3 Underrated Country Ballads From the 1990s That Still Break Hearts Today

Country ballads from any era are perfect for having a good cry, but the following three tunes from the 1990s are particularly good for getting in your feelings. Let’s take a look at a few real tearjerkers from the 90s!

“The Dance” by Garth Brooks (1990)

“Our lives are better left to chance / I could have missed the pain / But I’d have had to miss the dance.”

This might just be one of the most romantic (and surprisingly emotionally mature) breakup songs in 90s country history. Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” is sung from the perspective of a man who knows his relationship is over. However, he doesn’t regret it, as he got to experience the beauty of being in love. Even though it didn’t last forever. Pain really is the price we pay for love in the end.

“She Thinks His Name Was John” by Reba McEntire (1994)

“Now each day is one day that’s left in her life / She won’t know love, have a marriage, or sing lullabies / She lays all alone and cries herself to sleep / Cause she let a stranger kill her hopes and her dreams.”

If you went into this song blind, you were probably given whiplash. “She Thinks His Name Was John” by Reba McEntire is a surprisingly dark country ballad. Even for someone like Reba, who has released quite a few heartbreakers. In this song, Reba sings the story of a woman who is dying from AIDS after an unfortunate one-night stand. Sandy Knox, one of the song’s writers, was inspired to pen the tune after losing her own brother to the disease.

“I Can Still Make Cheyenne” by George Strait (1996)

“He left that phone dangling off the hook / Then slowly turned around and gave it one last look / Then he just walked away.”

Who knew a song about a rodeo cowboy could be so tragic? This entry on our list of 1990s country ballads comes from George Strait and was released in 1996. “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” tells the tale of a cowboy who is still dedicated to the love of his life. Sadly, though, she has grown weary of him constantly being on the road. He lets her go and continues his rodeo ways. But George Strait’s delivery is tinged with a very relatable touch of heartache.

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