Whoever said there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing is a liar. This applies to pretty much everything in life, including music. For instance, some country songs have lost their luster by being overplayed. They start out great. They’re absolute jams. Then, after years of heavy rotation, listening to those songs can feel like a chore. To make things worse, some of the songs are so popular that they border on sacred. As a result, no one wants to admit that they’re secretly sick of them.
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Don’t get me wrong, these songs were certified country bangers until they were severely overplayed. All of the songs listed below are top-notch and were massive hits upon their release. I just need to take a little break from them before I return to soak in their greatness once again. In other words, no one wants to admit they’re tired of hearing these songs, because deep down, we know they still slap.
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1. “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn came out swinging with their 1991 debut album, Brand New Man. The album produced five singles, and four of them topped the chart. “Neon Moon” was the duo’s third consecutive chart-topper. And, if we’re all being honest here, it’s a killer song. It might be the best song Ronnie Dunn has ever written, and that’s saying something. However, I’m sick of hearing it.
It doesn’t matter if I’m watching a bar band, listening to a throwback radio station, or pressing play on a nostalgia-filled country playlist I’m almost guaranteed to hear “Neon Moon.” It’s not hard to see why this happens. This song is a certified country classic and a little overplayed for that reason.
2. “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson
“Chattahoochee” is one of the songs that defined country music in the 1990s, and, three decades later, it’s still played constantly. Alan Jackson and his co-writer, Jim McBride, struck gold with this tune. The lyrics are both widely relatable and memorable, the melody is endlessly catchy, and the arrangement is pure ’90s country. At the same time, I don’t need to hear this tune every time I go to the lake or pull up to a stoplight in the summertime.
The worst part about this is that “Chattahoochee” isn’t even close to being Jackson’s best song. It’s not even the best song on A Lot About Livin’ (and a Little ‘bout Love). Those titles, in my opinion, go to “I’d Love You All Over Again” and “Tonight I Climbed the Wall,” respectively. Neither of those songs gets played enough.
3. “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain
Shania Twain remains the undisputed queen of country-pop. Her 1998 album Come on Over is a classic, and everybody loves “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”, but I think we can all agree that this is one of the most overplayed songs in country history. I blame the internet.
A few years ago, this song’s universal appeal turned it into a meme. That “Let’s go girls!” at the beginning of the song is iconic and, for a time, was everyone’s cue to turn up the volume. Now, though, not so much.
4. “Wagon Wheel” by Anyone, At This Point, Honestly
“Wagon Wheel” is, at the very least, the most overplayed country song. It has a fighting chance to be the most overplayed song regardless of genre. Old Crow Medicine Show was the first to release the song. It helped put them on the map. Then, Darius Rucker released his version, and it became a massive hit. Several other artists have put their stamp on it over the years as well. Just about everyone with an acoustic guitar has a version of the song in their repertoire as well.
“Wagon Wheel” is, without a doubt, a great song. If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be so many recorded versions of it. Furthermore, like the rest of the songs on this list, if it wasn’t good, it wouldn’t be overplayed. At the same time, it’s an incredibly easy song to play. As a result, it is accessible to musicians of nearly any skill level. Because of those things, it has become the roots music version of “Wonderwall.”
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