[2026] A Guide to Country Music: From the Latest Hits to Classic Favorites
What kind of image comes to mind when you hear “country music”? In fact, country music—which has influenced pop, hip-hop, and more—remains an enormously popular genre today, especially in its home base of the United States.
Taylor Swift, one of the most famous Western artists in Japan, actually first rose to fame as a young country singer.
To explore the appeal of country music, this article will introduce the latest country songs in the first half and classic standards in the second half.
We hope this piece helps you discover great country songs that are not so well known in Japan!
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[2026] A Guide to Country Music: From the Latest Hits to Timeless Classics (51–60)
CruiseFlorida Georgia Line
This is a track by Florida Georgia Line, an American country music duo consisting of Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley.
It was released in 2012 and won a CMA Award.
A remixed version featuring the rapper Nelly won an American Music Award.
Concrete AngelMartina McBride
It’s a song released in 2002 that tells the story of a 7-year-old girl living in a hellish world of abuse.
Martina McBride delivers an emotionally powerful performance with smooth, high-quality vocals.
It reached No.
5 on the country music chart.
What If I Never Get Over YouLady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum, a country group from Tennessee.
In Japan, they’re kind of like Ikimonogakari.
They’re a country group, but most of their songs have a pop feel, making them easy to listen to even for newcomers to country music.
Their track “What If I Never Get Over You” is also crafted with an accessible, refreshingly uplifting sound.
Take Me Home, Country RoadsJohn Denver
December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997.
Born in Roswell, New Mexico.
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” was a huge hit in Japan under the Japanese title “Country Road,” and it’s a familiar song.
Although John Denver wrote many gentle, pastoral songs, he was unexpectedly interested in spaceflight and even passed the physical exams for NASA’s first civilian spaceflight program.
[2026] A Guide to Country Music: From the Latest Hits to Classic Favorites (61–70)
Love Ain’tEli Young Band
Formed by college classmates, the Eli Young Band is an American country music group.
It starts with country-style acoustic guitar accompaniment, but as the song builds, it incorporates plenty of rock elements.
The distorted guitars and drums—aggressive enough to evoke an emo band—are particularly striking, making it a work that beautifully crosses genres.
Don’t BlinkKenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney is an American country music singer-songwriter and producer who has been active since 1993.
This track was released in 2007 and reached No.
1 on the U.S.
country charts.
SixteenThomas Rhett
“Sixteen” is a track from American country-pop singer Thomas Rhett’s third album, Life Changes, released in September 2017.
In the song, the 25-year-old narrator reminisces with his wife, laughing about how he used to think of nothing but turning sixteen—saying he’d do anything to be sixteen because it seemed cool and free.
It’s a song that makes you drift into memories of your own past and feel a warm sense of nostalgia.
