4 of the Best Country Songs Turning 40 This Year

The 1980s saw the country music mainstream shift from outlaw to old-timey as artists began pushing more traditional arrangements, instrumentation, and production style. This sort of neo-traditionalism prioritized acoustic instruments and tight vocal harmonies, similar to the country and folk music of the 1940s and 50s.

The country songs that came out in 1986 are certainly no exception. In celebration of these tracks’ 40th birthday, we’re revisiting four of the best songs to come out of that year.

“Mama’s Never Seen Those Eyes” by The Forester Sisters

The Forester Sisters’ classic vocal harmonies made them an obvious fit in the 1980s neo-traditionalist country movement. Indeed, the quartet of actual sisters Kathy, June, Kim, and Christy released several chart-topping country hits in the 80s and early 90s. One of their most popular was “Mama’s Never Seen Those Eyes” from 1986.

The group’s third No. 1 country single is a classic “But Mom, I love him!” song, which gives the track a sweet, relatable quality. Who didn’t insist that their parents were wrong about their crush at some point?

“Diggin’ Up Bones” by Randy Travis

Randy Travis’ distinct baritone is the most prominent feature of his 1986 track, “Diggin’ Up Bones”. In true country music spirit, the narrator of this song is lamenting over a woman. He goes through mementos from their relationship, like old love letters and a wedding ring that he flings “across this lonely bedroom.”

Despite the depressing context, “Diggin’ Up Bones” manages to be a toe-tapper, proving that no genre has mastered the artful combination of heartbreak and hell-raising quite like country music.

“Cajun Moon” by Ricky Skaggs

Ricky Skaggs’ 1986 hit single, “Cajun Moon”, is a feel-good song that proves a track’s subject matter doesn’t have to be heady or heavy to be emotionally moving. Instead, the song uses colorful imagery to describe a night spent dancing under the full Cajun moon, instantly transporting the listener to a moon-soaked bayou.

“Cajun moon, nugget of gold / river of light on the bayou / You’re just like rain to a love in bloom / Shine on me, oh Cajun moon.”

“Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain” by The Judds

Finally, The Judds dominated 1980s country music, and the mid-80s were particularly prosperous. Their second studio album, Rockin’ With The Rhythm, was a smash success, with all four singles hitting No. 1. “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)” deserves an honorable mention. But we’re closing out this 1980s country list with the album’s third single, “Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain”.

The upbeat, catchy love song was a major hit, spending three months on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Photo by CBS via Getty Images

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