The year 1986 saw a lot of great country music, both by established artists and relative newcomers. In 1986, some of the best country songs were released, including these four, which every music fan should know.
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“On The Other Hand” by Randy Travis
When it comes to country artists, Randy Travis is in a league all his own. But in 1986, he was just beginning to be known, which is why when he released “On The Other Hand” in 1986, it was actually the second time Travis released the song as a single.
“On The Other Hand”, written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, was first released in 1985 as the debut single from Travis’s freshman Storms Of Life album. The song failed on the radio, unfortunately. But the follow-up single, “1982”, landed in the Top 10. Encouraged by the success of “1982”, Travis released “On The Other Hand” again. This time, the song became his first No. 1 hit.
“Touch Me When We’re Dancing” by Alabama
“Touch Me When We’re Dancing” is written by Terry Skinner, J. L. Wallace, and Ken Bell. The song is on Alabama’s The Touch album. The group had a No. 1 single with the song, but they aren’t the first act to record “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”.
In 1979, the pop group Bama first released the song. That was followed by The Carpenters, who also had a chart-topping single with the song in 1981. When Alabama released “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”, it became their 20th consecutive No. 1 single.
“Always Have, Always Will” by Janie Fricke
Janie Fricke includes “Always Have, Always Will” on her Black and White album. Written by Johnny Mears, the bold song is from the perspective of a woman telling a man her true feelings, even if they aren’t reciprocated.
“Always Have, Always Will” says, “I love you like a fool / Always have, always will / But you know that it’s just my point of view / But I love you still / Always have, always will / Always have, always will love you.”
“Always Have, Always Will” is Fricke’s last No. 1 single of her career.
“Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” by George Strait
“Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her” is written by Dean Dillon. The regret-filled song is on Strait’s #7 album.
Interestingly, although the song became a No. 1 hit for Strait, it was also successful for Dillon on his own. The songwriter released it in 1980 when he was still pursuing a career as an artist, becoming a Top 25 hit for him.
Even more interesting, according to Classic Country Music Stories, Strait wanted to release the song as a single before Dillon. But by the time Strait wanted it, Dillon’s was already on the radio, and Strait’s label refused to release it until years later.
Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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