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3 Country Songs Everyone Pretends They Don’t Love
We all have our guilty pleasure songs. We’re told these songs are embarrassing to like. They are either overplayed, cliché, or overly sentimental. Despite being told all of these things about the three country songs below, we still like them. You might not go around hyping up these hits, but deep down, you can’t deny their appeal.
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[RELATED: Luke Bryan Had a Massive Hit With This Song, After Jason Aldean Passed on It]
“Achy Breaky Heart” — Billy Ray Cyrus
In modernity, Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” is more or less resigned to the past. It’s very set in the early 90s, making it a hard sell with today’s audiences. It’s a tad simplistic and got even more watered down due to all the jokes about it on Hannah Montana. Nevertheless, very few country fans truly hate this song.
Be honest, if this song came on, would you turn it off 100 percent of the time? Or would a little bit of nostalgia keep you hanging on? Few people are going around saying “Achy Breaky Heart” is their favorite country song in earnest, but there are more than a few people who still see this hit’s merit.
“Love Story” — Taylor Swift
To say you hate anything Taylor Swift has ever done is a cardinal offense. Nevertheless, many country purists claim to hate “Love Story.” This pop crossover hit helped Swift elevate her fame, but naysayers will say it’s too trite and overly sweet. Others think this song is too overplayed, leading to fatigue. But, truly, there are likely many listeners who claim to hate this song but don’t feel that strongly about it in actuality.
What’s not to like? It’s been played to death, but at its core, “Love Story” is a joyous celebration of young love with a killer chorus and nods to one of the most famous literary works ever.
“I Hope You Dance” — Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” is one of the most famous country songs ever. Like Swift’s “Love Story,” this song has been played countless times. Like “Achy Breaky Heart,” this song has aged.
Some listeners might feel reluctant to listen to this song because of how 2000s it sounds and how much they’ve heard it over the years. Others think the sentiment is too mushy-gushy. However, if you allow yourself to wear your heart on your sleeve, this song can be really moving.
Songfacts: I Hope You Dance | Lee Ann Womack
The roots of “I Hope You Dance” can be traced back to some furious phone calls from Tia Sillers’ mother. Sillers was going through a breakup, and her mom would call every morning to unload about the ex. “She would launch into these things like, ‘I hope he rots in hell,’ ‘I hope he never finds happiness,’ you know, saying all the things good mamas will say,” Sillers told The Tennessean. “It was a litany of hopes. She literally was giving this list of hopes.” Instead of channeling that anger, Sillers decided to flip the tone. She turned her mom’s “I hope he…” tirades into something uplifting, a song about choosing joy and possibility instead of bitterness. The final piece clicked into place over lunch with co-writer Mark Sanders, who suggested adding the “time is a wheel” idea. Sillers initially thought he was quoting a different song, but Sanders convinced her it belonged in the one she’d already started. “Over the years, I came to realize that my contribution was to kind of tamp down Tia’s optimism,” Sanders joked, a reminder that sometimes even the most hopeful songs are born from heartbreak and a mother’s righteous fury.
(Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
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