3 Heartland Rock Songs From the 1990s Anyone Can Relate To

Heartland rock, by its name, is geographically specific. But one doesn’t need to reside in the Midwest or the South to relate to the genre’s timeless songs. People working in the trades live all over the country, and it’s all really just rock and roll. Which is to say, it’s a kind of folk music, like these heartland rock songs from the 1990s.

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To further the point, we’ll begin in New Jersey.

“Lucky Town” by Bruce Springsteen (1992)

Many Bruce Springsteen anthems are built on the idea of escape. And they are as much about leaving as they are about the destination, because often, the destination is unclear or completely unknown. However, the title track to the Boss’s 1992 album flips the perspective. It’s running toward, not away. To in place of from. This is Springsteen with the glass half full, as a loose thread on a coat leads the narrator in the direction of a better fortune. The edge of town may be dark, but the sun will rise at some point.

“Learning To Fly” by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (1991)

Regardless of age or where you’re from, most of us crave a good resilience tune. “I’m learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings,” Tom Petty sings here. He reiterates the difficulty in overcoming life’s setbacks. And the idea of “learning” instead of “watch me fly” is crucial. You’ll crash, but the crash can be progress too. Petty’s great skill as a songwriter, among many things, was how he turned plain language into something profound. “Well, the good old days may not return / And the rocks might melt, and the sea may burn.” He describes letting go of the past while ignoring the things you can’t control. Put another way, just keep going.

“Wild Night” by John Mellencamp featuring Meshell Ndegeocello (1994)

John Mellencamp and Meshell Ndegeocello landed a Top-10 hit with Van Morrison’s party tune in 1994. Here, Morrison’s 1970s folk rock gets transformed by Ndegeocello’s funky bass notes and Mellencamp’s Midwest rasp. But this party could rage anywhere—from Belfast to Seymour, Indiana. The prospect of romance and dancing in this duet might be the kind of thing that sent Springsteen to Lucky Town in a threadbare coat. “When you’re walking out on the street / And the wind, it catches your feet / And sends you flying, crying.”

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