 1986 debut album, Guitar Town. "It's your good rockin' daddy down from Tennessee."

Written almost as a perfunctory opener for both the album and his live show, it ended up being lifted off Guitar Town as a single and country fans responded with a resounding "Yes we are!" to his question. The album topped the Billboard Country Albums chart, and Earle was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1987–Best Male Country Vocalist and Best Country Song, for the title track.

'Guitar Town' is the CB handle for the city of Nashville, and although the song is, to all intents and purposes, a fairly straight forward road song, it's Earle's poeticism that lifts it up to being an almost existential treatise on the realities of seeking out fame and fortune.

It's the song that kicked it all off for Earle in the '80s as he spearheaded a new wave of neo-traditionalist country and found a success that wouldn't always sit well with him throughout the rest of the decade.

- JO

Keith Whitley - When You Say Nothing At All

The '80s gave us many things.

The Walkman, Princess Diana, MTV, the Rubik's Cube, Atari, Taylor Swift... yet none of that holds a candle to this song of a generation.

Penned by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz–a pairing that may sound familiar if you re-read No. 13 on this list–'When You Say Nothing At All' has lived many lives since it was first recorded in 1988. Most famously, though, it was recorded by the late great Keith Whitley, who cut the tune before anyone else and took the song all the way to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for two weeks.

The follow-up to Whitley's instant hit, 'Don't Close Your Eyes,' the now Platinum-certified song shouldn't have been anything special. At 213 words–119 if you're only counting the chorus once–even the song's writers didn't think it was anything to write home about, yet there's something about Whitley's delivery that has made it one of the most enduring love songs in country music history.

- LF

George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today

The greatest country song ever written certainly claimed its lauded title by the inventive storytelling of legendary songwriters Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman. Though, no one could argue that the song would have reached those heights without the vocal interpretation of country icon George Jones.

Jones infused the tragic tale of unrequited love with his octave defying abilities while displaying begrudging heartbreak that was clearly channeled from his own real life experiences at the time.

While many have considered doing so, few artists have dared to cover such sacred ground as ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ because upon each listen it's evident that the song belongs to Jones and Jones alone.

The only interpretation that came close to reaching those powerful heights was from fellow country legend Alan Jackson who covered it with respectful grace at Jones’ funeral in 2013, a fitting farewell for such a storied artist.

- SC

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Islands In The Stream

How many songs can say they were written by the Bee Gees, named after an Ernest Hemingway novel, initially intended for Diana Ross or Marvin Gaye and eventually went on to become one of the most recognisable country songs of all time that also instigated a lifelong musical and personal relationship between two of the genre’s greatest icons?

Perhaps this unique accolade belongs solely to 1983’s Kenny Rogers-Dolly Parton duet 'Islands In The Stream', taken from Rogers’ album Eyes That See In The Dark. The pride of karaoke machines everywhere, the tune was one of a string of duets between the pair that saw them performing together until just three years before Rogers’ death in 2020.

With its quirky lyrics ("I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb"), devoted singalong proclamations of love and cheerful pop production, it’s a true classic of the genre.

- HS

The Judds - Why Not Me

The bigger the hair, the bigger hit. In the 1980s, few country acts achieved greater success at both than The Judds.

Their magnetic 1984 ballad ‘Why Not Me’ is just one example of the mother-daughter duo’s early career accomplishments. The pleading foot-tapper, penned by songwriters Harlan Howard, Sonny Throckmorton and Brent Maher, secured the pair their second No. 1 hit after ‘Mama He's Crazy’, released the same year.

‘Why Not Me’, with its scrappy beat, deft strings and enticing harmonies, would mark the beginning, the hit opening the floodgates for many more Judd classics to rush in and define a decade.

- AP

George Strait - Amarillo By Morning

It’s hard enough to sift through his 60 No. 1 hits and attempt to pick ‘the best George Strait song’–ut when you have iconic tracks like ‘Amarillo By Morning’, which bizarrely never made it to the top of the charts, the task becomes nigh impossible.

Nonetheless, ‘Amarillo By Morning’ is undoubtedly one of the King of Country’s most iconic anthems, with the fiddle-backed ode finding Strait showing off his enchanting vocals, as he steps into the shoes of a weather-worn, downtrodden rodeo cowboy. It feels like the spiritual precursor to another Strait classic, ‘I Can Still Make Cheyenne’.

Released in 1982 as part of the Texan’s Strait From The Heart album, ‘Amarillo By Morning’ was actually recorded almost ten years earlier by one of the writers, Terry Stafford, before being popularised by Strait.

The lyric “I ain’t rich, but Lord, I’m free” has become something of a battle-cry for the rodeo lifestyle.

- MM