The 70 Best 90s Country Songs, from Garth to Shania

What is the most popular 90s country song?

"Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks is the most popular 90s country song, a bar sing-along that still fills every dance floor. "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus started the line-dance craze, and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" by Shania Twain is the decade's party anthem.

The biggest 90s country hits

1. "Friends in Low Places", Garth Brooks: the ultimate country bar anthem.
2. "Achy Breaky Heart", Billy Ray Cyrus: the 1992 hit that started a dance craze.
3. "Chattahoochee", Alan Jackson: summer days on a Georgia river.
4. "Boot Scootin' Boogie", Brooks and Dunn: a honky-tonk dance classic.
5. "Neon Moon", Brooks and Dunn: a heartbroken barroom ballad.
6. "Any Man of Mine", Shania Twain: her first country number one.
7. "Strawberry Wine", Deana Carter: a nostalgic song about a first summer love.
8. "Should've Been a Cowboy", Toby Keith: his debut single.
9. "Gone Country", Alan Jackson: a wink at everyone moving to Nashville.
10. "Fancy", Reba McEntire: her 1990 version of the Bobbie Gentry story song.

90s country love songs

11. "I Swear", John Michael Montgomery: a wedding favorite.
12. "Check Yes or No", George Strait: a love story that began in grade school.
13. "It's Your Love", Tim McGraw and Faith Hill: the duet of a real-life married couple.
14. "This Kiss", Faith Hill: a bubbly crossover hit.
15. "You're Still the One", Shania Twain: a love song that crossed over to pop radio.
16. "How Do I Live", LeAnn Rimes: a record-breaking run on the pop chart.
17. "Carrying Your Love with Me", George Strait: a love song for life on the road.
18. "She's Got It All", Kenny Chesney: an early hit for the future superstar.
19. "How Forever Feels", Kenny Chesney: a beach-ready love song from 1999.
20. "She's in Love with the Boy", Trisha Yearwood: her debut number one.

90s country party and line-dance songs

21. "Watermelon Crawl", Tracy Byrd: a summer festival dance.
22. "Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)", Garth Brooks: a fast-talking party song.
23. "John Deere Green", Joe Diffie: a love story painted on a water tower.
24. "Pickup Man", Joe Diffie: a tribute to trucks.
25. "Dust on the Bottle", David Lee Murphy: love getting better with age.
26. "Heads Carolina, Tails California", Jo Dee Messina: a road-trip anthem.
27. "Two Pina Coladas", Garth Brooks: a beach-bar sing-along.
28. "Indian Outlaw", Tim McGraw: his breakthrough hit.
29. "Mercury Blues", Alan Jackson: a rocking cover of an old blues song.
30. "Down at the Twist and Shout", Mary Chapin Carpenter: a Cajun dance hall song.

The women of 90s country

31. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!", Shania Twain: from Come On Over, one of the best-selling albums ever by a female artist.
32. "Independence Day", Martina McBride: a powerful song about escaping abuse.
33. "Wide Open Spaces", Dixie Chicks: a young woman leaving home to find herself.
34. "Cowboy Take Me Away", Dixie Chicks: a longing love song from 1999.
35. "Blue", LeAnn Rimes: a throwback sung by a 13-year-old.
36. "Wild One", Faith Hill: her first number one.
37. "Passionate Kisses", Mary Chapin Carpenter: a Grammy-winning Lucinda Williams song.
38. "Bye Bye", Jo Dee Messina: moving on with no regrets.

90s country story songs and tearjerkers

39. "The Dance", Garth Brooks: about not regretting love even when it ends.
40. "Don't Take the Girl", Tim McGraw: a love story told in three moments.
41. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven", Steve Wariner: a song about loved ones watching over us.
42. "Love Without End, Amen", George Strait: a father's love, passed down.
43. "Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)", John Michael Montgomery: love at first sight at an auction.
44. "Where the Green Grass Grows", Tim McGraw: choosing a simple life.
45. "Small Town Saturday Night", Hal Ketchum: a snapshot of small-town life.

More 90s country love songs

46. "I Cross My Heart", George Strait: a wedding favorite from the film Pure Country.
47. "Wild Angels", Martina McBride: about the love that keeps a couple safe.
48. "The Keeper of the Stars", Tracy Byrd: a gentle first-dance classic.
49. "When You Say Nothing at All", Alison Krauss and Union Station: a soft bluegrass take on a Keith Whitley hit.
50. "Amazed", Lonestar: the 1999 ballad that also topped the pop chart.

Garth Brooks classics of the 90s

51. "The Thunder Rolls", Garth Brooks: a stormy story of a cheating husband.
52. "Unanswered Prayers", Garth Brooks: grateful for the prayers that were not granted.
53. "The River", Garth Brooks: a song about chasing your dreams.
54. "Callin' Baton Rouge", Garth Brooks: a high-energy fiddle romp.

90s honky-tonk and jukebox songs

55. "Don't Rock the Jukebox", Alan Jackson: a plea for real country music.
56. "Bubba Shot the Jukebox", Mark Chesnutt: a comic barroom tale.
57. "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)", Travis Tritt: a sharp-tongued breakup song.
58. "T-R-O-U-B-L-E", Travis Tritt: a rockabilly-flavored hit.
59. "Thinkin' Problem", David Ball: a wry honky-tonk number.
60. "Third Rock from the Sun", Joe Diffie: a chain reaction of small-town chaos.
61. "Fast as You", Dwight Yoakam: Bakersfield twang with a rock edge.
62. "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone", Brooks and Dunn: a parting shot set to a shuffle.

More women of 90s country

63. "Is There Life Out There", Reba McEntire: a woman wondering what else is possible.
64. "No One Else on Earth", Wynonna: her first solo number one.
65. "Shut Up and Kiss Me", Mary Chapin Carpenter: a playful number one.
66. "Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)", Pam Tillis: a breezy number one from 1995.
67. "Better Things to Do", Terri Clark: her spirited debut single.

Late-90s country favorites

68. "Little Bitty", Alan Jackson: a Tom T. Hall song about enjoying the simple life.
69. "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", Kenny Chesney: a playful farm-country hit.
70. "How Do You Like Me Now?!", Toby Keith: a defiant anthem that closed the decade.

Why were the 90s such a big decade for country music?

In the 90s, country music went from a regional sound to a national obsession. Garth Brooks brought rock-concert energy to his shows and became the best-selling solo artist in American history by albums sold, Shania Twain blended country with pop and the line-dance craze put country songs in clubs across the country. New radio formats and CMT videos helped a whole generation fall in love with the genre.

Garth Brooks, the artist who defined 90s country

Garth Brooks did more than anyone to turn country into the biggest-selling genre of the 90s. His 1991 album Ropin' the Wind became the first country album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200, and his concerts borrowed the lights, energy and stage tricks of rock shows. In 1997 he played a free concert in New York's Central Park that drew a huge crowd and was broadcast live on HBO.

The biggest 90s country albums

• No Fences (1990) and Ropin' the Wind (1991), Garth Brooks: the albums that made him a superstar.
• Brand New Man (1991), Brooks and Dunn: the debut that launched the duo.
• A Lot About Livin' (And a Little 'bout Love) (1992), Alan Jackson: home of "Chattahoochee".
• Some Gave All (1992), Billy Ray Cyrus: the line-dance phenomenon.
• Not a Moment Too Soon (1994), Tim McGraw: his breakthrough album.
• Blue (1996), LeAnn Rimes: a teenage debut with a classic sound.
• Come On Over (1997), Shania Twain: one of the best-selling albums ever by a woman.
• Wide Open Spaces (1998), Dixie Chicks: a fresh, fiddle-and-banjo sound.
• Breathe (1999), Faith Hill: the crossover album that closed the decade.

The story behind Achy Breaky Heart

"Achy Breaky Heart" was written by Don Von Tress and first recorded in 1991 by The Marcy Brothers under the title "Don't Tell My Heart". Billy Ray Cyrus released his version in 1992, a line dance was created for its video and the song became a worldwide craze. His debut album, Some Gave All, spent 17 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200.

The story behind Friends in Low Places

"Friends in Low Places" was written by Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee, who reportedly came up with the idea when one of them joked about his friends in low places after realizing he could not pay a restaurant bill. Garth Brooks recorded it for his 1990 album No Fences, and it spent four weeks at number one on the country chart. Crowds still sing the extra verse he added in concert.

90s country songs for a wedding

For a 90s country wedding, "I Swear", "It's Your Love" and "You're Still the One" make beautiful first dances, and "Boot Scootin' Boogie" and "Friends in Low Places" get everyone on the floor. See our country wedding songs and 90s wedding songs for more.

90s country songs for a line dance

Line dancing was everywhere in the 90s, from country bars to wedding receptions. "Achy Breaky Heart" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie" each had their own famous routine, and "Watermelon Crawl", "Ain't Going Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" and "Callin' Baton Rouge" keep a dance floor moving. For a slower pace, "Mi Vida Loca" and "Heads Carolina, Tails California" work for a two-step.

90s country songs for a road trip

For a drive down a two-lane highway, start with "Heads Carolina, Tails California", add "Chattahoochee", "Watermelon Crawl" and "Should've Been a Cowboy" for the long stretches and finish with "Friends in Low Places" as you pull into town. A few slow ones, like "The Dance" and "Amazed", are perfect for the last miles after sunset.

90s country songs for a summer party

For a backyard barbecue, mix "Chattahoochee", "Two Pina Coladas", "Mi Vida Loca" and "Little Bitty" with "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "Boot Scootin' Boogie" for when the dancing starts. Add "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" for a laugh.

Why 90s country still matters today

Many of today's biggest country stars grew up on 90s radio and say so in interviews, naming Garth Brooks, George Strait, Alan Jackson and Shania Twain as early heroes. Songs like "Friends in Low Places" and "The Dance" still close concerts, and a new generation discovers them through playlists, line dances and karaoke nights. For many fans, 90s country is simply the sound of home.

90s country songs for karaoke

For karaoke night, "Friends in Low Places", "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "Achy Breaky Heart" are crowd favorites, and "Strawberry Wine" is perfect for a big solo moment.

90s country songs for a memorial

For a celebration of life, "The Dance" and "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" are two of the most requested country songs of all time. See our country funeral songs for more ideas.

More country songs

For romantic country songs from every decade, see our country love songs, and for the state that inspired so many of them, our songs about Texas. For artist deep dives, see our Brooks and Dunn songs, Reba McEntire songs, Dwight Yoakam songs, Waylon Jennings songs and Cody Johnson songs.

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