3 Country Songs From the 1980s That Resist Clear Interpretation

A lot of country songs become hits because of the message in the song. But then some of the best songs become hits, even if the message is unclear. These are three of the best country songs from the 1980s, with a message without clear interpretation.

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“The Race Is On” by Sawyer Brown

In 1989, Sawyer Brown had a big hit with “The Race Is On”. Written by Don Rollins, George Jones first had a hit with the song in 1964. On Sawyer Brown’s The Boys Are Back record, “The Race Is On” remains one of Sawyer Brown’s biggest hits. Still, fans have to listen closely to the lyrics to understand the message.

Comparing a relationship to a horse race, “The Race Is On” says, “Now the race is on / And here comes pride in the backstretch / Heartaches goin’ to the inside / My tears are holdin’ back there and / I’m tryin’ not to fall / My heart’s out of the runnin’ / True love’s scratched for another’s sake / The race is on and it looks like heartaches / And the winner loses all.”

“Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys

In 1981, The Oak Ridge Boys released “Elvira“, a song that would become one of their biggest hits. On their Fancy Free record, Dallas Frazier is the sole writer of the song. About falling for a woman named Elvira, The Oak Ridge Boys made the song popular because of the non-words in the chorus.

“Elvira” says, “Elvira / Elvira / My heart’s on fire for Elvira / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / Giddy up, um-poppa-um-poppa, mow, mow / High-ho silver, away.”

Whether it made complete sense or not, the four members of The Oak Ridge Boys knew right away it was going to be a success for them.

“We get in the studio with the musicians. And we sang through it a couple of times,” Bonsall recalled to NPR. “I think we sang through it three times. All I remember about that session was everybody was smiling, everybody was having fun, and it worked out well.”

“Crossword Puzzle” by Barbara Mandrell

Written by Frank J. Myers and Steve Dean, Barbara Mandrell includes “Crossword Puzzle” on her Clean Cut album. Out as a single in 1984, “Crossword Puzzle” peaked inside the Top 15. Still a decent hit, “Crossword Puzzle” did not do as well as some of Mandrell’s other songs. Its lack of success is likely due to the message being hard to interpret.

The quirky song says, “What we’ve become is one across and also rhymes with rules / Two down is what we tell that’s opposite the truth / Three across is what we do to each other’s feelings / Four across begins with ‘A’ and means disagreeing / We’re living out a crossword puzzle / Filling in the spaces day by day / We’re living out a crossword puzzle / Now love’s the only word without a space.”

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