3 Surprising Country Songs That Made It to MTV in the 1980s and 1990s

MTV is known for debuting quite a few stellar music videos for high-charting songs in pop, rock, and hip-hop. Country songs didn’t make it to MTV often in the early days of music-videos-only broadcasting, but a few did make it to the channel. Let’s look at just a few country songs you might be surprised to learn were on MTV.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Honky Tonk Man” by Dwight Yoakam (1986)

There’s always been something about Dwight Yoakam that is a little bit punk rock. MTV certainly picked up on that in the early days of the broadcast network’s lifespan, as they aired the video for “Honky Tonk Man” in 1986. Today, that country music video is considered the first of the genre to make it to MTV. Talk about a crossover hit!

“Honky Tonk Man” was originally written by Johnny Horton and released in 1956. It was a hit, but Dwight Yoakam’s version from 1986 did even better, peaking at No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart and topping the Canadian Country Tracks chart.

“Angel Of The Morning” by Juice Newton (1981)

When MTV first aired as a music video broadcast network on August 1, 1981, about 100 songs were praised for being history-making firsts to make it to the channel. There are a ton of pop and rock songs on that list, from “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles to “She Won’t Dance With Me” by Rod Stewart. However, a country-leaning track is also on that list. The 41st song to ever make it to MTV was “Angel Of The Morning” by Juice Newton, a soft rock tune with a country flair that isn’t as outwardly “country” as “Honky Tonk Man” but still more than deserving of a spot on this list. “Angel Of The Morning” was a No. 4 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus (1992)

The country one-hit wonder to end all country one-hit wonders. The grip that “Achy Breaky Heart” had on country fans back in the early 1990s was crazy. And it was also a bit of a crossover hit for Billy Ray Cyrus. The song topped the country charts and hit No. 4 on the Hot 100. Since it was a crossover hit, the famed mullet-celebrating music video made it to MTV. Today, it remains one of the most popular country songs to make it to the channel.

Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns