3 Classic Country Songs and the Modern Hits They Inspired

These songs aren’t exactly sanctioned sequels to classic country songs, but they serve the same function. Like most artists, the three contemporary country stars below took notes from those who came before them. They wrote some of their biggest hits that way, creating spiritual successors to some of country’s most beloved classics.

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“Margaritaville” — Jimmy Buffett / “Drinkin’ Problem” — Midland

While this Midland country song wasn’t directly inspired by “Margaritaville”, there are some strong thematic connections between the two. Jimmy Buffett’s genre-bending hit talks about drinking your cares away in an island setting, while Midland’s track is for the honky tonks. Both capture similar ideals with breezy melodies.

This song feels like a natural successor to “Margaritaville”. If you’re looking for a more modern song to appease the escapist in you, there are few better choices. “They keep on talkin’ / Drawing conclusions / They call a problem, I call a solution,” the band sings in a tone that calls to mind Buffett’s earlier track.

“Strawberry Wine” — Deana Carter / “Watermelon Moonshine” — Lainey Wilson

Lainey Wilson’s “Watermelon Moonshine” is the modern equivalent to Deana Carter’s 1990s country staple. “Drinkin’ watermelon moonshine / We cut the burn with a little lime / Parkin’ back in them cuts of our / I was his and every bit of that boy was mine,” Wilson sings, meandering over old memories.

Carter’s song is much the same. “It’s funny how those memories they last / Like strawberry wine and seventeen / The hot July moon saw everything,” she sings in the chorus. Carter looks back on one of her first loves, revealing her own coming-of-age story. Wilson picked up that baton years later, delivering a hit just as nostalgic and relatable as the one that came before.

“Chattahoochee” — Alan Jackson / “Sounds Like The Radio” — Zach Top

Without Alan Jackson, there would be no Zach Top. The younger artist knows it. He often praises the country icon, celebrating him as a major influence. We can see that connection when we listen to Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” and “Sounds Like The Radio” back to back.

These songs connect more through sound than theme. It’s not a one-to-one remake, but there is no doubt that Jackson’s spirit rings through this modern country hit. Top even references it in the opening line, saying, “Well, the day I was born the doc couldn’t believe
I came out cryin’ Chattahoochee.”

(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)