Over the course of the genre’s history, country music has had more than its share of sweet, romantic moments. Whether it’s about finding your soulmate, realizing the one you love has been there all along or, heartbreakingly, unrequited love, country music is filled with tunes reminding us that love is real.
One could even say love songs have seemingly helped to define the careers of many of the format’s biggest stars. The appeal of Johnny Cash’s fiery 1963 hit “Ring of Fire” spans generations. George Strait’s musical meet-cute “The Chair” is among the King of Country’s biggest hits. Taylor Swift’s re-telling of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet in “Love Story” has become a modern classic. And Dan + Shay’s Grammy-winning “Speechless” has been a wedding perennial since its release in 2018.
Though colorful lyrics and a distinctive form of storytelling are at the heart of the genre, country music is filled with real-life love stories, too. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill may be country music’s reigning powerhouse couple, celebrating over 20 years of marriage. But Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s long-time friendship turned romance make the couple fierce runner-ups.
To celebrate the genre’s storied past and present, we’ve gone back in the history books and picked out 50 of the best love songs country music has to offer. This is by no means a definitive list. It’s likely that a song that may have a special place in your love story might not have made this list. However, these are some moments that are worth revisiting when trying to set the mood for a romantic moment.
