Country ballads from any era are perfect for having a good cry, but the following three tunes from the 1990s are particularly good for getting in your feelings. Let’s take a look at a few real tearjerkers from the 90s!
“The Dance” by Garth Brooks (1990)
“Our lives are better left to chance / I could have missed the pain / But I’d have had to miss the dance.”
Videos by American Songwriter
This might just be one of the most romantic (and surprisingly emotionally mature) breakup songs in 90s country history. Garth Brooks’ “The Dance” is sung from the perspective of a man who knows his relationship is over. However, he doesn’t regret it, as he got to experience the beauty of being in love. Even though it didn’t last forever. Pain really is the price we pay for love in the end.
“She Thinks His Name Was John” by Reba McEntire (1994)
“Now each day is one day that’s left in her life / She won’t know love, have a marriage, or sing lullabies / She lays all alone and cries herself to sleep / Cause she let a stranger kill her hopes and her dreams.”
If you went into this song blind, you were probably given whiplash. “She Thinks His Name Was John” by Reba McEntire is a surprisingly dark country ballad. Even for someone like Reba, who has released quite a few heartbreakers. In this song, Reba sings the story of a woman who is dying from AIDS after an unfortunate one-night stand. Sandy Knox, one of the song’s writers, was inspired to pen the tune after losing her own brother to the disease.
“I Can Still Make Cheyenne” by George Strait (1996)
“He left that phone dangling off the hook / Then slowly turned around and gave it one last look / Then he just walked away.”
Who knew a song about a rodeo cowboy could be so tragic? This entry on our list of 1990s country ballads comes from George Strait and was released in 1996. “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” tells the tale of a cowboy who is still dedicated to the love of his life. Sadly, though, she has grown weary of him constantly being on the road. He lets her go and continues his rodeo ways. But George Strait’s delivery is tinged with a very relatable touch of heartache.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Most Viewed
-
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Don Barnes of .38 Special is shown performing on stage during a "live" concert appearance on June 26, 1994. (Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images) -
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1958: New York City 1958. (Photo by Jess Rand/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
CIRCA 1959: (L-R) Billy Guy, Will 'Dub' Jones, Carl Gardner, Cornell Gunter, Adolphi Jacobs of the doo wop group "The Coasters" pose for a portrait in circa 1959. This lineup of the group was together from 1958-61. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
These 1980s rock artists earned one pop crossover and let it completely change their careers. Revisit their multi-genre hits. -
BERKELEY, CA – SEP 24: Elton John performs at the Berkeley Community Theater in Berkeley, California on September 24, 1979. (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images) -
English guitarist Pete Townshend appears in Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, 13th January 1973. He is playing a Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins. (Photo by P. Floyd/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
Close-up of American musician and actor Neil Diamond prior to his one?man show at the Winter Garden, New York, New York, October 1972. (Photo by Jack Mitchell/Getty Images) -
English rock group the Beatles hold a press conference at the Capitol Records Tower in Los Angeles before their live performance at the Dodger Stadium, California, 28th August 1966. From left to right, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)