3 Southern Rock Songs From 1980 That Tried To Keep the 1970s Alive

Southern rock was a pretty big deal on the airwaves and in popular culture back in the 1970s. Groups like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, and others reached serious charting heights with their music. Some bands and musicians that were irrevocably Southern rock tried to carry the genre into the next decade back in 1980. While the popularity of Southern rock would wane a bit, these songs definitely made their mark. Let’s take a look at a few Southern rock classics!

“Rockin’ Into The Night” by 38 Special from ‘Rockin’ Into The Night’

“Waitin’, anticipatin’ / For the fireworks in the night / Well, I swear we were doin’ eighty / When we saw those motel lights.”

“Rockin’ Into The Night” is the title track of 38 Special’s third studio album, and it was released as a single in 1980. This is such a good example of Southern rock outfits carrying the genre into the new decade. And the band managed it, somehow, without losing that country-leaning sparkle or coming off as dated. That’s a difficult thing to balance, but 38 Special made it look easy. I’m surprised this song only made it to No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Fun fact: This song was written by members of the arena rock band Survivor and intended for the band’s debut record. However, it ended up getting passed to 38 Special’s manager.

“(Ghost) Riders In The Sky” by Outlaws from ‘Ghost Riders’

“A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky / He saw the riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry.”

This Southern rock song is a cover of a country standard by Stan Jones, written way back in 1968. Just a year prior to Outlaws’ version, Johnny Cash dropped a country version on his album Silver. But Outlaws brought that Southern rock flavor to the song in 1980, and it was a pretty big success. “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky” by Outlaws peaked at No. 31 on the Hot 100. The song (along with the album) launched a decent comeback for the Southern rock band.

“In America” by The Charlie Daniels Band from ‘Full Moon’

“We’ll all stick together and you can take that to the bank / That’s the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks.”

Would this be a decent list of Southern rock songs without including at least one Charlie Daniels tune from 1980? I went with “In America”, considering how uplifting the song is. Daniels jumps from issue to issue that Americans were facing at the time on a cultural level, ending with a rallying cry to stick together. “In America” was a No. 11 hit on the Hot 100.

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