High school football season is upon us, and you need a playlist. How about throwing it back to ’90s country in 2025?
There is something about a Friday night under the big lights, hanging with friends and loved ones while cheering on the local team.
Since the majority of Friday night football games happen in the early evening hours, it makes for a perfect sunset tailgate in the parking lot before the game, and 1990s country music really fits perfectly with a small town vibe.
We picked 15 songs for a reason. Country songs in the 1990s average roughly four minutes each, so a 15-song playlist would be good for an hour of tailgating before the big game.
’90s Country Songs for Tailgating
Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”
Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man” Will Get the Whole Party Singing Along
Pass Me a Hot Dog + Play Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It”
Push Play on Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart”
Let’s Get Our “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” on With Brooks & Dunn
Get Ready for Singalong With Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee”
Can’t Mention High School Football Without Little Texas, “God Blessed Texas”
You Must Play Neal McCoy’s “Tail on the Tailgate”
Travis Tritt’s “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” Is Perfect for Small Town Vibes
We Don’t Know Why, But Playing Tracy Byrd’s “Watermelon Crawl” Seems Fitting
Smile When Mark Chesnutt’s “Bubba Shot the Jukebox” Plays
Is It Even a Tailgate Without Alan Jackson’s “Gone Country”?
No Need to Flip a Coin, Just Play “Heads Carolina, Tails California”
Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” Is a Must-Play at a Friday Night Tailgate
As the Sun Goes Down, Fire Up “Neon Moon”
See 50 Essential ’90s Country Songs
If you call yourself a real fan of ’90s country music, you probably need to know the words to all of these hit songs.
The Saddest Country Songs of the 1990s
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
