For most people, the 90s are remain one of the best decades in country music. So many great songs were released in the 90s, including these four songs. They were all big hits, even if they didn’t go all the way to No. 1.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Hard Workin’ Man” by Brooks & Dunn
“Hard Workin’ Man” came out by Brooks & Dunn in 1996. The title track of their sophomore album, Ronnie Dunn wrote the song by himself. Although a fan-favorite, it peaked in the Top 5.
A true working man’s anthem, the song says, “I’m a hard, hard-workin’ man / I got it all on the line for a piece of the promised land / And I’m burnin’ my candle at both ends / ‘Bout the only way to keep the fire goin’ is to outrun the wind.”
“Hard Workin’ Man” may not have been a No. 1 hit for Brooks & Dunn, but it did give them their first Grammy Award, for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.
“Wrong Side Of Memphis” by Trisha Yearwood
“Wrong Side Of Memphis” is the debut single from Trisha Yearwood’s sophomore Hearts In Armor. Written by Gary Harrison and Matraca Berg, “Wrong Side Of Memphis” became a Top 5 hit for Yearwood.
“Wrong Side Of Memphis” begins with, “I’ve been living on the wrong side of Memphis / I’m really breaking away this time / A full tank of gas and a ’69 Tempest / Taking me to that Nashville sign / No turning back, I’ve come too far / I’m headed down 40 with my old guitar / This ain’t Graceland that’s a fact / And I ain’t driving a pink Cadillac.”
Yearwood’s debut “She’s In Love With The Boy” single came out in 1991. It would take her 11 more singles over three years before she returned to the top of the charts. Yearwood’s next No. 1 hit was “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl)” in 1994.
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” by Reba McEntire
Next to “Fancy”, one of Reba McEntire’s signature songs is “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia”. Written by Bobby Russell and first released by Vicky Lawrence, McEntire’s version became a multi-platinum hit for her, even if it didn’t even land in the Top 10. The song appears on McEntire’s 1991 For My Broken Heart record.
The tune is a sordid tale about a man wrongfully hanged for murder. It later reveals that the innocent man’s sister (played by McEntire in the video) actually committed the crime.
“The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” says, “That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia / That’s the night that they hung an innocent man / Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods Southern lawyer / ‘Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands.”
“Life’s A Dance” by John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery had a long string of hits in the 90s, beginning with “Life’s A Dance”. The title track of his freshman record, Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin are the writers of the song.
“Life’s A Dance” is an uptempo song that says, “Life’s a dance, you learn as you go / Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow / Don’t worry ’bout what you don’t know / Life’s a dance, you learn as you go.”
The song isn’t a No. 1 hit for Montgomery. But the follow-up single, “I Love The Way You Love Me”, became the first of several for the country music superstar.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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