Shenandoah is a band that has rocked the country music scene for ages. Despite the band changing members several times through the years and disbanding at one point, it still stood the test of time and delivered a treasure trove of beloved Shenandoah songs.
RELATED: A Closer Look at the Storied History of the Shenandoah Band
As of 2022, original members Mike McGuire and Marty Raybon reunite to continue the band’s legacy and write the next pages of its colorful history. In this post, we decided to list our top 15 most memorable and loved Shenandoah songs. We hope they will remind or introduce people to this iconic country band.
Here are our top 15 Shenandoah song choices in no particular order:
1. Stop the Rain
Shenandoah released the single Stop the Rain in 1987. Produced by Byrne and Rick Hall for the band’s debut album titled “Shenandoah,” the song became one of their first two singles to make the charts. The song’s peak was at No. 28 on the Hot Country Songs charts, then known as the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.
2. She Doesn’t Cry Anymore
Shenandoah’s She Doesn’t Cry Anymore got released in March 1988. Robert Byrne and Will Robinson wrote the song, and it was the band’s third and final single from their Shenandoah debut album. She Doesn’t Cry Anymore reached the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart’s number 9 spot in July 1988. Meanwhile, the song peaked at the 36th spot in the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.
3. The Church on Cumberland Road
Written by John Scott Sherrill, Bob DiPiero, and Dennis Robbins, The Church on Cumberland Road got released in January 1989. It was the band’s second single from their album titled “The Road Not Taken.” The song became Shenandoah’s first number-one hit in both countries, the United States and Canada.
4. Sunday in the South
The song Sunday in the South was released in May 1989 and written by Jay Booker. It was the band’s third single from their The Road Not Taken album and became their second number-one hit in both the US and Canada. It’s a song remembering the sacred Sundays people spend in the Southern part of the United States of America.
5. Two Dozen Roses
Two Dozen Roses was the fourth single from Shenandoah’s The Road Not Taken album. Written by Robert Byrne and mac McAnally, the song got released in 1989. Like the other singles in the album, Two Dozen Roses was another number-one hit in both the US and Canada; it was their third song to hit that milestone.
6. Next to You, Next to Me
Next to You, Next to Me is a Shenandoah song written by Robert Ellis Orrall and Curtis Wright. It was their lead-off single for their Extra Mile album, released in June 1990.
The song became the band’s longest-lasting No. 1 hit which stayed at the top for three weeks. It was also a hit in both Canada and the US. No other single from Columbia managed to spend three weeks on the top of the country charts.
7. Ghost in This House
Ghost in This House was written by Hugh Prestwood and released in September 1990. It was Shendandoah’s second single from their Extra Mile album. In December 1990, the song reached the No. 5 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
This song received plenty of covers from prominent artists. In 1999, Alison Krauss covered the song on her album, Forget About It. The famous country girl group, The Dixie Chicks, also covered the song.
In 2016, Kelsea Ballerini presented it at the Grand Ole Opry. By May 15, 2017, The Voice contestant Lauren Duski covered it on the show.
8. I Got You
Shenandoah’s I Got You got penned by Robert Byrne, Greg Fowler, and Teddy Gentry. It was the band’s third single from their album, Extra Mile. In March 1991, the song climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. On the Canadian RPM Country Tracks Chart, it peaked at the No. 4 spot.
9. The Moon Over Georgia
Written by Mark Narmore, The Moon Over Georgia was the fourth single from Shenandoah’s Extra Mile album. The song got released in April 1991 and reached the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart’s No. 9 spot by July 1991. Before Shenandoah, the song was recorded in 1990 by Larry Boone for his Down That River Road album.
10. Rock My Baby
Rock My Baby was a Shenandoah song written by Billy Spencer, Curtis Wright, and Phil Whitley. The band released it in March 1992 as their first single for their Long Time Comin’ album.
By July 1992, the song climbed to the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & tracks chart. It also peaked at the No. 4 in the Canada charts.
11. Leavin’s Been A Long Time Comin’
Shenandoah’s Leavin’s Been A Long Time Comin’ song got released in November 1992. Written by Stowe Dailey, Charlie Craig, and Mike McGuire, it was the band’s third and final single from the Long Time Comin’s album. The song peaked at No. 15 in the US and No. 24 in Canada.
12. Janie Baker’s Love Slave
Janie Baker’s Love Slave was written by Dennis Linde and released by Shenandoah in May 1993. It’s an uptempo song where the narrator talks about being helpless in stopping himself from doing anything for a girl named Janie.
It was the band’s lead single for their album called Under the Kudzu. At its peak, the song stayed at the No. 15 spot on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
13. I Want to Be Loved Like That
In September 1993, I Want to Be Loved Like That got released as Shendandoah’s second single for their album, Under the Kudzu. Sam Hogin, Bill LaBounty, and Phil Barnhart wrote the song and spent 20 weeks on the Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at No. 3.
The song also hit No. 2 on the Gavin Report and claimed Radio & Records’ No. 1 spot. On January 24, 1994, the song peaked at No. 4 on the RPM Country Tracks chart.
14. If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)
Along with veteran Nashville writer Bob McDill, Shenandoah’s Mike McGuire and Marty Raybon wrote the song If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too). The song was their third single for the album, Under the Kudzu, and got released in February 1994. It was another one of the band’s songs that became a number-one hit in both the US and Canada.
15. Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart
Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart was recorded with guest vocals from Alison Krauss, a famous bluegrass singer. The song was the third single for Shenandoah’s In the Vicinity of the Heart album.
The song’s writers were Bill LaBounty and Rick Chudacoff. The band released the song in November 1994. By 1995, the song became a Top Ten country hit. It won a Grammy Award and a Country Music Association Award too.
Ten More Shenandoah Songs Worth Listening To
While not included in our top 15 list, these songs from the band are also worth listening to:
When country music fans talk about the genre’s most remarkable groups, Shenandoah will always be a part of their conversations. They are, after all, a band that managed to enthrall fans for decades. So, if you have not listened to any Shenandoah songs yet, be sure you do. You won’t regret it, we promise.
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