Country Music Love Songs

Country music love songs are some of the most beautifully written and poignant love songs ever written. But some of them are cheesy, silly, or just plain bad. This site has a very narrow focus, but we try to provide excellent coverage of the subject. Below we've listed some of our favorite country love songs by decade. Country music songs that aren't about love aren't included. So if you're looking for ideas for songs to play at your wedding or just for songs to play at the next hoe-down, this is the place to start.

Country Music Love Songs of the 1930's

Country music got its start in the 1920's, but the really great love songs didn't start getting recorded until the 1930's.

1. "Right or Wrong" by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, 1936 - I like both kinds of music: bluegrass AND Western swing.
2. "San Antonio Rose" by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, 1939 - This song sounds as fresh today as when it was first recorded over 70 years ago.

Country Music Love Songs of the 1940's

Hank Williams, not surprisingly, dominates the country music love song scene of the 1940's.

3. "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams, 1948 - Love songs about pain and hurt were Hank Williams' stock in trade. Imagine how many more songs he'd have written had he lived to be older than 29.
4. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams, 1949 - Another sad old country song about love. It's about wanting love, anyway.
5. "You Are My Sunshine" by Gene Autry - Country love songs don't get much more classic than "You Are My Sunshine".
6. "I Love You So Much It Hurts" by Floyd Tillman - Talk about a song title that just screams, "Country love song!"

Country Music Love Songs of the 1950's

The 1950's can boast of 3 big names in country love song history: Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley.

7. "Faded Love" by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, 1950 - Another country love song that's as fresh today as it was decades ago.
8. "Cold, Cold Heart" by Hank Williams, 1951 - One of Hank Williams' many #1 hits, "Cold Cold Heart" is an achingly beautiful song about unrequited love.
9. "I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love With You" by Hank Williams, 1951 - Another classic love song from Hank Williams, the 27th greatest singer of all time (according to Rolling Stone.)
10. "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley, 1956 - A lot of people confuse Elvis with a rock singer, but he was a country singer first and foremost. The song was adapted from a Civil War tune called "Aura Lee".
11. "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash, 1956 - A song about masculine devotion. This song makes all those love songs from the 1990's seem so effeminate, especially the ones sung by guys.
12. "I Still Miss Someone" by Johnny Cash, 1958 - Oh, no. I never got over those blue eyes either. Beautiful tune.
13. "He'll Have To Go" by Jim Reeves, 1959 - Country western songs that crossed over to the pop charts are not a recent development. "He'll Have to Go" was released in November, 1959, but became a huge hit on both charts in 1960.

Country Music Love Songs of the 1960's

Country music love songs in the 1960's were dominated by Patsy Cline recordings, but Roger Miller made some really notable songs that decade too.

14. "Hello, Walls" by Faron Young, 1961 - A massive hit for Faron Young, this was just one of many great love songs written by Willie Nelson.
15. "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline, 1961 - Patsy Cline is, in this humble writer's opinion, the greatest female vocalist who ever lived. And this is one of her best love songs.
16. "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, 1962 - Willie Nelson wrote this, and Patsy Cline made it a hit. "Crazy" is #85 on Rolling Stone's top 500 songs of all time list.
17. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles, 1962 - Writer Don Gibson recorded the song in 1957, but the 1962 Ray Charles version is the one that hit #1, and the one that's most remembered. "I Can't Stop Loving You" has been covered by at least a dozen artists since, including Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
18. "She's Got You" by Patsy Cline, 1962 - Patsy Cline recorded more memorable country love songs than just about any other female singer.
19. "Make the World Go Away" by Eddie Arnold, 1965 - An earlier version of this song by Ray Price charted in 1963, but the Eddie Arnold version proved more popular.
20. "Husbands and Wives" by Roger Miller, 1966 - Roger Miller was better-known for some of his sillier songs, like "Dang Me", but this is one of the most beautiful country love songs ever written. Roger Miller died too young.
21. "Little Green Apples" by Roger Miller, 1968 - "Little Green Apples" is one of those songs that's been covered by practically everyone, from Frank Sinatra to Burl Ives, but Roger Miller's version from 1968 qualifies as one of the greatest country love songs of all time.
22. "Gentle on my Minds" by Glen Campbell, 1968 - "Gentle on my Mind" is one of those classic country love songs which received massive amounts of airplay even after it was no longer a chart-topping hit. The song has been covered by hundreds of singers, including Lucinda Williams and Dean Martin, among others.
23. "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife" by Marty Robbins, 1969 - This one won the Grammy for Best Country Song. Few people could match Marty Robbins for pure dad-blamed singing power.
24. "Today I Started Loving You Again" by Merle Haggard, 1960's sometime - I've looked and I've looked, and I couldn't find a release date for this song anywhere on the Internet. Great country song from the 60's though.

Country Music Love Songs of the 1970's

The 70's were a golden decade for country love songs. Ronnie Milsap really churned out the loving music too.

25. "For the Good Times" by Ray Price, 1970 - Another great song written by Kris Kristofferson, "For the Good Times" was a big hit for Ray Price.
26. "Hello Darlin'" by Conway Twitty, 1970 - The spoken first line became one of the most famous hooks in country music, and Twitty went on to sing this as his first song at most of his concerts.
27. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Sammi Smith, 1971 - Lots of people recorded this Kris Kristofferson penned tune, but Sammi Smith's version was the most successful commercially. The song's frank sexual nature was controversial at the time. (Sammi Smith was one of the only women associated with the whole "outlaw country" movement.)
28. "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" by Charley Pride, 1971 - Charley Pride's biggest hit was this upbeat love song. This is Pride's signature song.
29. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton, 1973 - This song, more than any other, is the reason Dolly Parton has more money than you and I combined. Not only was it a huge hit for her in 1973, the Whitney Houston cover was an even bigger hit in 1992.
30. "Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie Rich, 1973 - One of the more romantic songs from the Silver Fox himself. Rich didn't have a lot of consistent success, but "Behind Closed Doors" was a pretty big hit for him.
31. "Pure Love" by Ronnie Milsap, 1974 - 70's country love songs were dominated by Ronnie Milsap's songs.
32. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson, 1975 - One of my favorite songs from Nelson's legendary Red Headed Stranger album, "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" was Willie Nelson's 1st #1 hit on the country charts. (As a performer, anyway. He'd seen some success as a songwriter prior to this.) It's also the last song Elvis played before dying in 1977. He played it on his piano the morning of his death.
33. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddy Fender, 1975 - This song, along with "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", is what made Freddy Fender a household name in the 1970's.
34. "You're My Best Friend" by Don Williams, 1975 - Don Williams recorded country music love songs that weren't about cheating or drinking. And they're sentimental somehow without being schmaltzy.
35. "Golden Ring" by George Jones and Tammy Wynette, 1976 - A duet about the life of a wedding ring, "Golden Ring" was a #1 hit for George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
36. "It Was Almost Like a Song" by Ronnie Milsap, 1977 - This will always be Ronnie Milsap's greatest love song, as far as I'm concerned, but it was his 8th #1 hit on the country charts. In the 1970's, Ronnie Milsap was about as big a star as you saw in country music.
37. "Luckenbach, Texas" by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, 1978 - Some people forget the song is subtitled "Back to the Basics of Love", which makes it a perfect fit for this list.
38. "Every Which Way But Loose" by Eddie Rabbit, 1978 - There was a movie with the same name, but don't let that distract you from what's a really great love song.
39. "Only One Love in my Life" by Ronnie Milsap, 1978 - Milsap recorded and recorded love song after love song in the 70's.
40. "You Needed Me" by Anne Murray, 1978 - This is one of those pure cheese love songs that's hard to take seriously, but at the same time, if you let your guard down, it can be emotional.
41. "Amanda" by Waylon Jennings, 1979 - A #1 hit from Waylon Jennings that can still be found on any decent jukebox in any decent honky tonk in the USA.
42. "I'd Love to Lay You Down" by Conway Twitty, 1979 - Lay you down and softly whisper pretty love words in your ear. How could a woman resist that line?

Country Music Love Songs of the 1980's

I grew up during the 1980's, so it's probably no surprise that my favorite country music love songs are on this list.

43. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones, 1980 - A song about a man who is betrayed by a woman, but still loves her anyway, and always will. Until he dies, anyway.
44. "I Believe In You" by Don Williams, 1980 - A #1 hit for the "Gentle Giant". A beautiful song.
45. "Lady" by Kenny Rogers, 1980 - A friend of mine once described Kenny Rogers' voice as lacking character. But man, he could sing a love song. What a crooner.
46. "Feels So Right" by Alabama, 1981 - The lead singer of Alabama, Randy Owen, wrote this song when he was just 18 years old. It went on to become Alabama's 4th #1 hit.
47. "The Sweetest Thing" by Juice Newton, 1981 - Juice Newton had a unique voice. I'm always surprised that she didn't see more hits.
48. "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" by David Frizzell and Shelly West, 1981 - This is THE classic country music love song duet as far as I'm concerned.
49. "Always on my Mind" by Willie Nelson, 1982 - This song was originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972. Elvis Presley also recorded the song in 1972, but the Willie Nelson version is the one that's remembered by most people. Dozens of performers have recorded at least 300 different versions of the song.
50. "What's Forever For" by Michael Martin Murphy, 1982 - Love songs don't get much more sentimental than this.
51. "You And I" by Crystal Gayle and Eddie Rabbit, 1982 - Another great country duet.
52. "You Look So Good In Love" by George Strait, 1983 - George Strait can sing a country love song so good that it'll make you want to kiss your wife.
53. "When We Make Love" by Alabama, 1984 - These guys also recorded love song after love song in the 80's. I thought they'd never stop.
54. "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis, 1987 - Won the Grammy for best country song in 1987.
55. "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Keith Whitley, 1988 - Keith Whitley's songs are twice as poignant when you realize how tragic his life turned out.
56. "When You Say Nothing At All" by Keith Whitley, 1988 - This song (and the other Keith Whitley song) came out when I graduated. Good times.
57. "A Woman in Love" by Ronnie Milsap, 1989 - This was Ronnie Milsap's last #1 hit on the country charts. (Although I have a dream that he'll make a comeback soon. He's only 64 at the time of this writing, so he could certainly do it.)
58. "Where've You Been" by Kathy Mattea, 1989 - Some argue that she's a folk singer, but her love songs are good enough to include on my country list.
59. "When I Call Your Name" by Vince Gill, 1989 - Gill's another country recording artist who has recorded dozens of big hits.

Country Music Love Songs of the 1990's

The country music love songs of the 1990's lacked a lot of the character that the love songs of the 70s and 80s had, but a lot of them were pretty catchy.

60. "It Only Hurts When I Cry" by Dwight Yoakam, 1991 - Dwight Yoakam is a great singer and songwriter, but did you know that this song was co-written by Roger Miller? Roger Miller was awesome. (He also sang backup vocals.)
61. "Anymore" by Travis Tritt, 1991 - A #1 hit on the country charts for Mr. Tritt in 1991. He not only recorded the song, but he wrote it as well. The song was the 1st in a trilogy of songs about a veteran named Mac Singleton. The video is considered one o the great country music videos of all time.
62. "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Garth Brooks, 1991 - I'll admit that I love a few of Garth's songs, but not all of them. This is one that I really do like a lot though.
63. "She's In Love With the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood, 1991 - I'm not a fan of Trisha Yearwood, but it's impossible to not acknowledge this love song.
64. "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait, 1992 - This song was featured in George Strait's film Pure Country.
65. "I Love the Way You Love Me" by John Michael Montgomery, 1993 - This was John Michael Montgomery's first #1 hit.
66. "I Swear" by John Michael Montgomery, 1994 - John Michael Montgomery liked his first #1 hit so well that he decided to follow it up with another chart-topping hit love song.
67. "Don't Take the Girl" by Tim McGraw, 1994 - This is not one of my favorite songs on this list, because I think it's hopelessly sappy. But at the same time, it's such a huge and notable hit that it wouldn't be fair to leave it off the list.
68. "The Keeper of the Stars" by Tracy Byrd, 1995 - A song which thanks "the keeper of the stars" for bringing the narrator together with his love. Vaguely religious, but in a sophomoric, uncomplicated way.
69. "Me and You" by Kenny Chesney, 1996 - The title track from Kenny Chesney's second album.
70. "I Do" by Paul Brandt, 1996 - Basically a musical version of some wedding vows. Sappy, but not bad. His most successful hit.
71. "Carrying Your Love With Me" by George Strait, 1997 - This was a #1 single from the album of the same name from George Strait.
72. "From Here to Eternity" by Michael Peterson, 1997 - This ballad was Michael Peterson's first #1 country hit.
73. "How Do I Live" by Trisha Yearwood, 1997 - Two versions of this song were recorded at almost the same time, one by LeAnn Rimes, the other by Trish Yearwood.
74. "It's Your Love" by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, 1997 - This one hit #1 on the Billboard charts in just five weeks.
75. "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks, 1997 - Written by Bob Dylan and covered by several artists, including Billy Joel.
76. "I'll Go On Loving You" by Alan Jackson, 1998 - Unlike a lot of the country love songs on this list, "I'll Go On Loving You" wasn't a #1 hit; it peaked at #3.
77. "Amazed" by Lonestar, 1999 - This song spent an amazing 41 weeks on the country charts. "Amazed" was also remixed as a pop song, and it saw success on the pop charts as well.
78. "Breathe" by Faith Hill, 1999 - One of the most successful country pop crossover songs in history, "Breathe" is Faith Hill's signature song.
79. "Cowboy Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks, 1999 - Believe it or not, a good friend of mine used to be the drummer for the Dixie Chicks. That was a long time before they were famous though, and a long time before this hit song.
80. "How Forever Feels" by Kenny Chesney, 1999 - A #1 hit and the first single released from the album Everywhere We Go.

Country Music Love Songs of the 2000's

The 21st century has country music love songs, but a lot of them are arguably not very "country" at all.

81. "Let's Make Love" by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, 2000 - Another duet from the album Breathe.
82. "One More Day" by Diamond Rio, 2001 - There's just not much you can say about a song that's become a phenomenon like this one did. Suffice it to say that it couldn't be left off the list.
83. "She's More" by Andy Griggs, 2000 - Andy Griggs is a little too "pretty" to be a country singer, but apparently a lot of ladies disagree with me.
84. "Your Everything" by Keith Urban, 2000 - This was Keith Urban's first top 5 hit.
85. "You Won't Be Lonely Now" by Billy Ray Cyrus, 2000 - I've never understood why anyone would listen to Billy Ray Cyrus, and this song hasn't changed my opinion.
86. "We Danced" by Brad Paisley, 2000 - Paisley is the name of a tie, not a country singer. Ugh.
87. "The One" by Gary Allan, 2001 - Gary Allan's one of the better modern country singers. He's got character.
88. "You're the Best Part of Me" by Dale Watson, 2001 - If you look up the story behind this singer songwriter and the album this song came from, you'll have an entirely different experience hearing this song.
89. "But for the Grace of God" by Keith Urban, 2001 - This was Keith Urban's 1st #1 hit, and he both wrote and performed the song. It's one of the only country music love songs on this list performed by a New Zealander.
90. "I'm Already There" by Lonestar, 2001 - Spent six weeks at #1. Has to be a good love song.
91. "When Somebody Loves You" by Alan Jackson, 2001 - Alan Jackson is another modern country singer with a little bit of character. He's no Merle Haggard, but he's closer than a lot of these pretenders.
92. "Help Me Understand" by Trace Adkins, 2002 - From his album, Chrome.
93. "Somebody Like You" by Keith Urban, 2002 - "And it sure feels good, to finally feel the way I do."
94. "Tonight I Wanna Be Your Man" by Andy Griggs, 2002 - I don't think this song was aimed at a listener like me.
95. "What a Beautiful Day" by Chris Cagle, 2002 - This isn't bad for a 21st century country love song.
96. "I Melt" by Rascal Flatts, 2003 - The music video for this one is the first time Country Music Television showed nudity. It's pretty tame stuff, for all of that.
97. "Forever and for Always" by Shania Twain, 2003 - This was a big crossover hit for Twain, and it was even nominated for a couple of Grammies.
98. "I Believe" by Diamond Rio, 2003 - This was Diamond Rio's final #1 hit. They sing contemporary Christian music now.
99. "I Wanna Make You Cry" by Jeff Bates, 2003 - From his album Rainbow Man.
100. "Raining on Sunday" by Keith Urban, 2003 - I like this song pretty well.

Country Music Love Songs Home

Old Country Love Songs

Modern Country Love Songs

Country Love Songs From 1987

Country Love Songs to a Man

Ronnie Milsap Love Songs

Best Country Love Songs of the 2000's