Did you grow up listening to country songs in the 80s? Perhaps you spent weekends in your parents’ truck, listening to the crackling radio. Or maybe, you enjoyed a few country classics on cassette tape back home. It was a great decade for country music. And the following four country songs definitely made it to your ears if you were a kid in the 80s. Let’s take a look!
“Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis (1987)
This song was absolutely everywhere on country radio in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It’s still a country classic today, too. “Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis was released in 1987 and became quite the hit for the country crooner, topping to Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart, too. It’s an unmistakable country classic that stands out among others of its era, and many would consider the song to be Travis’ signature song.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Mountain Music” by Alabama (1982)
The title track from one of Alabama’s most popular albums, “Mountain Music” was released way back in 1982. A little bit country rock, a little bit bluegrass, this song has something for everyone. It’s an ode to growing up in the South, and it remains one of the most beloved country songs of all time. This Alabama hit topped multiple charts in 1982, including the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts, plus the US Hot Country Songs chart. This song also came very close to making it to the Hot 100 chart, as it peaked at No. 1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in 1982.
“Always On My Mind” by Willie Nelson (1982)
This song, made famous in 1982 by the legend himself, Willie Nelson, is actually a cover. The original “Always On My Mind” was recorded back in 1972 by Gwen McCrae, and it has been covered by the likes of Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, Pet Shop Boys, and others through the years. Kids of the 80s likely remember Nelson’s version the best, and it has since become one of Nelson’s most beloved tunes. His rendition topped the Hot Country Songs chart back in 1982.
“9 To 5” by Dolly Parton (1980)
Even though you were a child and not quite thrust into the world of employment, you probably jammed out to this classic ode to tryin’ to make a livin’ on the regular back in the 1980s. This was one of the most popular country songs to come out of the 80s, and “9 To 5” remains one of Dolly Parton’s most beloved tunes.
Photo by Clayton Call/Redferns