Okay, fellow Nostalgia Seekers, when I say country music, what’s the first thing you think about? Slide guitars and fiddles? Banjos? Hee-Haw? Honky-Tonks? ? Do you avoid country music because you remember your parents listening to what you always thought were “twangy” country tunes? Does it remind you of long, hot road trips where the only thing you could find on the radio was a static-filled AM country station that your dad would leave on for hundreds of miles, when all you really wanted to do was sleep?
Certainly many of you may love those old country songs and artists. Patsy Cline. Charlie Pride. Dolly Parton. Hank Williams. Roy Clark. Glen Campbell. All left their mark on the genre. But if you profess not to be a country fan, don’t judge the whole “country” genre by those older artists and their “twangy” sounds. Because if you avoid listening to all country music because you’re not a fan of Willie Nelson or George Strait, you are missing out on some of the most melodic, nostalgic, hit-you-right-in-the-feels music being recorded today.
I’m talking about new country, which blends more contemporary pop and rock elements with a lighter country sound to create catchy songs to which even country-music “haters” start tapping their toes and wiping tears from their eyes.
Yes, tears, because these new country artists and writers have a nifty way of crafting lyrics and melodies that are explicitly intended to take you back in time. They are specifically written to make you nostalgic. Why? Well, for one thing, these artists know that nostalgia is an amazingly positive emotion. And you know how when you listen to a song and you get emotional because it has evoked memories of childhood, or your teenage years, or college, or your first apartment, or your first love, or your first kiss, or long-lost friends? Well, these new country artists have perfected their craft so that even if you never experienced farm life, they can evoke nostalgia for fields of corn and tractors. Even if you didn’t grow up in a small town, they can evoke nostalgia for eating at the diner and climbing the water tower. Even if you have never been in love, they will evoke nostalgia for the girl next door or the cute boy driving an old Ford pickup.
So friends, if you are a fan of new country, you will no doubt recognize these songs, each written to make you reminisce, to make you think about your past, to become full of that lovely emotion called nostalgia.
If you are not a fan of country, I’ll ask you to give these songs a chance. Take a listen and let me know in the comments if maybe, just maybe, you feel a little bit nostalgic. I have a feeling that you might be. And who knows, maybe I’ll see you wearing boots and a cowboy hat at the next country music concert…
Cheers and Happy Monday!
(Oh, by the way, next week’s Music Monday will feature 11 Nostalgia-Driven Songs | Pop and Rock. Be sure to come back and check it out!)
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Did you know you can find all of our Music Monday posts in our Music Monday Archives?
At the The Nostalgia Diaries, our goal is to help you simplify, enhance, and engage your lives by focusing on the most important things: remembering, appreciating, believing, and becoming.
It’s all about celebrating the past to create better days today.
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These songs are so good!! I totally forgot about some of them but I’m so glad you reminded me- gonna be listening to them all day!
Xoxo Paige ~ thefrontpaige.co
They are beautiful. I love the way they tell stories that evoke nostalgia so effortlessly. Thank you for the share 🙂
I don’t listen to much country but I do love a couple songs on here. I have a few older country songs I always have to listen to when them come on as well. Hope you have a great evening!
I love Miranda Lambert! Revolution and Four the Record are great albums. I remember a duet Bon Jovi did with LeeAnn Rimes that was pretty good, too.
Love this post! Some of my favorites here 🙂
I’m not a huge country music fan, but I live right outside of Nashville, so there’s no avoiding it. “The House that Built Me” makes me cry. Every. Single. Time.
Omg this post is EVERYTHING! I was obsessed with each of these songs at one point or another.
Love each and every one of these songs!
This is the BEST list! I really do enjoy your posts with music and nostalgia! so good!
I’m a huge country music fan. And I’m lucky enough to live in Nashville and get to see these acts. I went to the CMA’s last week. I saw Eric Church, Trace, Miranda, Brad and more. Love them all!
I love country music! This list is fantastic! My husband doesn’t like country music so every time I’m listening to it he gives this “your weird” stare 😂 I wish I could dance it properly though 🙈 Loved this list! Downloading on my Deezer right now! 🙂
Some of my favorites for sure! But you need some Tim McGraw!! 😉
i loved listening to this mix, perfect for my lazy afternoon
I LOVE country music. In fact, I was just listening to 90’s country on Amazon music. I’ve introduced my kids to it, and my daughter love the Judd’s (but I mean, who doesn’t?) . This was a great flashback, Red Dirt Road! you would have thrown a lot of people off with “She’s thinks my tractor’s sexy” but I laugh every time I hear it.