Country music is built on sentimentality and, quite often, artists' takes on nostalgia. Thus, since there's nothing like a mother's love, moms own a special place in the genre's lore.
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Rougher-around-the-edges classics in this wheelhouse range from Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy" to Merle Haggard's equally iconic "Mama Tried." When '90s country ran wild, Garth Brooks, Faith Hill and other voices of the decade went in a more tender-hearted direction when lauding moms. (However, things did get quite dark on Brooks' "Papa Loved Mama," among others.)
As country hits about hometown memories have become more common, so have songs about mothers, by Lauren Alaina and others. After all, who is it that probably still lives there — and is directly responsible for you being born at the county hospital?
Since Mother's Day — one of the best days of the year devoted to our hard-working mothers — is coming up, we wanted to take a look at some of our favorite songs about moms, from classic artists to modern stars.
Here is our list of the 25 best country songs about moms. Of course, it could be a much longer list, considering we don't dip into bluegrass, Americana and other country-adjacent styles.
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images This one is a little out of left field as far as songs go, but it's a real tear-jerker and one worth listening through with your mom around. Jimmy Dean recorded the song in the 1970s, but really he just recited all of the things he owes his mom for, with a musical accompaniment. It's really adorable and truly captures the relationship between a mom and son. Can you imagine listening to this for the first time? Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SESAC Michael Tyler might not have become a household name, but this song is another great example of a song between a mom and her son that feels genuine. It's about finding that right person and wanting to tell your mother, who has always been there for you through all the, well, not-so-good relationships. Gems/Redferns Known for his trucker songs and talk-singing (eat your heart out, Sam Hunt), C.W. McCall delivered a guilt trip song for the ages with "Roses For Mama." It's about a little boy who buys flowers for his mom's grave, reminding the narrator to not take his own mom for granted. It's an expertly delivered tune, even if it's totally emotional blackmail. It might be one of the saddest country songs about moms, but it's definitely effective. Erika Goldring/FilmMagic, Kacey Musgraves' stunning "Mother," from her 2018 album Golden Hour, considers generations of mothers and the pain of missing your mom. Ethan Miller/Getty Images Sugarland released this love song, from their album Bigger, in 2018. It's a beautiful ode to the love of a mother, and it also includes a nod to a few progressive causes. "As long as they are good to you, that's enough," Jennifer Nettles sings. "First thing she taught you was love is love." John Atashian/Getty Images The Band Perry's 2013 album Pioneer featured plenty of hits, but the deep cut "Mother Like Mine" might be one of the sweetest songs on the record, particularly because the trio wrote it for their mom. Sometimes it just means more when you know it comes from the person singing it. Nothing says "I Love You" like a sweet, sweet song. Danny Matson/Getty Images for iHeartMedia Early in her mainstream career, Lauren Alaina sang about the lessons learned from her mother — and hero — that've done her well as an adult. Paul Natkin/Getty Images This emotional piano-and-string orchestration-led ballad flips Alaina's song the other way around. Here, Martina McBride reflects on being a guiding light for her kids as well as the lessons she's learned for herself from their pureness of heart. Paul Natkin/Getty Images Young, long and curly-haired Blake Shelton offers the perspective of how the youngest child experiences being treated differently because they're the baby of the family. Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images In the mid-'90s, Faith Hill added her own entry to the mom song canon. "You Can't Lose Me" is one many fleshed-out story-songs of the era about a parent-child relationship — think George Strait's "Love Without End, Amen" for moms and daughters. Kevin Winter/Getty Images A mother herself who's found great inspiration creatively and personally from her late mom, Reba McEntire's a shoo-in for any list about any sentimental topic. Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images This one's a little less obvious, but whether you're listening to the Bobbie Gentry or the McEntire version, you'll hear a Southern gothic-style tale that hinges on a down-on-her-luck mother's wishes for her daughter to find stability. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images An acoustic weeper of The Chicks' seminal 2006 album Taking the Long Way, "Lullaby" is an ode from a mother to her baby. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy There's nothing like spending a day with your mom. Taylor Swift celebrates those perfect days on her sweet tribute to her mom, "The Best Day." This music video brings tears to our eyes. Ray Mickshaw/WireImage From her 2009 album Play On, "Mama's Song" is a beautiful tribute song co-written by Carrie Underwood meant to let her mother know she's in good hands with her new love. It also came about during an important time in the superstar's life — when she got married to husband Mike Fisher. The singer-songwriter earned a Grammy nomination for the song. Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach Ah yes, that 1980s country gold sound wrapped around a nostalgic tune about how moms know everything about their kids, from their misdeeds to the heartaches to their hopes and dreams: "Even when I think it doesn't show, mama knows." Now that's a line every mom can get behind. Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images A mother herself, Jamie O'Neal's "Somebody's Hero" praises moms for doing the everyday things they need to in order to protect their family, giving them the heroic label so many deserve. John Shearer/WireImage In the spirit of Haggard, Nelson and Jennings, this co-write by pre-fame Kacey Musgraves became a fiery Miranda Lambert classic in part because it's about how even hell-raisers have empathy for their mothers. KMazur/WireImage It's not Tim McGraw's most famous mom song — "I Called Mama" might top it — nor is it his best-known Hill duet. But few songs from this century better dial in on down-home sentimentality than this 2014 selection. Lisa Lake/Getty Images As Garth Brooks explains, his ode to Mom is a conversation between God and an unborn baby. And it's really something special from one of country music's all-tine tender hearts. Bettmann / Contributor A much different kind of mom song, this outlaw country standard offers mothers some advice from a couple of rambling troubadours who admit that their life might not be suited for everyone in the audiences' impressionable teens. R. Diamond/WireImage One of the monster hits of 2000 from any genre, Lee Ann Womack's timeless addition to wedding playlists contains some of the soundest mother-to-child advice in any song to ever climb the charts. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images Whom do many of us turn to for sage advice? Mama. That's doubly true if, like Wynonna Judd, your lasting ties go beyond family bonds and took you all the way to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Paul Natkin/Getty Images A major contributor to Merle Haggard's reputations as both a hard-nosed rebel and an all-time great lyricist, "Mama Tried" is about the many well-meaning mothers whose children go astray as they grow up. Even if it's not autobiographical (as our top pick for sure is), it lines up with Haggard's life story. Getty Images Most folks know this tune — it inspired movies, books and plenty of other things. But how often do we think of Dolly Parton's classic as one of the best country songs about moms? Because while it might not be as heavy-handed as others (like McCall's), this song about making something out of nothing and inspiring your kids to be more than just the sum of their parts is really special.'I.O.U.,' Jimmy Dean
'Hey Mama,' Michael Tyler
'Roses For Mama,' C.W. McCall
'Mother,' Kacey Musgraves
'Mother,' Sugarland
'Mother Like Mine,' The Band Perry
'Like My Mother Does,' Lauren Alaina
'In My Daughter's Eyes,' Martina McBride
'The Baby,' Blake Shelton
'You Can't Lose Me,' Faith Hill
'He Gets That From Me,' Reba McEntire
'Fancy,' Bobbie Gentry
'Lullaby,' The Chicks
'The Best Day,' Taylor Swift
'Mama's Song,' Carrie Underwood
'Mama Knows,' Shenandoah
'Somebody's Hero,' Jamie O'Neal
'Mama's Broken Heart,' Miranda Lambert
'Meanwhile Back at Mama's House,' Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
'Mom,' Garth Brooks
'Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,' Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
'I Hope You Dance,' Lee Ann Womack
'Mama He's Crazy,' The Judds
'Mama Tried,' Merle Haggard
'Coat Of Many Colors,' Dolly Parton
READ MORE: 12 Sweet Songs Country Stars Wrote About Their Spouses
EDITOR"S NOTE: This article was originally published in 2018. It was updated on March 11, 2024.
