4 Rock Songs That Would Sound Just as Good on Country Radio

For decades, music fans have wanted to delineate between rock music and country music. And while there are some distinctions between the two genres, there are multiple times when a rock song could have easily been country, with a few tweaks. With that in mind, we found four rock songs that would sound just as good on country radio as well.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Wanted Dead Or Alive” by Bon Jovi

Not only does the title, “Wanted Dead Or Alive“, sound like a country song, but the lyric does as well. Released in 1987 on Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album, the song says in part, “I’m a cowboy / On a steel horse I ride / I’m wanted dead or alive / Wanted dead or alive.”

Jon Bon Jovi wrote “Wanted Dead Or Alive” with his bandmate, Richie Sambora, inspired by Bon Jovi thinking of rock stars and their similarity to outlaws.

“Here was this … young band of thieves, if you will, riding into town,” Bon Jovi reflects on Inside The Actor’s Studio. “Stealing the money, the girls, and the booze, and leaving before the sun came up. That was the lifestyle of every rock band.”

“You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago

“You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago practically reads like a country lyric. Written by David Foster and Peter Cetera, and released in 1984 on their Chicago 17 album, the tune is a sweet love song that could be sung by almost any country artist.

It almost was a country song, actually. When Cetera started writing it, he revealed he had Kenny Rogers in mind for the song instead.

“You’re The Inspiration” says, “You’re the meaning in my life / You’re the inspiration / You bring feeling to my life / You’re the inspiration / I wanna have you near me I wanna have you hear me saying / No one needs you more than I need you.”

Taylor Swift, “Getaway Car”

Taylor Swift was, of course, a country music superstar for years before switching to rock. So it stands to reason that plenty of her songs lyrically sound like a country music hit, including “Getaway Car”. Swift penned the song with Jack Antanoff for her 2017 Reputation record.

“Getaway Car” says “You were driving the getaway car / We were flying, but we’d never get far / Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery / Think about the place where you first met me / Riding in a getaway car / There were sirens in the beat of your heart / Shoulda known I’d be the first to leave / Think about the place where you first met me / In a getaway car.”

James Taylor, “Country Road”

All of James Taylor‘s “Country Road” sounds just like a country song, even more than a rock song. “Country Road” was written by Taylor and released in 1971 on Taylor’s sophomore album, Sweet Baby James.

“Country Road” says, “Mama don’t understand it / She wants to know where I’ve been / I’d have to be some kind of natural born fool / I wanna pass that way again / But I could feel it / On a country road.”

As songs go, “Country Road” is about as country as it gets.

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images