The 1980s produced many iconic country songs. While it’s challenging to list the “49 most famous” songs definitively, here’s a selection of 49 influential and well-loved country songs from that decade ordered by the author.
I also added the link to the YouTube video where available and the karaoke version.
| Song Title | Author | Released in | YT Standard Video | YT Karaoke Video |
| 9 to 5 | Dolly Parton | 1980 |  |  |
| On the Road Again | Willie Nelson | 1980 | | |
| He Stopped Loving Her Today | George Jones | 1980 | | |
| Coward of the County | Kenny Rogers | 1980 | | |
| You Decorated My Life | Kenny Rogers | 1980 | | |
| I Love a Rainy Night | Eddie Rabbitt | 1980 | | |
| Lookin’ for Love | Johnny Lee | 1980 | | |
| Blue Kentucky Girl | Emmylou Harris | 1980 | | |
| I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You) | Linda Ronstadt | 1980 | | |
| Love on the Rocks | Neil Diamond | 1980 | | |
| Elvira | Oak Ridge Boys | 1981 | | |
| You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma | David Frizzell and Shelly West | 1981 | | |
| Love in the First Degree | Alabama | 1981 | | |
| Blessed Are the Believers | Anne Murray | 1981 | | |
| I Can’t Stop Loving You | Don Gibson (covered by various artists) | 1981 1982 | | |
| Fourteen Carat Mind | Gene Watson | 1981 | | |
| Mountain Music | Alabama | 1982 | | |
| Love Will Turn You Around | Kenny Rogers | 1982 | | |
| What’s Forever For | Michael Martin Murphey | 1982 | | |
| Nobody | Sylvia | 1982 | | |
| Wild and Blue | John Anderson | 1982 | | |
| You and I | Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle | 1982 | | |
| Islands in the Stream | Kenny Rogers and Dolly Patron | 1983 | | |
| Amarillo by Morning | George Strait | 1983 | | |
| Swingin’ | John Anderson | 1983 | | |
| Pancho and Lefty | Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson | 1983 | | |
| Lady Down on Love | Alabama | 1983 | | |
| Why Not Me | The Judds | 1984 | | |
| She’s Got You | Patsy Cline | 1984 | | |
| Thank God for the Radio | The Kendalls | 1984 | | |
| The Chair | George Strait | 1985 | | |
| Too Much on My Heart | The Statler Brothers | 1985 | | |
| Dixie Road | Lee Greenwood | 1985 | | |
| 1982 | Randy Travis | 1986 | | |
| Am I Losing You | Ronnie Milsap | 1986 | | |
| Diggin’ Up Bones | Randy Travis | 1986 | | |
| Guitars, Cadillacs | Dwight Yoakam | 1986 | | |
| Forever and Ever, Amen | Randy Travis | 1987 | | |
| Fishin’ in the Dark | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | 1987 | | |
| Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go | Alabama | 1987 | | |
| I Told You So | Randy Travis | 1988 | | |
| Strong Enough to Bend | Tanya Tucker | 1988 | | |
| Old 8×10 | Randy Travis | 1988 | | |
| Don’t Close Your Eyes | Keith Whitley | 1988 | | |
| The Dance | Garth Brooks | 1989 | | |
| Friends in Low Places | Garth Brooks | 1989 | | |
| I’m No Stranger to the Rain | Keith Whitley | 1989 | | |
| If Tomorrow Never Comes | Garth Brooks | 1989 | | |
| My Next Broken Heart | Brooks & Dunn | 1989 | | |
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