20 Awesome Songs about Small Towns

A sizable part of the population continues to live in small towns. As a result, it makes sense that people have created numerous songs about them. Chances are good interested individuals will recognize at least some of the songs about small towns that have been released, seeing as how they can be well-known.

Here are 20 awesome songs about small towns:

20. “On, Wisconsin” – Trapper Schoepp

“On, Wisconsin” is a warcry from the American Civil War. Famously, Arthur MacArthur Jr. shouted it while bearing his regimental flag during a Union assault on a Confederate-held hill. He earned the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

Something that did much to send him on his way to his eventual position as a lieutenant general of the United States. Due to this, there is more than one song called “On, Wisconsin.” This one is Trapper Schoepp’s rework of an obscure Bob Dylan song. It isn’t as well-known as its counterparts, which is a shame because it is quite good.

19. “Small Town Southern Man” – Alan Jackson

Strictly speaking, “Small Town Southern Man” is more about a person than a place. Still, we are greatly influenced by our surroundings, so it counts for this list. In any case, “Small Town Southern Man” is a thought-provoking song about the titular character from birth to death.

18. “Back on the Ground” – Scott McCreery

“Back on the Ground” is an excellent reminder that we are constantly changing, meaning our perspective is constantly changing. Its narrator points out that he used to want to leave his hometown as soon as possible. Now, he heads home to his mother whenever the opportunity presents itself.

17. “Boondocks” – Little Big Town

“Boondocks” sees Little Big Town reminiscing about their roots. If there is one thing people should take away from the song, it is that they should never be ashamed about where they came from.

16. “Backwoods” – Justin Moore

Meanwhile, “Backwoods” sees Justin Moore singing about his enjoyment of the life he is living out in the titular location. This is a classic example of music in which singers revel in the small-town lifestyle, which has its charms.

15. “Homegrown” – Zac Brown Band

Speaking of which, “Homegrown” is another song in which the artist expresses satisfaction with living in a small town. Of course, it is more enjoyable than most of its counterparts, thus explaining its place on this list.

14. “Thank God for Hometowns” – Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood came from Muskogee in Oklahoma. It is home to more than 36,000 people, thus making it one of the largest cities in the state. Still, Muskogee can be considered a small town from the perspective of people used to its more populated counterparts.

The lyrics of this song suggest that Underwood was another individual who left her hometown as soon as possible. However, they also make it clear that she is one of those who have developed an additional appreciation for her hometown after doing so. In Underwood’s case, she sees it as a place where she will always be welcome no matter where she goes. To be fair, that does sound rather nice to have.

13. “My Town” – Montgomery Gentry

Montgomery Gentry is named thus because the duo consists of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry. Both came from Kentucky. Specifically, Montgomery grew up in Danville, while Gentry grew up in Lexington. The former has a much better claim to being a small town than the latter, seeing as the latter is the anchor of its metropolitan area. Still, “My Town” is another song in which the narrator expresses a renewed fondness for where they were raised after a period of alienation.

12. “Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church

Appreciation for one’s hometown is often rooted in deep-rooted nostalgia. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that people will develop such sentiments. Sometimes, circumstances coincide to produce more negative impressions.

For instance, the narrator of “Give Me Back My Hometown” is upset because he can’t disassociate his hometown from something bad that happened to him. It isn’t 100 percent clear what happened. Even so, the lyrics strongly suggest that it was a breakup. Perhaps his impression of his hometown will recover as time soothes that sting. If so, it is far off in the future because his feelings are still raw.

11. “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s” – Tim McGraw

Some of the same ideas show up in this duet from Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The opening reveals he is feeling overwhelmed by the world around him. As a result, he longs for the warmth and welcome of his childhood home. Something easy to sympathize with even if people don’t necessarily recognize the picture he paints of it. The twist is that the narrator can recreate his childhood home, even though the times have changed. After all, he is in a position to buy while the property is being put up for sale.

10. “Mayberry” – Rascal Flatts

“Mayberry” is a song pumped full of nostalgia. It makes more sense when one knows the context. For those curious, Mayberry is the fictional setting of two sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. That said, it isn’t wholly unmoored from the real world because it is believed to have been based on Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, NC. Technically, the latter is a city. In practice, many people would classify it as a small town, seeing as how its population barely cleared the 10,000 mark in 2020. The connection is well-known, so much so that Mount Airy has a tourism sector based on it.

9. “Back Where I Come From” – Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney uses “Back Where I Come From” as a chance to tout his love for his hometown. Funny enough, he grew up in a small city called Luttrell, which is now considered a part of Greater Knoxville in Tennessee.

8. “Famous in a Small Town” – Miranda Lambert

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. As a result, songs driven by it can be quite enjoyable. Still, it is nice when songs put more focus on aspects of small-town living that get less mention in the lyrics.

One excellent example is Miranda Lambert’s “Famous in a Small Town.” People enjoy gossiping. Thanks to that, it is easy for in-depth information to spread through the tight-knit circles that make up small towns, meaning everyone knows everyone else.

Something that can be heavenly for one person but hellish for another, depending on preferences. The fun thing about the narrator is that she outright tells the person she is speaking with to do something scandalous to give everyone something to talk about.

7. “Christmas Tree Farm” – Taylor Swift

Christmas trees became popular in the English-speaking world around the mid-19th century. Nowadays, artificial Christmas trees see more use than their natural counterparts.

However, the demand for the latter has existed for a long time and will presumably continue to exist for some time. Unsurprisingly, there are Christmas tree farms, which grow pines, spruces, and firs for the annual tradition. “Christmas Tree Farm” is named thus because Taylor Swift spent part of her early childhood living in one of these places.

6. “Merry Go ‘Round” – Kacey Musgraves

There is no such thing as a perfect place to live. Everything has upsides and downsides. Small towns are no exception to this rule despite the wholesome image depicted by so much popular media. Kacey Musgraves’s “Merry Go ‘Round” focuses more on the darker aspect of small-town living. Its lyrics aren’t subtle when bringing up adultery, addiction, and other issues, which they blame on the lack of anything to do.

5. “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” – Pearl Jam

Amusingly, Pearl Jam went out of its way to give this song a long name, thus enabling it to stand out from its one-word-named counterparts. That said, it isn’t funny in the slightest. Instead, it is sadder than anything else.

Those curious should know the song’s name describes the narrator. Thanks to that, interested individuals should have no problem figuring out that the lyrics describe her meeting someone she knew very well once upon a time.

She has been stuck in the same place the entire time. Meanwhile, that person managed to get out, thus resulting in them changing so much that she didn’t realize who she was seeing at first. Sadly, there is no happy reunion here.

She would love to greet this person. The issue is that she is too embarrassed to do so, meaning she will just let those thoughts and feelings fade like everything else in her life. For such an innocuously-named song, it is surprisingly bleak. To some extent, that is because it feels relatable, meaning it possesses a sense of authenticity that enables it to hit harder.

4. “Photograph” – Nickelback

Nickelback gets a great deal of dislike for various reasons. Despite this, the band seems to have a sizable fanbase, as shown by its commercial success. For instance, “Photograph” was Nickelback’s third single to make it into the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Moreover, it went double-platinum in the United States, meaning it sold more than two million copies.

Subject-wise, the song is meant as a bridge between the present and the past. The lyrics make it clear that the narrator came from a small town without ever saying it, which makes sense because that reflects frontman Chad Kroeger’s experiences.

3. “Quiet Town” – The Killers

Moving on, the Killers are famous for being a Las Vegas-based band. However, the frontman, Brandon Flowers, had a more complicated background than that. He was born in Henderson, NV, but raised in Payson, UT, and Nephi, UT. As such, Flowers is more than familiar with the kind of place he sang about in “Quiet Town.” The song offers a balanced perspective.

On the one hand, it outright calls the people of its setting the salt of the land; on the other hand, it makes it clear there are real problems running through the community. Thanks to this, “Quiet Town” is a more thoughtful and contemplative song than it would be under other circumstances.

2. “Small Town” – John Mellencamp

By this point, “Small Town” is a classic. Certainly, it feels like an archetype for the songs in which artists sing about their fondness for the small-town lifestyle. On the whole, “Small Town” is a pleasant, charming sort of song. The narrator specifically mentions that he doesn’t have anything against people who prefer more populous cities but that he prefers their smaller counterparts.

1. “My Tennessee Mountain Home” – Dolly Parton

Many things make Dolly Parton one of the most amazing artists to ever emerge from the United States. One example is how she lived the classic story of rising from humble beginnings to glorious heights.

For context, Parton was raised in East Tennessee. Her father was a small farmer who did construction jobs to supplement his income. Meanwhile, her mother was responsible for raising their twelve children, which must have been a Herculean task. Parton has been quite open about her childhood, as shown by “My Tennessee Mountain Home” and some of her other songs.

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