County songs are great for so many reasons. You can listen to them when your heart is in shambles after your special someone takes a hike. Or while you are hoisting a glass of your fave brew. Maybe you want a way to tell your momma how much you appreciate her. There are country songs that fit that bill. Riding down the highway with your hair unfurling behind you, you probably want some music on during your road trip. Country songs are fantastic for that as well. Try one of these hook-heavy gems the next time you are driving down the freeway with the convertible's top down. Crank up the volume too!
Videos by Wide Open Country
"Ramblin' Man"
What a perfect track for anyone behind the wheel on a road trip! The Allman Brothers Band's sublime 1973 anthem to heady liberation and self-determination should get top billing on your playlist. Per American Songwriter, "'Ramblin' Man' depicts long stretches of highway, rubber to asphalt, and the freedom of constant motion...."
Dickey Betts, the band's guitarist, wrote it. Per the outlet, he nearly gave it to Johnny Cash. Fortunately, he did not and a classic was thus born.
"American Honey"
Released by Lady A on 2010 (they were then known as Lady Antebellum), the song was allegedly inspired by a bottle of liquor called American Honey, per The Boot. Co-songwriter Shane Stevens said, "Of course, the song's not about whiskey! It's about getting back to a simpler time." The Lady A threesome of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood handles it beautifully, as usual for them. Mellow and masterful.
"Highway Don't Care"
From Tim McGraw's album Two Lanes of Freedom, the song has Keith Urban on guitar and vocals from Taylor Swift way back in her country days. They all blend their skills exquisitely. The track eventually went triple platinum. Per CBS News via Radio.com, McGraw said, "It's a track that has sort of a timeless feel to me. It's something that felt like I could have heard it ten years ago, and I could hear it ten years from now as well." He added, "I'm a huge fan of Taylor's. We have a history, going back to her first song," which was titled 'Tim McGraw.'"
"Amarillo by Morning"
This song is as assured and smooth as it gets, thanks to the artistry of the brilliant George Strait. Per American Songwriter, "...Strait croons over the sound of a crying steel guitar, 'I ain't got a dime / But what I've got is mine / I ain't rich / Bur Lord, I'm free...." A great philosophy for someone hitting the road, pedal to the metal, without a single care in the world.
