3 Country Songs Inspired by Real-Life Heartbreak

Without a doubt, country music is the storytelling genre. Oftentimes, though, the best songs are the ones that tell a true story and not a fabricated one. Here are some country songs that were inspired by real-life heartbreak, if that wasn’t already obvious.

“Dear John” by Taylor Swift

Swift is kind of notorious for writing songs about ex-boyfriends, so it felt nearly impossible not to put her in here. Taylor dated John Mayer between 2009 and 2010 (she was 19, he was 32), and although she’s never confirmed that this song was about him, the lyrics tell you everything you need to know. “Don’t you think nineteen’s / Too young to be played by your dark, twisted games?” I mean, come on, Taylor. Even John Mayer himself told Rolling Stone that the song “humiliated” him, and listening back, we can totally see why.

“A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans

Sara Evans sings this one so well you’d think she wrote it herself. In reality, the tune was actually inspired by the heartbreak of Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum. She wrote this one with Luke Laird and Hillary Lindsey, about a month after a “really bad breakup.” Scott talked to The Boot about what it felt like having something so personal to her out in the world.

“It was personal when I wrote it,” she shared. “But now that it’s actually out there, it takes it to another level. I’m sure [my ex] has heard it, but that’s okay, because the song’s about ‘everyday without you, I’m a little bit stronger,’ which is true. So, he can hear that. That’s okay.”

“Over You” by Miranda Lambert

This one really hurts. Written by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who would’ve been her husband at the time, “Over You” is actually inspired by a different kind of heartbreak. Blake’s brother was killed in a car accident in 1990, and when he opened up to Lambert about it, she asked if they could write the story in a song. “Dudes don’t open up about things,” she told Billboard. “But he started telling me about the experience of it all. And I was like, ‘Have you ever written about it?’ Miranda ended up cutting this one herself, and honestly, if she hadn’t told that story, you’d have no idea it wasn’t her own.

Photo by: John Shearer/Getty Images for ACM