Some artists are so vulnerable that their songs feel like intimate diary entries. These kinds of artists tackle hard truths (either their own or through a fabricated story) that can make listeners feel emotionally wrecked. The three songs below are deeply personal. Whether it’s a true story from the artist themselves or fiction meant to convey a universal, vulnerable lesson, these 1990s country songs are as intimate as they get.
[RELATED: 3 Shenandoah Songs That Helped Shape 90s Country]
Videos by American Songwriter
“She Thinks His Name Was John” — Reba McEntire
“She let his smile just sweep her away / And in her heart, though she knew that it was wrong / But too much wine, and she left his bed at dawn / And she thinks his name was John,” the lyrics to this 1990s country song read. Reba McEntire tells a story about the painful reality of living with HIV in this track. It’s not McEntire’s story, but she relays it with a conviction that makes us feel the same power as a firsthand account.
“Now each day is one day that’s left in her life / She won’t know love, have a marriage, or sing lullabies,” the lyrics later on in the song read. It’s a heartbreaking track with no punches pulled. Listening to this song is like looking into the sun. It’s hard to do and painful to witness.
“I Can Still Make Cheyenne” — George Strait
George Strait has plenty of songs that feel deeply personal, but let’s revisit “I Can Still Make Cheyenne”. Like the first song on this list, this 1990s country song is from another point of view, but it’s familiar and earnest enough to feel like a firsthand account of heartbreak.
“She said, don’t bother comin’ home / By the time you get here I’ll be long gone / There’s somebody new and he sure ain’t no rodeo man,” the lyrics read, as the wife character in this song tells the husband not to bother leaving the rodeo life behind. Listening to this exchange feels like butting in on an intimate phone call between fracturing lovers.
“You Don’t Even Know Who I Am” — Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless’ “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am” captures a marriage with little to no love left in it.
Again, Loveless tells this painful story through a character’s eyes, but the lyrics are universal enough to feel vulnerable. This is the kind of effort that you can’t reach for all the time. You have to be emotionally prepared before you jump into it. “You don’t even know who I am / You left me a long time ago / You don’t even know who I am / So what do you care if I go,” she sings in this 1990s country song.
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Susan G. Komen)