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The Musical Divide

Bridging gaps by connecting with music fans

Category: Best Hit Songs

The Best Hit Songs of 2006

Getting nostalgic with hits from Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton, Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs of 2006

January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 2007 (Again)

Featuring hits from Trent Tomlinson, Billy Currington, Kellie Pickler and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2007 (Again)

June 24, 2020June 24, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1993

Featuring hits from Trisha Yearwood, Dwight Yoakam, Pam Tillis and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1993

April 28, 2020June 18, 2020 Zackary Kephart2 Comments

The Best Hit Songs Of 1971

Featuring hits from Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall, George Jones and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1971

March 24, 2020June 18, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 2000

Featuring songs from Gary Allan, Dixie Chicks, John Michael Montgomery and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2000

February 3, 2020June 18, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1979

Featuring hits from Gene Watson, the Charlie Daniels Band, Don Williams and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1979

December 3, 2019April 25, 2020 Zackary Kephart4 Comments

The Best Hit Songs Of 1982

In the early 1980s, country music benefited from the release of the film Urban Cowboy, enough to where one could label it a boom era for the genre. Commercially, the movement was great, but stylistically, artists may have dressed the part (almost too much), but the actual music was too syrupy and glossy to resemble anything… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1982

November 8, 2019April 25, 2020 Zackary Kephart1 Comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1989

Featuring hits from Keith Whitley, Clint Black, Suzy Bogguss and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1989

September 18, 2019April 25, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1990

Featuring hits from Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire and more! … Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1990

August 14, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1980

Most country music fans remember 1980 as the year country music went Hollywood. Between the release of movies like Urban Cowboy, 9 to 5, and Honeysuckle Rose, country music was “cool” in popular culture. Well, I should say the “facade” of country music was cool. Images of cowboy and cowgirl attire were abound, but the actual music would suffer… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1980

July 30, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1965

Featuring hits from Porter Wagoner, Roger Miller, Eddy Arnold and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1965

July 11, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary Kephart1 Comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 2011

Admittedly, I always find it odd to explore years from this decade for this feature. After all, this is meant to be a look back into country music of the past, and 2011 wasn’t that long ago. Still, when comparing 2011 country music to the country music of today, there’s already a huge difference not… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2011

June 7, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1997

Unlike most years I feature for this series, the ’90s seems to be the one point in time where country music didn’t seem so fragmented. There wasn’t a huge diversity in style, but no one would mistake any of the songs from this year as anything but country. With that said, I’ll be honest –… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1997

May 27, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 2003

Featuring hits from Craig Morgan, Randy Travis, the Dixie Chicks and more!… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2003

May 18, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1985

In 1985, The New York Times published an article declaring country music’s death. While the genre was caught in a weird area after the decline of the Urban Cowboy era, the article failed to take into account certain factors. Yes, older artists were generally faring worse during this time, and sales were down overall. But… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1985

May 8, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1996

Since my reviews have focused heavily on ’90s country artists lately, I figured I’d revisit this beloved decade for this week’s edition of ‘Best Hit Songs.’ As for this particular year, there isn’t much to say. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were country music’s new power couple, and the actual boom of the ’90s was… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1996

April 16, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary KephartLeave a comment

The Best Hit Songs Of 1959

Since John Anderson had my favorite hit song of 1981 with “1959,” I figured we should rewind the clock to see what his soundtrack was for that particular year. 1959 is an example of country music being caught in the midst of it all – honky tonk, western, rockabilly and the Nashville Sound. In some… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1959

March 26, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary Kephart2 Comments

The Best Hit Songs Of 1981

The ’80s were a strange time period for country music. In some ways, I’d argue it mirrors country music today, namely in how it’s all over the place. The outlaw movement was over, and with country music’s Hollywood exposure through movies such as Urban Cowboy, Honeysuckle Rose, 9 to 5 and Coal Miner’s Daughter, country… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1981

March 12, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary Kephart4 Comments

The Best Hit Songs Of 1994

We’re going back to the ’90s this week, and honestly I’m surprised this is only the second time I’ve visited this era of country music for this feature. While ’90s country does have its critics, there arguably wasn’t a better time for the genre, and that comment doesn’t just extend toward the quality. More women… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 1994

February 11, 2019April 26, 2020 Zackary Kephart2 Comments

The Best Hit Songs Of 2002

This edition of “The Best Hit Songs” explores a transitional period in country music. The ’90s boom had long been over, and even Garth Brooks and Shania Twain were collecting their final big hits. Hat acts were transitioning into easy listening pop-country acts, and in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the theme of… Read More The Best Hit Songs Of 2002

January 29, 2019April 25, 2020 Zackary Kephart6 Comments

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