3 Country Songs From 1983 That Still Break My Heart Today
Three country songs released in 1983 explore painful choices in love and marriage. Their stories of conflicted relationships and divorce helped make them enduring heartbreak songs, with two reaching No. 1 on the country chart.
Reba McEntire’s “You’re the First Time I’ve Thought About Leaving” describes a married person contemplating leaving for someone new; it became her second consecutive No. 1 single. Earl Thomas Conley’s “Holding Her and Loving You” centres on choosing to stay with a supportive wife while loving another woman, and Alabama’s “Lady Down on Love” tells a divorce story inspired by a real-life conversation. Alabama’s song also reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20.
In short
- Three 1983 country songs dwell on love, marriage and heartbreak.
- Reba McEntire’s song became her second consecutive No. 1.
- Alabama’s divorce story also reached the Hot 100 top 20.
Explained simply
Country songs often tell stories through the voices of people facing difficult choices. In the early 1980s, country music reached a wide audience through radio and chart hits, and songs about love, marriage and separation were a familiar part of the genre.
Reba McEntire, Earl Thomas Conley and the group Alabama each recorded a song about a relationship under strain. Their songs take different perspectives: considering leaving a marriage, remaining with a spouse while loving someone else, and looking back on divorce.
Two of the songs reached No. 1 on the country chart, and Alabama’s also entered the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, which ranks songs across music genres. Their chart success helped bring these stories to listeners beyond country radio.
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