All-Time Favorite Country Music Songs (Opinion)

Country music is a popular genre of music found primarily in the United States and Canada.

By Terry MansfieldPublished 2 years ago • 4 min read

Country music superstar Garth Brooks performing. By Steve Jurvetson - edited by CPacker - CC BY 2.0.

Country music has roots in southern gospel and American blues, but the genre now includes many sub-genres. For example, country rock and classic country diverge from the traditional country genre with their steel guitars and stringed instruments. Songs typically deal with love, loss, heartbreak, and strong social or religious values. While some people find the loud noise annoying, others find the heartfelt lyrics endearing.

Country music emerged from southern gospel and American blues during the 1910s. Initially, it was marketed to rural communities with records produced in DIY format by independent record companies. Eventually, major record companies started to produce country music as well. By then, fans looked for specific characteristics in their country singers. Songs typically deal with heartbreak as a subject. One early trend centered on death-related issues such as suicide or murder. Since country music began in the 1910s, many songs have dealt with heartbreak. However, uplifting songs also show fans can overcome adversity and find happiness again.

Country singers have a strong vocal style that relies heavily on vibrato--an effect created by bending your vocal cords back and forth. The steel guitar is typically used in country music; it's a steel stringed guitar with a flat wooden slab for a fingerboard and distortion capabilities comparable to a bendy steel guitar. Traditional country music also uses stringed instruments such as fiddles and banjos, which have different chordal rhythm patterns than other popular music genres. Traditional country music enthusiasts are known as 'old-timey' fans because they follow old standards set by ragtime musicians in the early 1900s. They also follow old folk traditions such as square dancing and hoe-downs that were popular among African Americans during their slavery days in the south.

Aspiring artists need to consider factors such as U.S. pop culture. Their popularity makes it possible for almost any aspiring country singer to become successful if they work hard enough. However, achieving superstar status is difficult; many successful country stars have achieved this through dedication to honing their craft over many years before achieving success. Some fans become passionate about particular artists or styles so much that they form fandoms around them- such is the case with Taylor Swift's 'heartthrob' fans who praise her poetic lyrics and teary-eyed emoting tendencies towards past relationships gone awry.

Country music has undergone several changes over the last 100 years or so since its inception. Many songs have explored heartbreak to give fans something to relate to. Popular artists command high fees and huge followings because their careers began decades ago. As traditional country music grows more popular, it could help revive some of these lost folk traditions that have fallen out of favor amongst some audiences for reasons unknown.

Some fans form passionate fandoms around certain artists or styles, giving them a platform for their work to be seen by large audiences. By helping them move past heartbreak, many fans find comfort in this genre's heartfelt lyrics that celebrate life's many forms of joys and sorrows alike.

Here are some of our all-time favorite country music songs:

1. "I'm A Man" - Keith Urban

2. "Boys Of Summer" - Kenny Chesney

3. "When I Get To Heaven" - Garth Brooks

4. "The River" - Brad Paisley

5. "Highwayman" - Rascal Flatts

6. "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)" - Eric Church

7. "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" - Toby Keith

8. "Backwoods" - Tim McGraw

9. "Crazy" - Taylor Swift

10. "Good Directions" - Jason Aldean

11. "Beer Money" - Luke Bryan