10 Best ’90s Songs

In 1992, 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' was at the forefront of the national line dance craze. Written by Ronnie Dunn, the song was originally cut by the group Asleep at the Wheel. The song stayed at No. 1 for four weeks during the same year Brooks and Dunn won their first of many CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Awards. Unlike Billy Ray Cyrus' line dance hit 'Achy Breaky Heart,' which hit No. 1 just one month prior, Brooks and Dunn's hardwood hit remained on radio station playlists throughout the rest of the decade.

By 1992, Reba McEntire was 16 years into the country music charts. However, '90s songs like 'Fancy,' 'Why Haven't I Heard From You' and 'Is There Life Out There' lifted her career to headliner status. 'Is There Life Out There' was complimented by a groundbreaking video that showcased McEntire's acting talents, lead to a made for television movie and was one of the elaborate centerpieces of her huge concert productions -- not to mention the song inspired many women and single mothers to go back to school.

George Strait saw his star rise a decade earlier, and by the time the '90s rolled in he was a superstar with one consistent hit after another. In 1992, the movie 'Pure Country' helped bring Strait one of his most popular recordings, 'I Cross My Heart.' This '90s song was co-written by Steve Dorff, the same man who co-wrote the Kenny Rogers classic 'Through The Years,' and it was an instant smash. The Country Music Hall of Famer delivered one of the best '90s Songs, and it was also a popular choice for many first dances at '90s weddings.

From 1991-1995, Vince Gill won the CMA's Male Vocalist of the Year award every year. After many years with a bluegrass group, playing with the Pure Prairie League and recording modest hits the decade before, he finally found mainstream success in the '90s. At the height of his popularity, 'Look at Us' became an instant classic that appealed to married couples of all ages. The song, written by the legendary Max D. Barnes and Vince Gill, won the CMA's Song of the Year award in 1992.

In 1995, country music was shaken by a new sound created by Shania Twain and her then husband, rock producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The powerhouse couple wrote, recorded and produced all of Twain's biggest and best '90s songs with a cutting edge sound that stood apart from anything else on country radio. 'Love Gets Me Every Time,' 'Honey, I'm Home' and 'You're Still the One' dominated country playlists in the '90s, but it was 'Any Man of Mine' that gave Twain her first No. 1 and first gold selling single in 1995.

In 1995, Lonestar hit the charts with their first hits, 'Tequila Talkin'' and 'No News.' By the end of the '90s, Richie McDonald powered a country ballad that would make history as the only single to cross over to No. 1 on the pop charts and stay at the top for two weeks since 1983's 'Islands in the Stream' by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. 'Amazed' peaked at No. 1 for eight weeks on the Billboard country chart in April of 1999 and was played at just about every wedding that summer.

After having success with No. 1 hits like 'Don't Rock the Jukebox' and 'I'd Love You All Over Again,' Alan Jackson brought his career to the next level with the 1993 smash 'Chattahoochee.' The gold selling '90s song set the stage for Jackson to capture the 1995 Entertainer of the Year award. The song became an instant summer hit as a younger fan base began blasting country songs like this at graduation and college parties. The Georgia native could have easily had three or four songs on our list of the best '90s Songs.

The Dixie Chicks brought a new, fresh acoustic sound to country music in the late '90s. Throughout most of the decade, the banjo and the fiddle had pretty much disappeared from the genre until Emily and Martie Maguire made them 'cool' again. Powered by Natalie Maines, the Dixie Chicks broke through with 'I Can Love You Better' and 'There's Your Trouble.' In 1998, 'Wide Open Spaces' took them to a higher place by hitting No. 1 for four weeks and winning the CMA's Single of the Year award. This trio is a sure fit on our list of the best '90s Songs.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill both debuted on the country music charts around 1993. Hill had the first No. 1 in 1993 with 'Wild One.' Then came McGraw's first No. 1 in 1994 with 'Don't Take The Girl.' As their stars began to rise at the same time, they began to tour together and developed a relationship that would eventually lead to marriage in 1996. That same year, they teamed up for the smash hit 'It's Your Love,' a platinum selling single that was named the CMA's Vocal Event of the Year.

In 1990, Garth Brooks was named the CMA's Horizon award winner as country music's best newcomer. Brooks immediately lived up to the honor with outstanding live performances and hits like 'Friends In Low Places,' 'Unanswered Prayers' and 'The Thunder Rolls.' Thanks to a powerful video, 'The Dance' became one of the most popular songs in his catalog of hits. Filled with compelling lyrics and a timeless tale that applies to those in of all walks of life, the song is an obvious choice to top our list of the best '90s songs. By the way, Brooks claimed the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award in '91, '92, '97 and '98.