3 Country Songs by American Artists That Were Bigger Hits in Canada

It is a common belief that country music is an American art form. The United States produced the genre’s earliest recordings and biggest stars. However, its popularity doesn’t stop at the border. Many countries, including Canada, have large populations of country music fans. In fact, some songs from American artists were bigger hits with our neighbors to the north than they were here at home.

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The songs listed below were all top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. However, they were able to find the top of the RPM country music chart in Canada.

[RELATED: 4 Forgotten No. 1 Country Songs From the 1980s You Need To Hear]

1. “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait (1983)

If you ask 100 fans to name their favorite George Strait song, at least half of them would say “Amarillo by Morning” without hesitation. It remains his most popular song and has garnered more than 300 million streams on Spotify. Surprisingly, though, this song never made it to the No. 1 position. It peaked at No. 4.

This certified country music classic got its due in Canada. It topped the RPM Country Tracks chart in April 1983.

2. “Little Ways” by Dwight Yoakam (1987)

“Little Ways,” the second single from Dwight Yoakam’s sophomore album, Hillbilly Deluxe, is pretty close to perfect. It is a perfect example of Yoakam’s take on the classic West Coast honky tonk style. It’s also so catchy that it might get stuck in your head for days at a time. However, it only reached No. 8 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Country music fans in Canada showed that they had a little more love for Yoakam, though. “Little Ways” topped the RPM chart in October 1987.

3. “Here in the Real World” by Alan Jackson (1990)

The second single and title track from Alan Jackson’s 1990 debut album is a certified banger. However, he wouldn’t find his first No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart until he released “I’d Love You All Over Again” a year later. However, that wasn’t the case in Canada. Instead, Jackson found his first Canadian No. 1 with this song in May 1990.

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