In my opinion, the 1980s were the most criminally underrated of all decades when it comes to country music. A ton of great songs dropped in the 80s that were once honky-tonk favorites. And while some of those songs were charting hits, others were not, and many of them have been left in “deep cut” territory after all these years. The youngest among us should refresh their memories, don’t you agree? Let’s take a look at just a few country deep cuts and forgotten hits from the 1980s that should be in the theoretical Honky-Tonk Hall of Fame!
“I’ll Always Come Back” by K. T. Oslin from ‘80’s Ladies’ (1988)
“I’ll always come back / Come back, baby to you / I’ll always run back / Straight to you.”
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This song by K. T. Oslin was quite a hit back in the day, but it has since fallen into deep cut territory. I don’t really remember the last time I heard it on country radio. But “I’ll Always Come Back” was a smash hit for Oslin in 1988. It topped both the US and Canadian country charts.
“Back To The Barrooms Again” by Merle Haggard from ‘Back To The Barrooms’ (1980)
“Now it’s back to the barrooms / Right back to drinking again / Maybe someday you’ll love me / Enough to stay with me.”
This one’s a true deep cut. “Back To The Barrooms Again” by Merle Haggard is the title track of his 1980 album Back To The Barrooms. However, it was never released as a single. And yet, it remains on par with songs like “Misery And Gin” and “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink”. I’m honestly surprised Haggard didn’t opt to give this one the single treatment, considering how popular it was at honky-tonks back in the day.
“Girls Ride Horses Too” by Judy Rodman from ‘A Place Called Love’ (1987)
“He rode away in a cloud of dust / Chasin’ Laredo and Lady Luck / His bags were full of who knows what? / I knew what I had to do / Girls ride horses too.”
Remember this Judy Rodman hit? This entry on our list of country deep cuts from the 1980s did well on the country charts. It reached No. 7 on the US country chart, in fact. However, nowadays, it usually loses out in favor of Rodman’s bigger hits like “Until I Met You” and “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight”. That’s a bummer in my book, as “Girls Ride Horses Too” is an excellent anthem suitable for any honky-tonk gathering.
(Photo by Oscar Abolafia/TPLP/Getty Images)
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