4 Songs That Helped Redefine Country Music in the 90s

The 90s were a time when things shifted creatively. Whether it was through the story they told or the sound they changed, here are some songs that redefined country music in some way.

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“How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes

This song, which has versions by both Trisha Yearwood and Rimes, demonstrated that not only could a country artist cross over into pop, but that she could do so in the form of a vulnerable power ballad.

In 1998, both artists were nominated at the Grammys for Best Country Vocal Performance for this song. Yearwood took the trophy, but both versions were a commercial success.

“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus

Say what you want about this song, but Cyrus’ line dancing hit proved that country music could be a global smash, especially when given a little bit of a pop edge.

This was one of those tracks that made it easier for pop-country icons like Shania Twain to break through, which is who we’ll look at next.

“Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” by Shania Twain

Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” definitely surprised mainstream music fans. However, this was one of those songs that really set the stage for pop-country singers of the future. Not only did this female empowerment anthem earn Twain a second Grammy, but it gave her one of her most enduring hits.

“That song started with the title, then it kind of wrote itself,” Twain told Billboard of the song. “The whole expression is a celebration of being a woman these days. I think we’re kind of spoiled in a lot of ways, with the advantages we have. Feminists may not feel that way, but I do. It’s pretty darn fun to be a woman.”

“Independence Day” by Martina McBride

This country hit didn’t have as much chart success as some of the other songs on this list. Culturally, though, “Independence Day” definitely had an impact. In 1994, domestic violence wasn’t widely discussed in song, especially in country music. McBride was definitely making a bit of a statement with this one.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve done that song and had a woman come up to me at the end of a show, trying to keep it together and then just losing it and crying,” Gretchen Peters, who wrote the song, told Songfacts. “And I usually know, I usually just can feel it. I know what it means, and it’s usually that she’s been through a situation like that.”

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