Which Decade Had Sadder Country Songs?

The 1990s just might be the definitive era of sad country music.

Legends like Garth Brooks, George Strait and Alan Jackson were at the top of their game during that decade, and young bucks — like an at-the-time fledgling Tim McGraw — were starting to come into their own, releasing early-career hits that would go on to be some of the all-time greatest sad songs of the genre.

The ’90s are often the decade people talk about when they talk about the golden era of modern country music, but the 1980s were no slouch, either.

And when it comes to sad songs, the ’80s provided a truly incredible catalog of tear-in-your-beer ballads and evocative lyrical narratives. It was during this decade that the country genre truly mastered the art of the story song, so it makes sense that this time period would produce some incredible sad songs, too.

Read through Taste of Country’s two roundups below to see the best sad songs of both decades, and compare and contrast for yourself.

The ’90s might provide an all-around stouter list of classics.

But if you ask us, the No. 1 sad song of the ’80s might be enough to push that decade over the edge as country’s all-time greatest era for sad music.