The 50 Greatest Country Love Songs Ever
Love is in the air, but you need a great country song to keep it there. This round-up of the greatest country love songs features some of the most romantic, endearing, satisfying and — ahem — passionate songs from hitmakers of every generation.
Musical fads come and go, but love is always in style, and songs from the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s are all included on this list of the all-time greatest love tributes. Love is also universal: Everybody from Toby Keith to Rascal Flatts to Gabby Barrett to Dan + Shay have all tried their hand at a tender love song — with epically memorable results.
There's a fine distinction between a great love song and a great song about love lost -- so while it's tempting to include classic country heartbreakers like Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," we didn't. Our true north in deciding which songs would make this list was deciding which songs two lovers would want to listen to while sharing a special moment together. There is certainly some overlap between this list of country love songs and any list of the best wedding songs, but many songs don't make that leap. A few songs are so hot that they'd cause quite a bit of pearl-clutching among elderly aunties, should they be picked for a first dance.
Find your favorite below and let us know on Twitter where we got it right — and wrong! This definitive list of country music's best love songs was created by Taste of Country staff, with help from readers and acknowledgment of the relative popularity upon release and now. Songs you just don't hear any longer were pushed down the list for more popular, often contemporary love songs. A few classic love songs may have even missed the cut altogether.