3 Country Songs From the 1980s Everyone Pretends They Don’t Love

The three 1980s country songs below are guilty pleasure songs. For some, it’s hard to admit that they love these songs, but the truth remains. No one can truly hate these country classics. They are certified earworms that have no trouble changing hearts if given the chance. Try as hard as you’d like to hate these tracks, but you’ll find it’s impossible to truly despise them.

[RELATED: 3 Country Songs From the 1990s You Haven’t Heard in Years but Still Know Every Word To]

“Elvira” — The Oak Ridge Boys

There’s not really anything to hate about The Oak Ridge Boys’ “Elvira,” but it’s definitely a guilty pleasure kind of song. This is the type of hit that if it comes on, you won’t turn it off, but how often are you going to your music streaming platform of choice and picking this yourself? Likely not very often.

This 1980s masterpiece is somewhat of a novelty these days, falling into a genre of country songs you’d likely be embarrassed to be heard listening to earnestly. Nevertheless, this hit has merit, and fans of the band should feel free to claim ownership of this familiar favorite.

“On The Road Again” — Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again” is deeply repetitive. In fact, that repetitiveness has been the butt of many jokes over the years. Some people find the constant refrain tiresome after a while, leading many to claim they “hate” this Nelson song.

But, deep down, it’s not true. No one can truly hate a song as iconic as this one. You’d be hard-pressed to find a song as culturally enduring as this one. There’s a reason it has become ingrained in our society, to the point that you don’t even need to know Nelson to know this 1980s country song.

“Mama He’s Crazy” — The Judds

Some hard-edge country fans might claim they hate this simple Judd classic, but they really don’t. This 1980s country song is super mushy-gushy, alienating some fans. But even the staunchest hater of this track can’t help but sing along to this era-worm chorus when it comes on.

The Judds’ harmonies are as touching as ever in this song, lulling the listener away while they sing a love story. We’d get why certain sects of country’s listenership wouldn’t go around openly loving this song, but deep down we all know it’s true.

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