3 Country Songs From the 2010s That Perfectly Capture Being Young

Being young is easier to understand in hindsight. That’s why we need advice from those older than us. They have the hindsight of having lived through your circumstance. Songs can do this as well. We can look to songs written about youth, typically by older artists, and glean some insight into what it really means to be in this confusing, heart-wrenching period. The three country songs below do just that.

[RELATED: 3 Country Songs From the 1980s Where Another Voice Stole the Spotlight]

“Fifteen” — Taylor Swift

We’re starting with an artist who wasn’t so old when she decided to write about youth, Taylor Swift. Swift penned one of the greatest country songs about teenagedom when she was on the precipice of leaving it at 18. “Fifteen” is a heartbreaking, sobering song about not knowing your path in life.

“’Cause when you’re fifteen / And somebody tells you they love you / You’re gonna believe them,” Swift sings in this early career classic. Looking back on this song after you’ve escaped the throes of being a teenager, you can see how wise Swift was only a few years later to recognize that life had bigger plans for her.

“Young” — Kenny Chesney

“Lookin’ back now, well, it makes me laugh / We were growin’ our hair, we were cuttin’ class / Knew it all already, there was nothin’ to learn / We were strikin’ matches just to watch ’em burn,” the lyrics to Kenny Chesney’s “Young” read. This is another great advice-ridden song that will help every young person understand themselves better.

This song is about reveling in the moment when it happens. Chesney looks back on his youth wistfully, hoping to recapture some of that magic. “Man, I don’t know / Where the time goes / But, it sure goes fast / Just like that,” he sings, having an epiphany that everyone has at one point or another.

“Suds In The Bucket” — Sara Evans

Sara Evans’ “Suds In The Bucket” tells a story not all of us have experienced, but the sentiment of living life with zero cares is something most young people have, in one way or another. The main character in Evans’ tracks takes off with a guy to start their life somewhere new. Even if that doesn’t ring true for you, the general brazen, wild side of youth likely will.

“Our little pony-tailed girl, grown up to be a woman / Now she’s gone in the blink of an eye,” Evans sings in this track. This song will remind us of our reckless teenage years, but it also has a secondary effect as we get older. We start taking the parents’ side of this story, shifting our perspective to match our age.

(Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

The post 3 Country Songs From the 2010s That Perfectly Capture Being Young appeared first on American Songwriter.