Few genres of music love sad songs as much as country music. In country music, for decades, some of the saddest songs ever written, like George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today“, Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’s “Whiskey Lullaby“, and more, have gone down in history as some of the best songs of all time.
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In the 90s, particularly, sad songs became a mainstay on country radio. These are three of the saddest country songs ever written, which all came out in 1991.
“Anymore” by Travis Tritt
Travis Tritt and Jill Colucci are the writers behind “Anymore”. The song, on Tritt’s sophomore It’s All About To Change album, became his second No. 1 single.
“Anymore” is about a man who is unable to keep his feelings to himself anymore, even if they are not reciprocated. The song says, “I can’t hide the way I feel about you / Anymore / I can’t hold the hurt inside, keep the pain out of my eyes / Anymore / My tears no longer waiting / My resistance ain’t that strong / My mind keeps recreating / A life with you alone / And I’m tired of pretending / I don’t love you anymore.”
“For My Broken Heart” by Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire’s “For My Broken Heart” is without question one of the saddest stories of all time. “For My Broken Heart” is the title track of McEntire’s 17th studio album. Written by Liz Hengber and Keith Palmer, the entire record was dedicated to McEntire’s seven band members and her tour manager, who were tragically killed in a plane crash earlier that year.
The story in “For My Broken Heart” is about a couple who are splitting up. But the chorus speaks to McEntire’s own sorrow. The song says, “Last night, I prayed the Lord my soul to keep / Then I cried myself to sleep / So sure life wouldn’t go on without you / But oh, this sun is blinding me / As it wakes me from the dark / I guess the world didn’t stop / For my broken heart.”
Hengber came precariously close to missing the entire songwriting session due to a sale.
“I was going to cancel that appointment because I was so nervous,” Hengber recalls (per Wide Open Country). “And also, Macy’s was having the Clinique sale. I thought, ‘Wow, if I go to Macy’s now, I’ll be the first to get that Clinique bag.’ … If I had gone to get the Clinique bag, I would’ve deprived myself of really working with one of the best writers in town, Keith Palmer. I would’ve deprived myself of my first No. 1 song.”
“The Thunder Rolls” by Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks and Pat Alger wrote “The Thunder Rolls”. The song, Brooks’ fifth consecutive No. 1 single, is on his sophomore No Fences record.
“The Thunder Rolls” begins with a woman worried about her husband, who is out in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. When he appears, her relief turns to anger when she realizes he has been with another woman. The scorned wife determines he cheated on her for the very last time.
“The Thunder Rolls” says, “She runs back down the hallway, and through the bedroom door / She reaches for the pistol kept in the dresser drawer / Tells the lady in the mirror, ‘He won’t do this again’ / ‘Cause tonight will be the last time she’ll wonder where he’s been / The thunder rolls, and the lightning strikes / Another love grows cold on a sleepless night / As the storm blows on out of control / Deep in her heart the thunder rolls.”
Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage
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