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5 Country Songs Released This Year That Should’ve Been Hit Singles
It’s hard to believe we’re about to put 2024 in the rearview mirror.
I feel like it was just yesterday when I was putting this list together last year... I don't know where the time has gone, but I do know that it's been a great year for country music — from mainstream to independent country, Texas to Appalachia and beyond, there was so much great stuff released over the last 12 months or so that I’m having an incredibly hard time narrowing down my top 40 albums of the year (our list is coming soon, by the way).
With so many great records obviously comes thousands of great songs that will never get a chance at country radio, even if they’re released on a major label by a mainstream country artist, which is part of the tragedy of being a music fan.
It feels like so often the songs that I love the most are deep cuts which never become radio singles, and really, I only care because I just want everyone to love some of them as much as I do.
And that’s not to say a song topping the country charts makes it “good,” but it does mean that a lot of people are listening to it and like it enough to help it reach the top spot, though the whole radio discussion is a story for a whole separate post.
This article is really more about sharing some underrated songs I love, from albums that I really loved, with all of you, in case you missed it on your playlist or never had a chance to really dive into some of this music yet. You'll find that they're all from major label artists, because hey, I guess I'm trying to be somewhat realistic in terms of if they could have a real chance at getting played on country radio..
Without further ado, let’s get into it… here are five of my favorite deep cuts that I think should, and still could be, hit singles.
"Jesus Saves" — Riley Green
The easy standout from Riley Green's third studio album Don’t Mind If I Do, "Jesus Saves" was first released as part of his Way Out Here EP in April, and quickly became a fan-favorite. It's easily one of the best song Riley has ever recorded or put out, and shows off a kind of depth and complexity to his writing that I don't think we've seen on this level before.
It tells the story of an Army veteran who has lived a complex, and at times, pretty sad life that’s led to him him being homeless, among plenty of other issues that have compounded throughout his life. The ultimate message is that you never know what someone is going through and how they ended up in certain situations, and Riley told us before that it made him “wanna cry” when he wrote it... and I can hardly get through listening to it now still without my eyes welling up.
It should have received way more attention, and it's easily my top song released this year that should have been a massive hit single... it's cuts right through the heart, and this is country music at its best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1yHiaOlj0Q
"The Architect" — Kacey Musgraves
Another absolute stunner, "The Architect" was included on Kacey Musgraves' Deeper Well album and I've had it on repeat since she put the record out in March. It was an immediate standout that Kacey wrote alongside Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne, who are her co-writers on her hit single and all-around incredible song, “Merry Go ‘Round.”
Like the line in the song, it's simple and somehow complex at the same time, as she grapples with some pretty big and impossible ideas, like the meaning of life and how and why we're all here. It's Kacey at her finest in terms of songwriting and her powerfully pure vocals, and I can't believe it didn't get more attention, either.
She actually did send it to country radio as a single, but as many of us know, that's where some of the best country music goes to die, if it ever even gets that far to begin with... you must have this one on your playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCLhx43ON1s
"Would If I Could" — Ernest
A classic country heartbreaker that will make you feel like you're at a honky tonk in 1974, I have been obsessed with "Would If I Could" since Lainey Wilson first recorded it for her Apple Music Sessions feature in 2023.
It was actually written in 1996 by two of the all-time great country music songwriters in Dean Dillon and Skip Ewing, which somehow got buried for nearly three decades, never to see the light of day, until Ernest cut it for his Nashville, Tennessee album as a duet with Lainey.
He ultimately sent a solo version to country radio (again, where some of the most country music in Nashville goes to die), and these are truly the kinds of songs that country apart from every other genre... the fact that it was written so long ago, during a different era of country music, comes through pretty clearly with even just one listen, makes it so special and nostalgic.
If you haven't had this one on your radar, you're missing out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKwaD5t2Kjk
The duet with Lainey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TJ2kdE_6Dw
"Take Me Out to the Ballgame" — Luke Combs
He doesn't miss... and this song deserved so much more attention. Luke Combs included "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" on the tracklist for his Fathers & Sons album, which I feel like is one of the best songs he's ever released.
It's incredibly sad, but I think unfortunately, so relatable to so many people and touches on the topic of divorce, which is oddly missing from a lot of modern day country music. I can barely get through it without crying too, and it has to be one of the best, most meaningful songs released in mainstream country this year.
Grab a tissue before you listen, though, if you haven't heard it yet (or even if you have, honestly):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu2KZv-8Bjw
"Alimony" — Miranda Lambert
It's old school honky tonk music in 2024, and that's exactly what Miranda Lambert intended to do with her 10th studio album, Postcards from Texas. She does these women scorned kinds of songs so well, and it’s pure country in every way... this one finds Miranda worried that a marriage is on the brink of ending, though, she is consoled by the fact that she will receive a pretty sum in alimony should they wind up getting divorced.
It's sassy, fun, super upbeat, and has an incredibly catchy melody that I can't get enough of. I've gone back to it time and again, especially when I need a little mood boost, and it's one of my favorite songs released this year too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbqRfZG0WL0
That’ll do it for some of my favorite singles released this year. Honestly, I could’ve kept going, because overall, I think we’re in a pretty good spot with the country genre and were blessed with a ton of great music this year.
What are some of your favorite singles released in 2024?
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