The Musical Divide

Trying to piece together the last 30 years of any genre will inevitably lead to some twists and turns along the way, so while this isn’t the most consistent or cohesive listen you’ll ever experience, I present to you all the soundtrack to A Modern Country Music History. It’s currently available on Spotify and YouTube. I do not have access to other platforms, and I greatly apologize to those that use them. If someone decides to make their own version of this elsewhere, though, let me know and I’ll be happy to share it! Songs are presented in order in which they fit the general country music story and are not necessarily sorted by era. Some songs are not available at all on certain platforms, like the Garth Brooks selections and Loretta Lynn’s “Portland, Oregon.” Still, it will be easy to find (or rediscover) something you love ahead of part two, so enjoy!

Also … spoiler alert for the rest of this thing?

The Soundtrack (or rather, the intended one):

1. Keith Whitley, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain”
2. Vince Gill, “Go Rest High on That Mountain”
3. Suzy Bogguss, “Outbound Plane”
4. Kathy Mattea, “Where’ve You Been”
5. Joe Diffie, “Home”
6. Pam Tillis, “Maybe It Was Memphis”
7. Clint Black, “A Better Man”
8. Garth Brooks, “The Dance”
9. Garth Brooks, “Friends in Low Places”
10. George Strait, “Amarillo By Morning”
11. Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Down At the Twist and Shout”
12. Billy Ray Cyrus, “Achy Breaky Heart”
13. Trisha Yearwood, “She’s in Love With the Boy”
14. Uncle Tupelo, “No Depression”
15. Lucinda Williams, “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road”
16. Iris DeMent, “No Time to Cry”
17. Emmylou Harris, “Walls of Time”
18. Emmylou Harris, “Wrecking Ball”
19. Patty Loveless, “You Don’t Seem to Miss Me”
20. LeAnn Rimes, “Blue”
21. Shania Twain, “Any Man of Mine”
22. Mary Chapin Carpenter, “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”
23. Reba McEntire, “She Thinks His Name Was John”
24. Martina McBride, “Independence Day”
25. Iris DeMent, “Letter to Mom”
26. Faith Hill, “Wild One”
27. The Chicks, “Wide Open Spaces”
28. Alison Krauss, “When You Say Nothing At All”
29. Steve Earle, “Ft. Worth Blues”
30. Patty Loveless, “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”
31. The Soggy Bottom Boys, “I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow”
32. Shania Twain, “Up!”
33. The Chicks, “Long Time Gone”
34. Toby Keith, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”
35. Alan Jackson, “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)”
36. James McMurtry, “We Can’t Make It Here”
37. Alan Jackson and George Strait, “Murder on Music Row”
38. Reba McEntire, “I’m A Survivor”
39. Johnny Cash, “Hurt”
40. Loretta Lynn and Jack White, “Portland, Oregon”
41. Gretchen Wilson, “Redneck Woman”
42. Josh Turner, “Long Black Train”
43. Lee Ann Womack, “I Hope You Dance”
44. Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying”
45. Kenny Chesney, “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems”
46. Kenny Chesney, “I Go Back”
47. Keith Urban, “Somebody Like You”
48. Gary Allan, “Smoke Rings in the Dark”
49. Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, “Whiskey Lullaby”
50. Carrie Underwood, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”
51. Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder & Lead”
52. Taylor Swift, “Tim McGraw”
53. Garth Brooks, “Good Ride Cowboy”
54. Hank Williams III, “Country Heroes”
55. George Strait and Patty Loveless, “House of Cash”
56. Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
57. The Chicks, “Not Ready to Make Nice”
58. The Chicks, “Lubbock or Leave It”
59. Darius Rucker, “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
60. Taylor Swift, “Love Story”
61. Eric Church, “Smoke A Little Smoke”
62. Taylor Swift, “Mean”
63. Brooks & Dunn, “Brand New Man”
64. Brad Paisley, “Welcome to the Future”
65. Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
66. Blake Shelton, “Austin”
67. Dierks Bentley, “Up On the Ridge”
68. Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
69. Lady A, “Need You Now”
70. Rascal Flatts, “Prayin’ For Daylight”
71. Sugarland, “Stay”
72. Montgomery Gentry, “If You Ever Stop Loving Me”
73. Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
74. Reba McEntire, “Consider Me Gone”
75. Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, “CB Song”
76. Lydia Loveless, “Bad Way to Go”
77. Hellbound Glory, “Be My Crutch”
78. Eric Church, “Springsteen”
79. Luke Bryan, “Country Girl (Shake it For Me)”
80. Jason Aldean, “Dirt Road Anthem”
81. Florida Georgia Line, “Cruise”
82. Gary Allan, “Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)”
83. Wade Bowen, “Songs About Trucks”
84. Kacey Musgraves, “Merry Go Round”
85. Maddie & Tae, “Girl in a Country Song”
86. Blake Shelton, “Boys ‘Round Here”
87. Carolina Chocalate Drops, “Hit ‘Em Up Style”
88. Darius Rucker, “Wagon Wheel”
89. George Strait, “I Believe”
90. Caitlyn Smith, “Tacoma”
91. Sam Hunt, “Leave the Night On”
92. Kacey Musgraves, “Dime Store Cowgirl”
93. Sturgill Simpson, “Turtles All The Way Down”
94. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “Alabama Pines”
95. Jason Isbell, “Cover Me Up”
96. John Prine, “When I Get to Heaven”
97. Lindi Ortega, “Murder of Crows”
98. Brandy Clark, “Stripes”
99. Holly Williams, “Railroads”
100. Aaron Watson, “Fence Post”
101. Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”
102. Eric Church, “Mr. Misunderstood”
103. Tim McGraw, “Humble and Kind”
104. Lori McKenna, “The Bird and the Rifle”
105. Margo Price, “Hurtin’ On the Bottle”
106. Miranda Lambert, “Sweet By & By”
107. Sturgill Simpson, “Brace For Impact (Live a Little)”
108. Sturgill Simpson, “Hobo Cartoon”
109. Merle Haggard, “Sing Me Back Home”
110. Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”
111. Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
112. Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
113. The Pistol Annies, “Hell on Heels”
114. Sam Hunt, “Body Like a Backroad”
115. Jon Pardi, “Head Over Boots”
116. Maren Morris, “My Church”
117. Rhiannon Giddens featuring Bhi Bhiman, “Freedom Highway”
118. Charley Crockett, “Welcome to Hard Times”
119. Mickey Guyton, “Black Like Me”
120. Kane Brown, “What Ifs”
121. Tyler Childers, “Feathered Indians”
122. American Aquarium, “Losing Side of Twenty-Five”
123. Jamie Lin Wilson, “Death & Life”
124. Randy Rogers & Wade Bowen, “Standards”
125. Turnpike Troubadours, “7 & 7”
126. Cody Jinks, “Loud & Heavy”
127. Colter Wall, “Cowpoke”
128. Maren Morris, “Dear Hate”
129. Thomas Rhett, “Die a Happy Man”
130. Kacey Musgraves, “Rainbow”
131. Ashley McBryde, “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega”
132. Luke Combs, “When it Rains, it Pours”
133. Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, “Old Town Road”
134. Brandi Carlile, “The Joke”
135. The Highwomen, “Redesigning Women”