For decades, people have boot-scooted across dance floors in taverns and clubs, propelled by music and a communal desire for fun. The line dance — a choreographed dance featuring groups of people dancing in one line and executing a sequence of dance steps simultaneously — has ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years, most recently popping up again thanks to social media and TikTok videos.
In the United States, popular linedances through the years have included “The Madison,” “The Cowboy Boogie” and “The Electric Slide,” accompanying a range of musical styles, including pop, disco, rock n’ roll, swing, R&B and Latin. But along the way, linedancing became closely associated with country music.
The 1980s saw country music and line dancing surge in popularity, following the 1980 release of the John Travolta-starring movie Urban Cowboy. The movie’s success helped spur a renewed interest in not only line dancing and country music, but country culture and fashion. The 1990s saw a bigger waves of popularity, thanks to songs including Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” which was released with an accompanying music video that prominently featured line dancing. Programming on Country Music Television (CMT) and The Nashville Network (TNN) further accelerated line dancing into its commercial peak in the 1990s.
Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon opened in 1994, and quickly capitalized on line dancing’s surge in popularity, including hosting The Nashville Network’s Wildhorse Saloon Dance Show, hosted by Katie Haas, beaming line dancing into the homes of viewers each week. The Wildhorse recently closed its doors after three decades, as its location in downtown Nashville will make way for Luke Combs’s upcoming rooftop bar and music venue.
But still, line dancing has remained a popular past-time for many, with clubs and dancehalls across the country offering line dance lessons and space to dance. Here, we look at 10 of the top country music line dancing songs.
