80s Country Music

How this sound was built

25 essential tracks

Listed in release order. Tap a title to play it, or play all 25 in a row.

1. 1. On the Road Again — Willie Nelson (1980)

   Willie Nelson wrote it for the film Honeysuckle Rose, supposedly on an airplane sick bag. It reached No. 1 on the country chart and No. 20 on the Hot 100, and it won the Grammy for Best Country Song. It is still the song people think of when they think of Willie on tour.

2. 2. Lookin' for Love — Johnny Lee (1980)

   The breakout hit from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. Johnny Lee was the house singer at Gilley's, the Texas club where the film was shot, and this song spent three weeks at No. 1 country and reached No. 5 on the Hot 100. "Lookin' for love in all the wrong places" became a catchphrase.

3. 3. Stand by Me — Mickey Gilley (1980)

   Mickey Gilley owned the honky-tonk that Urban Cowboy made famous, and his country version of the Ben E. King classic was one of the soundtrack's big singles. It went to No. 1 on the country chart and crossed into the pop Top 40. Gilley had a string of country chart-toppers in the early 80s.

4. 4. Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) — Waylon Jennings (1980)

   Waylon Jennings was the unseen narrator of The Dukes of Hazzard, and he wrote and sang its theme. Released as a single, it went to No. 1 on the country chart and reached No. 21 on the Hot 100, the biggest pop hit of his career.

5. 5. I Love a Rainy Night — Eddie Rabbitt (1980)

   Built on finger snaps and a rockabilly beat, it reached No. 1 on the country, pop and adult contemporary charts in early 1981. Few country songs of the decade crossed over so completely. Eddie Rabbitt wrote it with Even Stevens and David Malloy.

6. 6. Tennessee River — Alabama (1980)

   Alabama's first No. 1 country single, and the start of one of the longest runs of consecutive chart-toppers in country history. Randy Owen wrote it about growing up near the river in Fort Payne, Alabama. The fiddle breakdown at the end made it a concert favourite.

7. 7. I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool — Barbara Mandrell (1981)

   A sly reply to the Urban Cowboy fad from a singer who had been playing country since childhood. George Jones joins her on the last lines. It went to No. 1 country in 1981, the same year Mandrell won her second straight CMA Entertainer of the Year award.

8. 8. Love Will Turn You Around — Kenny Rogers (1982)

   Kenny Rogers co-wrote and sang this title song for Six Pack, his first starring film role, where he played a stock car driver. It went to No. 1 on the country and adult contemporary charts and into the pop Top 20. Rogers was one of the best-selling artists of any genre in the early 80s.

9. 9. Any Day Now — Ronnie Milsap (1982)

   A Burt Bacharach song first recorded by Chuck Jackson in 1962. Ronnie Milsap, blind since birth and a trained pianist, turned it into a smooth country-pop ballad that topped both the country and adult contemporary charts. It shows how far Nashville leaned toward pop in the early 80s.

10. 10. Amarillo by Morning — George Strait (1982)

    A song about a rodeo rider with nothing left but his pride, first recorded by Terry Stafford, who co-wrote it. George Strait's version only reached No. 4, but it became one of his most loved recordings. Its fiddle and plain delivery pointed the way to the neotraditional revival.

11. 11. Pancho and Lefty — Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard (1983)

    Townes Van Zandt wrote this ballad about a Mexican bandit and the friend who betrayed him. Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard recorded it for their duet album of the same name, and it went to No. 1 country in 1983. Their weathered voices suit the song perfectly.

12. 12. A Little Good News — Anne Murray (1983)

    Canada's Anne Murray sings about wishing for one day without bad headlines. It went to No. 1 on the country chart, won her the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, and was named Single of the Year by the Country Music Association.

13. 13. Highway 40 Blues — Ricky Skaggs (1983)

    Ricky Skaggs grew up playing bluegrass and brought its mandolin and tight harmonies to mainstream country radio. This Larry Cordle song went to No. 1 country in 1983. Skaggs was named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1985, a sign that traditional sounds were winning again.

14. 14. All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight — Hank Williams Jr. (1984)

    A party song whose video was full of famous friends, and a Top 10 country hit in 1984. In 1989 Hank Williams Jr. rewrote it as the opening theme for Monday Night Football, "Are You Ready for Some Football?", which he sang for more than twenty years.

15. 15. Highwayman — The Highwaymen (1985)

    Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson each sing one verse of Jimmy Webb's song, as a highwayman, a sailor, a dam builder and a starship captain. It went to No. 1 on the country chart and won Webb the Grammy for Best Country Song.

16. 16. Whoever's in New England — Reba McEntire (1986)

    A woman waits at home while her husband keeps flying to Boston "on business". It was Reba McEntire's first music video and went to No. 1 on the country chart, and it won her the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. It made her a superstar.

17. 17. On the Other Hand — Randy Travis (1986)

    When it first came out in 1985 it stalled at No. 67. After "1982" became a hit, the label re-released it and it went to No. 1 in 1986. Randy Travis's deep baritone and plain traditional sound made him the face of the neotraditional movement.

18. 18. Honky Tonk Man — Dwight Yoakam (1986)

    Dwight Yoakam's first single was a Johnny Horton song from 1956, played with the twangy Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens. It reached No. 3 on the country chart. Yoakam had built his following in Los Angeles rock clubs, and he brought a punk energy to classic honky-tonk.

19. 19. All My Ex's Live in Texas — George Strait (1987)

    A western swing song about a man who moved to Tennessee to escape his former wives. It went to No. 1 on the country chart. Its album, Ocean Front Property, was the first album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.

20. 20. Fishin' in the Dark — Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1987)

    The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had been around since the 60s, but this summery love song gave them a No. 1 country hit in 1987. Written by Wendy Waldman and Jim Photoglo, it became a singalong at weddings and summer festivals and was certified platinum decades later.

21. 21. Copperhead Road — Steve Earle (1988)

    The story of three generations of an Appalachian family, from moonshiners to a Vietnam veteran growing marijuana. Steve Earle mixed bagpipes, mandolin and hard rock guitars, and the song became a rock radio staple and a line-dance classic. Country radio mostly avoided it.

22. 22. I'm Down to My Last Cigarette — k.d. lang (1988)

    k.d. lang grew up in Consort, Alberta, and for her album Shadowland she worked with Owen Bradley, who had produced Patsy Cline. This torchy song shows off the voice that later took her into pop. She went on to win Grammys in both country and pop.

23. 23. The Bluest Eyes in Texas — Restless Heart (1988)

    Restless Heart had smooth harmonies and a clean, radio-friendly sound that looked ahead to 90s country. This song about a lost love in Texas went to No. 1 on the country chart in 1988, one of a string of No. 1 hits for the group in the late 80s.

24. 24. There's a Tear in My Beer — Hank Williams Jr. & Hank Williams Sr. (1989)

    Hank Williams Sr. recorded a demo of this song around 1950 but never released it. In 1989 his son added his own vocal to make a duet, with a video that put the two of them on screen together. It won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.

25. 25. Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That — Dolly Parton (1989)

    After years of pop crossover records, Dolly Parton went back to country with the album White Limozeen, produced by Ricky Skaggs. This playful song about a flirt in tight jeans went to No. 1 on the country chart in 1989.

Where to go next

• The Urban Cowboy soundtrack
• 80s love songs
• 80s rock and roll
• The 80s hits mix
• Build your own 80s country playlist

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