3 Country Songs From the 2010s Everyone Pretends They Don’t Love (But We Know They Do)

There are just some songs that don’t get their due, even if they are massively popular. Sometimes that popularity can work against them, leading to overplay fatigue. That’s the case for the three country songs from the 2010s below. These tracks aren’t ones people go around saying they love because they have fallen into guilty pleasure territory. Nevertheless, many people still listen to these country hits, albeit in the comfort of no one knowing.

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[RELATED: 3 Country Songs From the 2000s Everyone Pretends They Don’t Love]

“Body Like A Back Road” — Sam Hunt

Country music songwriting is different from that of any other genre. You have to have a theme or a kitsch in your song that everything else revolves around. It’s theme writing, sort of, leading to vivid and often tongue-in-cheek tracks. When a country artist gets that formula just right, it’s oh-so-satisfying. Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” is one song that does just that.

This bro-country trailblazer has been played to death over the years. And, as the subgenre has developed, “Body Like A Back Road” feels like a 1.0 kind of song. It laid the groundwork for the pervasive sound of male country music today, but it fails to hold up to more modern songs. Despite any criticism this song could get, it remains one that a lot of us can’t skip. It might be a guilty pleasure, but it’s certainly a pleasure to sing along to.

“Tequila” — Dan + Shay

Some country purists think Dan + Shay’s “Tequila” is too pop to be considered part of their favorite genre. And this song does have major crossover appeal, so that opinion isn’t too out there. Because of its genre-bending sound, some listeners claim they hate this ballad. Nevertheless, plenty of them actually enjoy this earworm track.

And how could you not? This song is endlessly catchy. Moreover, the song’s sentiment is oh-so-country, with the duo trying to drown their sorrows. There are countless country songs about this same idea, and “Tequila” is as good as any of them.

“Drunk On You” — Luke Bryan

This is the 2010s country song. This Luke Bryan staple more or less defined what the early part of that decade would sound like in country. However, the simple chorus and questionable lyricism turned some listeners off. Especially in hindsight, this song can seem a tad cheesy for its own good.

“Girl, you make my speakers go boom boom / Dancin’ on the tailgate in the full moon / That kinda thing makes a man go mmm mmm,” Bryan sings. It’s not the most sophisticated of storylines, but that’s arguably what makes it so appealing. It’s danceable and easy to remember, earning Bryan one of his name-making songs. Even if you’re tired of this song, given the right circumstances, you could easily come around to liking it again.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT)