I love music. I’m Generation X, so my love language growing up was making mixed tapes for my closest friends or anyone I had a crush on. While the format has changed from cassette tape to Spotify playlists, I still love making a good playlist. These are the soundtrack of my life.

I also made a big move in my life from the suburbs of Detroit to the south, first to Atlanta and then to the mountains of Western North Carolina. While I’ll never be a true country girl, I’ve learned to appreciate the simpler things in life.

Here are my top 5 favorite songs for a soundtrack about country living.

Hammer and A Nail by Indigo Girls

In 2009, my partner and I broke ground on our tiny house in the mountains of Western North Carolina. We had friends come up to help us, so I made a music mix to give out as a party favor. One of the songs I included was “Hammer and A Nail” by Indigo Girls. The song is a metaphor for building community, but I find it very inspiring to dig in and get my hands dirty.

Country Girl by Carolina Chocolate Drops

When you live in North Carolina, you have to know The Carolina Chocolate Drops. They disbanded years ago but were led by singer and composure Rhiannon Giddens and played songs inspired by early Appalachian culture. Their song “Country Girl” has always stuck with me even though I grew up in the suburbs. It feels like the perfect country life.

Fields of Gold by Sting

When I was in high school in (cough) the early nineties, Sting released his fourth solo album, Ten Summoner’s Tales. I had been an enormous Sting fan for years after being introduced to The Police by my older, much cooler brother. “Fields of Gold” is a romantic story set among the barley, and I still love it today.

Thank God I’m a Country Boy by John Denver

I couldn’t miss a classic by John Denver on this mix. Truthfully, Denver has many songs that would fit the bill. As a counterpoint to the Carolina Chocolate Drops song, this one is a celebration of being a country boy down on the farm. Of course, Denver wasn’t born a country boy but into a military family that frequently moved throughout his childhood. Like so many of us, it seems like he might have been craving the simple life.

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy by Various Artists

Another city slicker who wrote a song about living in the country was George Gershwin. The composer wrote “Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy” for his American Opera Porgy and Bess. The song has grown well past its theater roots. Countless musicians have recorded it, and you can choose any version you love best. For me, I can’t get enough of the Janis Joplin version.

We want to hear from you. What songs are on your soundtrack for country or farm life?

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