If rock music’s comfort zone is on the road and pop music’s comfort zone is on the dance floor, then country music’s comfort zone must be somewhere outside with nice weather, a cold beer, and someone you love. Indeed, the country music world loves a good song about being outdoors, and that’s why these songs make such good soundtracks for summers of past, present, and future.
The wistful ways these country songs discuss the hottest time of year make it easy to grow nostalgic about summers you hold particularly close to the heart. Or maybe they make you excited about the summers to come and the potential those seasons hold. In any case, these songs lock in the tone.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson’s 1993 hit single, “Chattahoochee”, is the blueprint for nostalgic summer country songs. The coming-of-age track describes growing up along the banks of the Chattahoochee River in northern Georgia.
“Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee / never knew how much that muddy water meant to me / But I learned how to swim, and I learned who I was / a lot about livin’ and a little ‘bout love.”
“Strawberry Wine” by Deanna Carter
Most of us can remember our most formative summer romances, and Deanna Carter captures this kind of innocent curiosity with her 1996 track, “Strawberry Wine”. The song takes the listener back to a time “when thirty was old.”
Nevertheless, the song is sweet in its own melancholy way. “It’s funny how those memories last / like strawberry wine and seventeen / the hot July moon saw everything.”
“Beat This Summer” by Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley released his “Boys Of Summer”-esque track, “Beat This Summer”, in 2013. The Wheelhouse cut recounts a summer romance with images of Ferris wheels, tan lines, Wayfarer sunglasses, and sun-soaked hair. This story about a vacation romance ends as most of them do: unsatisfying, lifelong nostalgia.
“As long as I live, whatever I do, as great as it is, you know what’s a bummer / I ain’t ever gonna beat this summer with you / Baby, it’s true.”
“All Summer Long” by Kid Rock
As divisive an artist and song as Kid Rock and “All Summer Long” may be, one cannot deny the fact that this country tune capitalizes on all sorts of summer nostalgia. The 2007 track starts by setting the scene in 1989 when Kid Rock was “caught somewhere between a boy and man” (shout-out Deanna Carter).
“Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking about tomorrow / singing ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ all summer long.”
Photo by John Atashian/Getty Images