3 Country Songs From 1984 That Still Make Me Want to Dance Today

Country music in the middle of the 1980s was a pretty incredible mix of many different styles and sounds, including numerous upbeat country songs like these three. All released in 1984, they still make me want to hit the dance floor when I hear them today.

“How Blue” by Reba McEntire

The title of Reba McEntire’s “How Blue” doesn’t sound like it would be a good song to dance to, but it’s actually perfect. Her third No. 1 single, “How Blue” is part of McEntire’s My Kind Of Country album. John Moffat is the sole writer of “How Blue”. 

The uptempo song says, “How blue can you make me / How long till I heal / How can I go on loving you when you’re gone / How Blue can I feel?“

My Kind Of Country gave McEntire her first Album of the Year nomination at the CMA Awards. After “How Blue”, McEntire released “Somebody Should Leave”, another No. 1 single for McEntire.

“Uncle Pen” by Ricky Skaggs

A classic uptempo Ricky Skaggs song, “Uncle Pen” is the final single from his Don’t Cheat In Our Hometown record. Legendary bluegrass star Bill Monroe is the sole writer of “Uncle Pen”.

“Uncle Pen” says, “Late in the evening, about sundown / High on the hill, and above the town / Uncle Pen played the fiddle, Lord, how it rang / You could hear it talk, you could hear it sing.”

Several other artists also recorded “Uncle Pen”, including Monroe and Porter Wagoner. Ironically, rock band Phish regularly played this song live during their concerts.

“If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)” by Alabama

On Alabama’s iconic Roll On record is “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)”. The song, written by Murry Kellum and Dan Mitchell, is one of Alabama’s more than a dozen consecutive No. 1 singles.

In addition to “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)”, Roll On also has “Roll On (Eighteen Wheels)”, “When We Make Love”, and “(There’s A) Fire In The Night”, all chart-topping hits for the band.

Surprisingly, Alabama didn’t expect this song to do well at radio. “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)” is actually the B-side of “I’m Not That Way Anymore”. However, it quickly became clear that the big hit was “If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)” instead.

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