Considering how often I share country songs on my blog and the fact that most of my go-to songs for karaoke are country, you would think that I’ve been listening to country music my entire life. Even though I moved around for the majority of my life due to being an Air Force brat, the majority of my time was spent in the south. Between living in Arkansas, South Carolina and Louisiana, I would definitely consider myself to be a southern girl.
I actually didn’t start listening to country music until I moved to Louisiana about ten years ago. This was the first time that I discovered that there were actually radio stations that played only country music. I feel like it was almost forced upon me in a way. Now country is one of my favorite genres. I’m in love with the stories behind country music. So many lyrics are relatable to me, whether the song is about heartbreak or unrequited love, falling in love for the first time, losing someone or even just basking in the summer sun with your toes in the sand. There’s a song for every mood.
I especially love country songs sung by country women. The messages behind them resonate so well with me. They truly tell stories that I can understand and relate to.
GIRL IN A COUNTRY SONG – MADDIE & TAE
This is one of my go-to songs on karaoke. Even though the song is sung in a light, playful manner, the message behind it is so true and real and can go beyond just country music. The lyrics speak about how country songs have gone from one extreme to the other. When people used to sing about falling in love and the beauty of life, now they degrade women and speak of them wearing cutoff shorts and basically just being there for eye candy for men. I also love how fun the music video is.
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL – BOMSHEL
This is such a beautiful and heartbreaking song that gets more so on both accounts as it continues. It starts by telling the story of a girl who gets bullied on the playground, and when she goes home to her mom to ask why everyone teases her, her mom tells her to hold her head high and fight like a girl. It progresses to a woman trying to find equality in the corporate world and then the last verse is about a woman who has cancer. Like I said, it gets pretty deep, but it’s told in such a powerful way.
FRIEND ZONE – DANIELLE BRADBERY
I had a phase where this song was pretty much my anthem. It was kind of short-lived, but the lyrics still ring true. I was a fan of Danielle Bradbery when she was on The Voice, and I kind of forgot about her until this song came out, and I fell in love. It’s an upbeat tune that is basically giving advice on how guys avoid the friend zone using terms related to sports.
DIDN’T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVED YOU – KELLIE PICKLER
Wow, this song hits a little too close to home. It’s basically about a girl who is in love with a boy. He broke things off with her, and she doesn’t understand because she gave her everything to him and was so in love with him. So sad, but so relatable for many people.
OVER YOU – MIRANDA LAMBERT
There are so many songs by Miranda Lambert that I could include on this list. She’s one of my favorite female country artists because I love singing her songs on karaoke. This is such a sad song that I’m sure many people can relate to. It’s basically about a relationship that turned into a one-sided unrequited love situation. The guy left her, and she sings about how people say she’s going to move on from it, but she honestly doesn’t believe she’ll ever be able to get over him. I’m a big believer in time healing all wounds, but she makes this sad topic sound kind of beautiful.
MILITARY MAN – JESSIE JAMES DECKER
When I was younger, I used to try to plan my wedding. Then I became older and Pinterest became a thing, and the reality of the costs and organization of weddings became too real, so I just stopped. As I get older and continue my journey to find love, I keep coming back to the conclusion that I can’t really plan or picture anything about my wedding without a husband in mind. The only exception is this song. This is the song I want to dance to for the father-daughter dance. It basically tells the story of a girl who grew up with her father in the military, so essentially my life. I’ve loved this song for so long, and it’s the only thing I 100% sure know will be a part of my big day.
HEARTBREAKER – HAILEY WHITTERS
I shared my experience of meeting Hailey Whitters, and I continue to listen to her songs when they come on in the car. “Get Around” is still my favorite because the message hits close to home, so to speak, but “Heartbreaker” is a close second. It’s a sassy song where the girl is kind of calling the guy out. She’s saying if he wants to play games and try to break her heart, he needs to watch out because she breaks hearts too.
