Songwriting is an intimate practice. Co-writing likely even more so. Sharing your inner most thoughts with someone is not something everyone feels inclined to do, so to make it easier, why not collaborate with someone you already share a lot of intimacy with: your spouse. Find four of the best country songs written by married couples, below.
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4 of the Best Country Songs Written by Married Couples
1. “Happiness is You” (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
Johnny and June Carter Cash wrote this simple, yet effective ode to lost love. While the narrator tries to find ways to be happy, nothing compares to the happiness generated by their ex partner. This song proves that the Cash’s married partnership translated well into the writers room. The lyrics are powerful and not easily forgotten.
Way down the mountain I chased a moonbeam
On the beach I built sand castles too
My moonbeams faded my castles tumbled
All of this was meaningless ’cause happiness is you
2. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” (Shania Twain and Mutt Lange)
On the opposite end of the sonic spectrum we have Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” This pop-country classic was written alongside Twain’s then-husband, Mutt Lange. No one needs to be told how successful this song proved to be. You can’t step one foot into any dance hall or bar in Music City–country’s mecca–without hearing this female-focused anthem.
No inhibitions, make no conditions
Get a little outta line
I ain’t gonna act politically correct
I only wanna have a good time
3. “Over You” (Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert)
Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert penned “Over You” together during their marriage. The song was inspired by a death in Shelton’s family–though Lambert ended up recording the track. It’s a poignant track about loss, expertly crafted by two of country’s greatest purveyors.
But you went away
How dare you?
I’ll miss you
They say I’ll be okay
But I’m not going to ever get over you
4. “These Days (I Barely Get By)” (George Jones and Tammy Wynette)
We have to include a song from arguably the husband-wife duo in country music: George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The pair let their emotions flow freely while writing this track about muddling on with life after heartbreak.
I walked home from work and it rained all the way
My wife left and didn’t say why
She laid all our bills on the desk in the hall
Oh, these days I barely get by
(Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
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