Anyone who says that line dancing is a thing of the past has not visited any dance hall or country bars recently. The dance moves may have enjoyed their heyday in the ’80s and most notably in the early ’90s, but there are still a lot of people across the country lining up and stomping along to their favorite classics and new releases.
Check out below the most famous line dance songs of all time.
10. “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain
If you won’t get up on your seat and hustle out to electric boogie on the dance floor when “Any Man of Mine” is played, I doubt what will. This song was definitely made for the dancehall. Its beats were for claps and stomps. Shania Twain practically served this up on a platter for line dancers.
“Any Man of Mine” proved to be a critical success too. It was nominated for both Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song during the 1996 Grammy Awards.
9. “Baby Likes to Rock It” by The Tractors
Although The Tractors has since become a one-hit-wonder, their song lives on as one of the country’s favorite line dance songs. In fact, there was a moment in the middle 90s that it would be impossible to enter a country bar and not hear “Baby Likes to Rock It.”
In 1995, The Tractors were also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for their performance of “Baby Likes to Rock It.” The song also holds the current record for the biggest country line dance, with more than 12,000 participants dancing along to the song in 2002 in Hong Kong.
8. “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith
“Should’ve Been a Cowboy” is Toby Keith’s debut single, which scored No. 1 in 1993. Keith was inspired to write the song after he witnessed a dance-floor rejection. However, the country singer could scarcely have imagined that the track would catapult him into massive country stardom. This toe-tapper launched Keith’s long and prolific career.
The song has also received over three million spins on country radio, making it the most-played country song of the 1990s.
7. “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” by Luke Bryan
This upbeat hit will make everyone move and shake to the beat. Luke Bryan co-wrote the song with Dallas Davidson. According to Davidson, the song was about “a country girl getting up there getting a little wild.” Bryan and Davidson came up with the idea after they listened to some to hip-hop songs, and Bryan started playing a “groove.”
He then told Davidson that the country music needed more songs about “country girls shaking it a little bit.”
6. “Watermelon Crawl” by Tracy Byrd
This song could lit any festival. The narrator in the song chronicles his adventure at a small town in Georgia where a watermelon festival is happening.
They “got hundred gallons of sweet red wine/Made from the biggest watermelons on the vine,” but reminds everyone that “if you drink don’t drive, do the watermelon crawl.” The song hit No. 4 in the United States, and it even spawned a dance remix that crossed over to pop radio.
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5. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks & Dunn
The title of the track already makes you want to get on the dance floor. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” was written as an ode to Texas country dance club culture.
Though it was actually first cut by Asleep at the Wheel, it was Brooks & Dunn’s rendition that became a huge hit. It helped reinvigorate the line dance craze that had started in 1980. In fact, the line dance that accompanies it is still popular in country dance clubs today.
4. “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” by Trace Adkins
As soon as the guitar starts strumming in “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” you can no longer stop any line dancers.
According to the songwriters, the idea for “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” came when they were watching a young woman dancing at a club. They came up with the title “honky tonk badonkadonk,” about the slang term “badonkadonk,” which refers to shapely buttocks. The song became a crossover hit for Trace Adkins as it peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
3. “Chattahoochee” by Alan Jackson
Its fast tempo tune makes it a favorite among line dancers. The song talks about growing up and falling in love along the Chattahoochee River, which flows from northern Georgia. It also forms part of the borders that Georgia is sharing with Alabama and Florida.
The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It also earned CMA Awards for Single of the Year and Song of the Year and even claimed the No. 1 spot on the year-end Billboard Country Songs chart.
2. “Good Time” by Alan Jackson
This is one of the most widespread country music line dance songs. The narrator in this up-tempo song is feeling tired after a week of working, and all he ever wants is to have a party because “all the conditions are right.”
On the other hand, the music video for this song showed Alan Jackson and his band playing the song, while hundreds of people formed a huge line dance. The local television coverage clips showing that Jackson was trying to set the record for the longest line dance were included.
1. “Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus
The music video for this song led to the explosion of the line dance into the mainstream. “Achy Breaky Heart” brought country line dancing not only to the national spotlight but to the international one. In fact, the song has been translated into more than 100 languages.
So it’s safe to say that this is the country line dance song, no matter what the language is.
What are you waiting for? Get up, grab your boots, and start conquering the dance floor.
