3 Country Songs That Accidentally Became Cultural Moments

Songs aren’t just inspired by culture; they inform it. These songs are so influential that the rest of the industry—and society at large—molds around them. The three country songs below had that effect, to varying degrees. These songs may not have upended everything, but they certainly became cultural moments.

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: 3 Perfect Country Songs From the 1980s With Zero Wasted Lyrics]

“Old Town Road” — Lil Nas X

Many factors contributed to the ever-growing meld between hip-hop and country, but Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” was one of the biggest. This internet-fueled hit gave new life to country music that many of the genre’s traditionalists didn’t foresee.

The genre-bending artist took conventional country aesthetics and layered a driving, floor-filling beat beneath them. This unlikely combination earned Lil Nas a 17-week No. 1 on the charts. It changed sentiments among country fans and played well with audiences outside country’s typical listenership. While other artists laid the groundwork for Lil Nas to blur genre lines, he kicked in the door forever.

“Friends In Low Places” — Garth Brooks

“Friend In Low Places” remains the world’s favorite karaoke song. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a bar down south, up north, east, or west. When this song plays in a crowded bar, everyone is sure to sing along. While Lil Nas’ song was a finite lightning-in-a-bottle moment, this Garth Brooks hit is more of an enduring, omnipresent societal force.

Since its release in 1990, this song has remained a hit. One listen to it among the masses will tell you that, though this song isn’t currently on the charts, it’s still a powerful cultural force. It’s unlikely to go anywhere in the near future.

“Fancy Like” — Walker Hayes

In recent years, the mark of a culture-defining hit is whether it plays well on the internet. Social media awareness is essential for an artist. Most of that kind of traction has to be proliferated by the artists. Then, sometimes, a song just takes off on its own. That was more or less the case for Walker Hayes’ “Fancy Like”.

This country hit was TikTok gold. A dance was developed to the song, boosting its popularity among listeners across different generations. That then developed into a campaign with Applebee’s, given the song’s namedrop of the restaurant. This song was inescapable for a while there. Even those who had never heard of Walker Hayes or listened to country music all that often knew this hit.

(Photo by John Medina/Getty Images)