5 Songs That Show How Stereotypically Similar Dirt Road Country Songs Are

Country artists love to sing about the topics that make country music “country,” songs about trucks, throwing ‘em back, heartache, love, momma, hometowns, nostalgia, and many more. Some songs are about one of these stereotypes, like love and breakup songs, but others actually seem to list the stereotypes throughout the entire song and create a song that’s about every single aspect of country music. One type of country songs that might not be so obvious to everyone is dirt road songs, and it seems like dirt road songs include that kind of list that was just mentioned. All of the stereotypical topics that come up in nearly every country song actually come to life on dirt roads, and that is exactly what dirt road songs are made up of. This list of songs is a collaboration of tunes that all tell stories about everything that actually goes down on dirt roads. These 5 songs reveal to you just how stereotypically similar dirt roads songs actually are.

1. “Dirt Road Anthem” (2010) by Jason Aldean

“Dirt Road Anthem” is a country-rap written by Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert, covered by Jason Aldean and released in 2010 on his My Kinda Party album. The song is the dirt road song of all dirt road songs, which is why it is listed first on this list. Every theme of country music you can think of is listed as “countryisms” at some point throughout the song, and for some reason it was a huge hit. The song varies from traditional country style by including an actual ‘rap’ at the beginning and middle of the song, but the lyrics making up this country-rap are nearly all of country music’s favorite topics. Mixed feelings definitely resulted from those that think country is going down the drain with all these songs about trucks and beer and remembering the good ole’ days, and a review by Saving Country Music hashed out hard feelings with no holding back.

The title speaks for itself in explaining what the song is about, quite literally an anthem to life on dirt roads. The lyrics start out strong with “Yeah I’m chilling on a dirt road / Laid back swervin’ like I’m George Jones,” mentioning a country legend was known for his drinking and driving backroads. Right off the bat the song literally lists many of the clichés of country music, like “ice cold beer sittin’ in the console,” “memory lane up in the headlights has got me reminiscing on the good times” and “I’m hittin’ easy street in mud tires.” So within nearly 45 seconds the song mentions booze, nostalgia, and driving a truck in the mud. That 45 seconds is just a glimpse of what this song is about though.

The so-called ‘rap’ that follows is nothing more than a never-ending list of all the stereotypes you can think of in country music. Without including every lyric, the rap includes a truck, barbwire fence, the “Marboro man,” “Jack and Jim,” kissing, cussing, fighting, the “boys in blue,” small towns, gossiping, and last but not least, knocking someone out because they’re missing “them old dirt roads.” So moral of the story is you remember the good ole days while drinking on old dirt roads.

2. “Take a Back Road” (2011) by Rodney Atkins

The next song on the list is “Take a Back Road” by Rodney Atkins’s, which was was released in April 2011 and written by Rhett Atkins and Luke Laird. A "Lyrics Uncovered" review on Taste of Country explained that their inspiration came from listening to a Hank Williams Jr. song that made them want to take a dirt road right then and there. The song is about a guy that’s stuck in a traffic jam on the highway who then hears a George Straight song from 1982 and it makes him want to drive down a country road and “put a little gravel in my travel”.

I chose to list “Take a Back Road” after “Dirt Road Anthem” because it too includes a whole lot of the same repetitive stereotypes. Compared to Aldean’s country rap, “Take a Back Road” seems to be a little more fitting to the country genre considering its missing a rap. This song about escaping every day life and letting loose on a back road follows the repetitive nature of all dirt road songs, and one review absolutely roasts Atkin’s because “his lyrical material is built almost entirely around genre stereotypes.”

The verses of this song, like in “Dirt Road Anthem,” list the familiar topics that are seen way too often in country music. “If I’m gonna hit a traffic jam, well it better be a tractor man” explains how the only traffic seen on dirt roads is from a tractor driving down the road. Following those lines is “I need a dusty path to nowhere” and “the wind blowing through my baby’s hair.” The bridge contributes to the many stereotypes in this song by adding “park the truck when things get hot” as a reference to making love on a back road. Whether you like or dislike this song, it is yet another song about the typical stereotypes of country music.

3. “End of a Dirt Road” (2010) by Josh Abbott band

Up next is “End of a Dirt Road” by Josh Abbott Band, which is probably not as well known as the other songs being that it is “texas country” compared to the other mainstream songs previously included. The title alone is enough to enough to explain why the song fits in this list. “End of a Dirt Road” is about a guy that wants to take a drive down a dirt road because he’s spent too much time in the city with “too much concrete.”

Similar to “Take a Back Road,” this song is about being stuck in the city and wanting to let lose on old dirt roads. The chorus is very similar to Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” because like the country rap, the lyrics are just a list of the many stereotypical topics that you think of when you think “country.” While this song hasn’t really hit the spotlight and isn’t a target for critics of country music that’s built on stereotypes, the song would likely receive some negative attention for singing about all the genre clichés that are seen in the other songs as well.

4. “Good Directions” (2006) by Billy Currington

“Good Directions” by Billy Currington was actually written by Luke Bryan and Rachel Thibodeau and released in 2006. The song is about a guy selling turnips on the side of the road regretfully giving directions out of town to a beautiful woman, who happens to return shortly after. The story of this song is cute love song and the tune is really catchy, but the lyrics uncover many of the same topics that are included in the other songs on this list.

Comparatively, this song is a story of something that happened one random day, rather than experiences that were learned over time growing up on dirt roads. More specifically, this song is mostly about falling in love with a woman after randomly meeting her on a country road, her leaving, then coming back because his momma sent her back to him after she stopped at a country store.

So the lyrics include a flatbed Ford truck, a country store, momma, sweet tea, a cloud of dust, and thanking God that the woman of his dreams came back. Everything listed there is a stereotypical topic that comes to mind when thinking about a country song. Compared to “Dirt Road Anthem” and “Take a Back Road,” Billy Currington actually introduced new topics that aren’t seen in the other songs, like momma and sweet tea.

5. “Red Dirt Road” (2003) by Brooks and Dunn

The next song I included in this list is “Red Dirt Road” by Brooks and Dunn, a catchy story about the many life-long lessons and experiences that were learned growing up “past where the blacktop ends.” I kept this one for last because compared to the satirically stereotypical “Dirt Road Anthem,” this song is a breathe of fresh air considering it’s a song about life on dirt roads. The song is a lot more heartfelt and relatable to listeners of country music.

The lyrics make up a story about Ronnie Dunn’s life “growing up in rural America and all the universal touchstones we all go through.” The story line of the song is extremely realistic, which is definitely part of what makes this type of dirt road song not as cheesy as the others. A review from AllMusic explained the song as “Brooks & Dunn sketching out a nostalgic trip through their past and tribute to their roots and upbringing.”

Like “Dirt Road Anthem,” this song is nostalgic and brings back memories of dirt roads, but does so in a life-story. What makes this song stand out compared to the others is that it includes finding Jesus and also finding yourself through growing up on dirt roads. The lyrics are still made up of many of the stereotypes that make all dirt road songs repetitively similar. The song includes monumental parts of his life like drinking his first beer, wrecking his first car, and falling in love down a dirt road. While the stereotypes like drinking, driving cars, and love make this song similar to the others, “Red Dirt Road” remains unique in the sense that it includes faith. Overall, Brooks & Dunn released a stereotypical dirt road song but one that is much less cliché than many others.

Every country music fan, whether you're a country bumpkin or a city slicker, understands the fact that country music is full of stereotypes. Music Times shared that The Hardline, a Dallas radio station, came up with its own definition of country music and it is hysterically accurate: "You have to have a truck, girl, beer and/or liquor, farm equipment, mud/dust, rural setting like a river, jeans, boots, guns, critters. If you run out of things to talk about, just mention the troops." That definition is spot on and all of the dirt road songs included in this listicle are more or less full of those stereotypes. Most of the songs in this list have received mixed reviews about the songs being built on genre stereotypes that are ruining country music. Whether you agree or disagree with that fact, this listicle included 5 songs that reveal how stereotypically similar dirt road songs are through the use of "countryisms."