Has there ever been a country song that you loved so much that no matter how many times you listened to it, you still wanted to hear it again? Maybe you really liked the singer or the lyrics seemed to speak directly to you. Perhaps the song was so unique and special that you simply couldn't get enough of it.
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Some songs released in 2023 are still keeping their places on the hit charts and in our hearts because they have extraordinary staying power. They show no signs of wearing out their welcome.
We selected a few of these tunes to spotlight. Like old friends, you'll surely be glad to revisit them.
2023 Country Songs To Jam To
"I Remember Everything" By Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan's "I Remember Everything" is mournful, melancholy, and marvelous. Written in the finest storytelling vein of great country music, this song pairs Bryan with Kacey Musgraves for a potent one-two punch (they penned it together.)
"I Remember Everything" didn't budge from the charts in early 2024. It snagged some nice hardware - a Grammy for Best Country Duo / Group Performance, according to CountryNow.com. It was nominated for Best Country Song, too, and eventually went double platinum.
People lauded "Bryan's signature painstakingly simple yet poetic lyricism." That quality permeates this exquisitely-crafted song.
"World on Fire" By Nate Smith
Nate Smith's "World on Fire" could be the anthem of every jilted lover. Powerful lyrics, an insistent beat, a brilliant video - he got everything just right.
The platinum chart-topper has a sad genesis. Smith said, "I have a fire theme in my songs," Billboard reported. "It's something that just stayed with me."
He formerly lived in Paradise, Calif., a town that was decimated by the November 2018 Camp Fire. Like many of the community's residents, Smith, who at that time thought he was destined for a career in nursing, "lost everything."
One thing he did not relinquish, however, was his exceptional talent. He translated his feelings about the inferno that swallowed Paradise into a backdrop for indelible songs, including this gem.
"Where The Wild Things Are" By Luke Combs
Luke Combs' "Where The Wild Things Are" has an interesting history. It nearly fell into the lap of Eric Church. The song, according to CountryNow.com, ultimately was recorded by Combs, who attended the same college as Church and considers him an inspiration.
"At the time, nobody was cutting story songs at all, really." Combs said. "I mean, outside of Eric Church, probably."
Combs managed to beat Church to the recording studio for this one. The song, a heart-rending chronicle about the narrator's freewheeling brother, who lived life on his own terms and met a tragic fate, has "smash hit" written all over it.
"Halfway to Hell" By Jelly Roll
What would a list like this be without an entry from Jelly Roll? He talked about this song enthusiastically to CountryNow.com: "'Halfway to Hell' baby, the best way to start the album (Jelly Roll's inaugural venture into country, Whitsitt Chapel), an absolute banger!"
"Halfway to Hell" is a highly personal encapsulation of Jelly Roll's own life. He did time in prison, and now he is on the straight and narrow, having evidently done a major reset of the direction he was heading in. The song explores the tantalizing tension between Jelly Roll the good guy and Jelly Roll the bad boy. As one lyric puts it, "I'm a bottle and a Bible."
"Pretty Little Poison" By Warren Zeiders
Warren Zeiders' "Pretty Little Poison" looks at what lies in wait when we are romantically drawn to someone we know is bad for us.
He explained to Holler that "This is my favorite song that I've ever written. Like a moth to a flame, this song is about being led into temptation between love and toxicity. Choosing something or someone that we ultimately know will hurt us in the end."
"Let Your Boys Be Country" By Jason Aldean
Jason Aldean passionately advocates for the no-nonsense, time-honored country way of bringing up boys in this vibrant song from his album Highway Desperado. He obviously struck a responsive chord among listeners with this one.
Aldean, whose young son, Memphis, appears in the video for "Let Your Boys Be Country," said (per Taste of Country), "Little boys grow up to be men that are supposed to get married and take care of their family and be providers. As parents, you gotta raise 'em to be that. To me, it was a song that hit home when it comes to thinking about him [Memphis] being little and what's in store for him later."
"I'm Not Pretty" By Megan Moroney
Megan Moroney refuses to let the catty antics of her former flame's new partner rile her in "I'm Not Pretty." This witty clapback will hit home with any female who has ever been in a similar disconcerting situation.
The song, which went gold, underscores the difference between nice girls and mean girls.
"Moral of the story: Nice girls always win!," said Moroney, according to Taste of Country, which opined that the song has echoes of trendy movies like Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, and Heathers.
"Cowgirls" By Morgan Wallen
The first time I heard Morgan Wallen's addictive, ethereal "Cowgirls," featuring ERNEST, I knew I would be listening to it again...and again. This ode to the love 'em and leave 'em, "little bit angel, whole lotta outlaw" femme fatales of the prairie has an offbeat twist - the narrator doesn't mind their emotional standoffishness. In fact, he claims it's "his thing"!
Usually, the guy heads off into the sunset with some unlucky lady's heart. On this track, however, the gals are firmly in control. Watch out, cowboys!
"We Ride" By Bryan Martin
One refreshing characteristic of country music and its performers is honesty. On "We Ride," Bryan Martin, "a military veteran and a former bull rider," according to Taste of Country, unabashedly explores his challenges, "Bottle and a pistol by my side / The devil's always along for the ride."
He has had far more than his share of heartache, including dealing with alcohol and drugs, a failed suicide attempt - "I took 30 Percocet and fired a 357 when I was 19 years old" - and a brain injury, according to his web site.
The angst in Martin's songs isn't a melodramatic flourish. It's the real thing. "These songs come from the struggle," he said, "and all these things that I've been through."
"Bigger Houses" By Dan + Shay
"Bigger Houses," a song by Dan + Shay, conveys a powerful message - don't spend time and energy coveting what you don't have, be grateful for what is already yours. Search for what's meaningful and lasting in life, not empty status symbols like bigger houses.
The pair nearly ended their collaboration in 2022. "We didn't have a fight. It was just, over the years, not communicating, not getting our feelings out, not talking to each other... Dan said he fell out of love with music. I was kind of there as well," said Shay Mooney, reported AP News."
Luckily for them and us, they found the magic again.
