3 Country Songs That Feel Like Golden Hour

Songs sometimes work best for certain times of the day. Though listeners might not be able to pinpoint exactly what makes each song perfect for specific times, it does come to us subconsciously. The three country songs below were tailor-made for golden hour, the last few glimmers of sunshine before nighttime takes over.

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“Golden Hour” — Kacey Musgraves

I mean, we had to start here, right? No country artist (or artist in general) has better bottled up the quiet comfort of golden hour than Kacey Musgraves. Her Golden Hour album and song of the same name saw Musgraves deep in the honeymoon stage. She used the relative calm of the last few dwindling hours of sunlight to epitomize how she felt. “All that I know / Is you caught me at the right time / Keep me in your glow,” she sings.

The result was an album dripping with atmosphere and unparalleled uppers. No matter when you listen to this record, it will automatically transport you to summertime at dusk.  

Songfacts: Golden Hour | Kacey Musgraves

Album:Golden Hour [2018]

Musgraves told Entertainment Weekly that the album title was inspired in part by experiencing the total solar eclipse that crossed the US on August 21, 2017. “It felt like this majestic time where God was saying, ‘This is a moment to be present for, to witness and relish in the beauty of this incredible world,’” she explained. “That was important for me to include on this record. It’s such an ugly time right now with society and politics, and it could be easy to focus on that. But one thing we could use is a little more love and positivity and pretty colors.”

“Something In The Orange” — Zach Bryan

“Something In The Orange” makes the listener feel permanently stuck in golden hour, albeit in the opposite way that Musgraves’ track does. This is the song for those who miss someone in the good times. While golden hour comes around, Bryan can’t help but think of the person he wishes were there to experience it with him.

It’ll be fine by dusk light, I’m tellin’ you, baby / These things eat at your bones and drive your young mind crazy / But when you place your head between my collar and jaw / I don’t know much, but there’s no weight at all,” the lyrics to this country song read. Bryan doesn’t bask in the glow of golden hour. Instead, he muddles through it with a heavy weight on his mind. The listener is taken on that journey with him.

“Dandelion” — Ella Langley

The opening to Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” is a soundscape of a southern night. Crickets chirp as the central melody comes in. That intro sets this song firmly in the final hours of the day. Anyone who has experienced a warm summer night in the South will know this sound well.

This is just the right kind of unfussy, catchy country hit that one would like to listen to while settling down for the night. It’s a great transition from the bright, upbeat day into something a little more subdued. This song could work for any time, but it plays best in golden hour.

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)