3 Underrated Country Ballads From the 1970s That Still Break Hearts Today

These country ballads from the 1970s will get under your skin and tug at your heart. And, personally, I think more of today’s country fans should be familiar with these gorgeous tunes. Let’s look at a few classic country tearjerkers, shall we?

“Rose Colored Glasses” by John Conlee from ‘Rose Colored Glasses’ (1978)

“I don’t know why I keep on believing you need me / When you’ve proved so many times that it ain’t true.”

Nothing stings quite like unrequited love, and John Conlee explores that feeling beautifully in this painful country ballad from 1978. “Rose Colored Glasses” hit No. 5 on the Hot Country Songs chart and did similarly well on the Canadian country charts at No. 6.

“Dreaming My Dreams With You” by Waylon Jennings from ‘Dreaming My Dreams’ (1975)

“Someday I’ll get over you / I’ll live to see it all through / But I’ll always miss / Dreaming my dreams with you.”

An artist better known for his outlaw country stylings than tearjerkers, “Dreaming My Dreams With You” is a surprisingly somber and gentle ballad to come from Waylon Jennings. If you’ve ever gone through a breakup and have a healthy understanding that your life will continue, but you’ll still miss them terribly, you might just identify with this song a lot.

“Dreaming My Dreams With You” was a No. 10 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1975. The song would also become a hit on the Irish charts, peaking at No. 1, after Marianne Faithfull dropped her own version later that year.

“Sam Stone” by John Prine from ‘John Prine’ (1971)

“There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes / Jesus Christ died for nothin’, I suppose.”

This tune isn’t about lost love or a breakup. Rather, in good John Prine fashion, “Sam Stone” is about a veteran who experiences the trauma of addiction, PTSD, and disability after coming home from the war. This is one of the most arresting country ballads of the 1970s. And it was a poignant one that dropped when the Vietnam War was still raging on.

“Sam Stone” is considered one of John Prine’s saddest and most memorable songs. However, it was never released as a single and thus never charted.

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