I all too often find this perception of mine very rare and under-appreciated. Sure, each genre has its fair share of fans, but it’s those who understand that deeper feeling of emotion, that truly appreciate a country song.

Even from the first few strums of a guitar, they can make you want to sing along and sway to the rhythm of a love story as you subconsciously get wrapped up in ideas, hopes, and dreams. When you have the ability to place yourself right into the story playing in your ears, you’re hooked.

It’s that southern boy charm, and the drawl of a strong but gentle voice that evokes a sensation of dreaminess, and passion. Or the way a girl just can’t resist voicing over a catchy feminine melody, while she imagines herself as the star of the music video who finds the man of her future.

Whichever emotion you dive into, you find yourself deriving personal meaning that supplements the intended essence of the lyrics and harmony combined. It’s like going full blast on an emotional spectrum, where Whiskey Lullaby and Man! I Feel Like a Woman can have you from on your knees feeling like a broken mess, to up on a table excitedly creating a mess.

Honestly, who doesn’t fall apart watching Carrie Underwood in her official video for Just a Dream, or listening to the end of What Hurts the Most, by our beloved Rascal Flatts.

Then there’s those that almost make us rethink our own lives by the pure reality of the words we’re hearing. Tim McGraw never fails to deliver more and more of this type, from Live Like You Were Dying to Humble and Kind, and even his most recent release, Keep Your Eyes on Me featuring his equally talented wife, Faith Hill.

While the previously mentioned examples could send some to the verge of tears, I sometimes find myself being sent to the same emotional cliff even in a happy way… crazy as it may seem, Blake Shelton’s Doing What She Likes does it to me. It’s a sweet story with uplifting notes, but it strikes a chord inside me that leaves me emotionally content by its perfection.

The other end of the spectrum can make you wild with excitement… if you’re a country fan that doesn’t admit to feeling something from Kelsea Ballerini’s songs, are you really a fan? I’ve witnessed Yeah Boy being the spark to pumped car ride jams on multiple occasions, and Dibs can make you giddy enough to dance through a train station (which yes, I actually did)!

Country music is such an emotional inspiration on so many levels! The depth of one song’s meaning may contrast with the excitement or buoyancy of another, but we still have the chance to feel something amazing with each one.

You readers may or may not understand these feelings, but I shall leave you with one question that may spark your discernment…