Country music hits come and go, but some really go. Even high-charting hits from certain eras seem to totally disappear from radiowaves and public consciousness with only a few decades between their release and now. And some of those hits really do deserve more love. Without further ado, let’s dive into a few country songs from the 1980s that disappeared but deserve a listen in the 2020s!
1. “Nothing Sure Looked Good On You” by Gene Watson
Remember Gene Watson? This country music star made it big for the 1975 track “Love In The Hot Afternoon”. You’ll still hear that song regularly. However, a smaller hit from Watson titled “Nothing Sure Looked Good On You” has more or less disappeared from radio play. It’s honestly quite unfair. This 1979 (popularized in 1980) track hit no. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. And it inspired the likes of Alan Jackson to cover it.
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2. “Let Me In” by Kenny Dale
The late great Kenny Dale makes our list of country songs from the 1980s that disappeared from radio play. He’s a pretty unfortunate entry, considering how good the song in question is. “Let Me In” was released in 1980 and made it to no. 23 on the US Hot Country Songs chart, and it’s a fine little tune worth enjoying today.
3. “Roses Are Red” by Freddie Hart
Freddie Hart made waves in the country and western (and gospel) music world in the mid-20th century, especially with later-career hits like “Easy Loving” in the early 1970s. One sorely underrated track from Hart has to be the even later career hit “Roses Are Red” from 1980, which peaked at no. 33 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
4. “Over You” by Lane Brody
If you don’t remember Lane Brody, you’re not alone. She delivered some of the best country songs of the 1980s and then, more or less, disappeared from the charts after the 1980s came to an end. She’s probably best known for the 1983 hit “Over You” from the Tender Mercies soundtrack. Brody has since been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Walkway of Stars, but her music deserves a lot more love than it gets today.
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