These country songs are just as rowdy as rock tracks. The country stars leave their genre behind on these songs, daring to go toe-to-toe with their rockstar counterparts. They all do it successfully, threatening to divide genres.
“Copperhead Road” by Steve Earle
Though this song has an undeniable country tinge, it feels rowdy enough to be a rock song. “Everybody knew that he made moonshine / Now, the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad / Headed up the holler with everything he had / Before my time, but I’ve been told / He never come back from Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle sings in this track, blending rock tones with bluegrass.
This song takes a bold sonic direction, blurring the lines between two opposing forces. While bluegrass is often on the softer side, rock is the powerhouse genre. Earle did the impossible with this track, playing rock star while keeping his country roots intact.
“Gunpowder & Lead” by Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert has often brought rock tones into her sound. Her career has been defined by her refusal to pull punches and her willingness to turn up the heat. “Gunpowder & Lead” is one of the most famous examples of that affinity.
“I’m goin’ home, gonna load my shotgun / Wait by the door, and light a cigarette / If he wants a fight, well, now he’s got one / And he ain’t seen me crazy yet / He slapped my face, and he shook me like a rag doll / Don’t that sound like a real man? / I’m going to show him what little girls are made of / Gunpowder and lead,” Lambert sings while playing the part of a woman getting revenge on an abusive husband. It’s a powerful track with no shortage of rowdy rockstar energy.
“All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” by Hank Williams Jr.
I mean, it’s in the name. This is a rowdy country song with rock influences. Hank Williams Jr. leans into his stereotypes here, being as rough-and-tumble as they come.
“Do you wanna drink, hey do you wanna party? / Hey honey, this is old Hank, ready to get the thing started / We cooked the pig in the ground, got some beer on ice / And all my rowdy friends are comin’ over tonight,” the lyrics read. With different instrumentation, this song could easily become a rock staple.
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