4 of the Best Songs Named After Places That Country Fans Need to Visit

These country songs are named after specific places. So we country fans all wish we could visit them. Whether they are the setting for heartbreak, dreams come true, or a return to the simple life, these towns are on every country listener’s bucket list.

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“Luckenbach, Texas” — Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson

This song is about leaving the high life behind for simplicity. “This successful life we’re livin’
Got us feuding like the Hatfields and McCoys / Between Hank Williams’ pain songs and / Newbury’s train songs and “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” / Out in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feelin’ no pain,” the lyrics read. Because of these themes, this outlaw country-centric town has become a must-visit for fans of the genre. It epitomizes outlaw country’s counterculture spirit.

“Jackson” — Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

“Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health / Go play your hand, you big-talkin’ man, make a big fool of yourself / Yeah, go to Jackson; go comb your hair,” June Carter Cash spits at Johnny Cash in this bitter track. In this song, these two country mainstays play fading lovers. The man in this country song threatens to go down to a specific place, “Jackson”, and mess around on his wife. The woman, in return, sarcastically tells him to “live it up.” This song wasn’t written about any one specific Jackson, but Cash’s connection to Tennessee plants it in the Volunteer State.

“Amarillo By Morning” — George Strait

This famous country song has many outside of Texas wondering what’s so enticing about Amarillo. “But I’ll be lookin’ for eight / When they pull that gate / And I hope that / Judge ain’t blind / Amarillo by mornin’,” George Strait sings in this song about living a dream no matter the cost. Though we aren’t all bull riders, we can relate to the drive this song speaks about. Moreover, the idea of Amarillo and the promise it holds for the narrator is enticing enough for all of us country fans to want to book a trip down south.

“El Paso” — Marty Robbins

Though the picture of El Paso, Texas has changed quite a bit from the antiquated narrative Marty Robbins delivered in his namesake song, it doesn’t make country fans any less eager to visit there. All of us who have listened to this song frequently have a firm picture of this town in our minds. It stands as an emblem for country’s wild western side.  

Photo by Clayton Call/Redferns