10 Country Beach Songs You’ll Love on a Hot Summer Day
It’s finally that time of year when the weather’s warm, the music’s loud, and the waves are rollin’ in. Of course, I’m talking about summer! While country beach songs are fun to listen to any time of year, there’s something extra special about cranking up the radio as you head to the beach on a hot summer day.
Without further ado, here are my favorite country beach-themed tunes!
Country Beach Songs You’ll Love
Let’s begin with the Zac Brown Band.
1. Toes by Zac Brown Band
Starting off with something simple and to the point, Toes by the Zac Brown Band is about being at the beach and how when you’re there, you just can’t have any anxieties about life:
“I got my toes in the water, a** in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today. Life is good today.”
Perhaps the story behind Toes is even more simple, as it was inspired by the band members’ trip to Key West, Florida to celebrate Wyatt Durrette’s 30th birthday. During the trip, Durrette just kept talking about how few worries he had while he was just relaxing by the water, so the group decided to write a song about it.
When it comes to quintessential beach songs, this one tops the list, because when you’re lying on a beach miles away from life and responsibilities, it really is nothing but a good day.
2. Vacation by Thomas Rhett
“I got my toes up in the sand, cold one in my hand, singin’ hey, let’s party like we on vacation.”
Thomas Rhett clearly knows how to take a vacation! At its core, Vacation simply talks about having fun at the beach during the summer:
“I got my Solo Cup amplifier, playin’ all my jams in my Walgreens beach chair, workin’ on my tan.”
In it, Rhett talks about playing music, spending time with his wife, and throwing back a couple of cold ones. And even though they may not be somewhere tropical, a day spent at the beach can still feel like a vacation when you’re surrounded by the right people.
That’s really at the heart of this song because while it’s a fun beach play, it serves as a reminder that the best days under the sun are spent with those you can have fun with. There doesn’t have to be a lot of ta-da or money in that, either. Just a cheap lawn chair, cheap beer, and some really good company are all you need.
3. Some Beach by Blake Shelton
Some Beach by Blake Shelton is about a guy going to the dentist, and in order for him to survive the pain of the visit and the rest of the aggravating day, he decides to think of the beach because it’s his happy place:
“Then he stuck that needle down deep in my gun and he started drillin’ before I was numb. Some beach. Somewhere. There’s a beautiful sunset burnin’ up the atmosphere.”
While Shelton never explicitly goes to the beach at any point in this song, it goes to show how the beach can be a state of mind for relaxation. If the first two songs demonstrate anything, it’s that people get a chance to be carefree at the beach, so if you’re going through something unpleasant, like a trip to the dentist, it’s understandable why you’d want to be somewhere you’re happier.
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4. Beachin’ by Jake Owen
This song is about spending time at the beach and then at a margarita bar with someone you love. There’s really nothing more to it. In it, Jake Owen is fixated on his girl, talking about how intense their chemistry is and how she drops tips in the jar and requests tunes at the local beach bar.
There’s something special about going to the beach during the summer, especially early on in a romantic relationship. Maybe it’s just me, but the ocean waves, summer breeze, and spontaneous nature of the season just makes those early days of courtship a lot more fun.
So if you’re in a new relationship and headed to the beach this summer season, add this upbeat tune by Jake Owen to your playlist.
5. It’s Five O’clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson
This cheeky song is about drinking on the job because after all, it’s five o’clock somewhere:
“I ain’t had a day off now, in over a year. My Jamaican vacation’s gonna start right here. If the phone’s for me, you can just tell them I just sailed away.”
I wish there was more to the song to give you, but that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. Frankly, that’s what we all love about it.
The phrase “it’s five o’clock somewhere” is because that’s when the work day ends and happy hour begins. While it’s not technically true that it’s 5pm at any point in the day across the globe, the spirit of the phrase is widely popular when people want to use it as a fun excuse to drink earlier in the day.
Though this song remains one of the biggest hits in Alan Jackson’s career, the song was originally slated for Colt Prather and later Kenny Chesney. However, after they both turned it down, Jackson became interested in it because he had been wanting to do a duet with Jimmy Buffett, who also appears on this track.
While this song doesn’t mention the beach outright, the song’s melody is very “beachy,” which is why it makes this list of the best country songs to add to your playlist. Plus, wouldn’t we all rather be at the beach right now anyway?
6. Southbound by Carrie Underwood
This song is about how summer is done down south, especially with your friends. Plenty of parties and drinking to go around while having fun out on the water:
“Got the rope swing swinging like a chandelier. Little bit of heaven on the water right here. Don’t need much, just a couple of beers and you and me. Gotta love this time of year.”
This is a song that is not only about having fun, but capturing what it’s like to enjoy summers as a young adult. Being out at all hours of the day and night, enjoying life, and having fun with your friends is what it’s all about. It just so happens that the beach is the perfect setting.
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7. Roll With It by Easton Corbin
This sweet song is about a couple being in a rut and trying to find a way out of the same old boring routine. And to do that, sometimes you just gotta take a road trip to the beach! Whatever happens, happens, as Corbin says in the song—they’re just gonna’ roll with it:
“Baby we’ll roll with it, won’t think about it too much. Sometimes you gotta go with it, get out of this ordinary everyday rut.”
Deeper than this, the ocean waves are a metaphor for the flow of life. It’s so easy to get caught up in going to work, paying the bills, and doing all the things you’re supposed to do to ironically stay afloat.
But, even though you can’t stop all of your responsibilities, sometimes you just have to take a break for the sake of your mental health. Furthermore, even when things don’t seem to be working out in your favor, you have to stick with it because you never know what’s going to blossom out of it:
“And it won’t be no thing if it starts to rain and we have to wait it out in the truck. We might wind up a little deeper in love, so baby let’s roll with it.”
This is such a sweet country song, and the metaphor of the beach and ocean is beautifully woven into a grand lesson about life: sometimes it’s easier to just roll with it than get angry that life is the way it is. Like the changing tide, life is always in a state of flux, and that means rolling with both the good and the bad.
8. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems by Kenny Chesney
Like Kenny Chesney states in the intro to the music video for this song, “No shoes, no shirt, no problems” isn’t a song title. It’s a way of life. This song is about relaxing on a beach in Mexico with a drink in your hand and the thrill of going on vacation to take it easy:
“The sun and the sand and a drink in my hand with no bottom.”
If there’s a country song that embodies the phrase “vacation vibes” the best, it’s this one. It emphasizes the need to get away and decompress on a beach somewhere without a care in the world.
“Babe let’s get packed. Tank tops and flip flops if you’ve got them.”
Lines like these bring out the fun of getting ready to go on vacation and the ultimate feeling of relaxation once you get to your destination.
9. Day Drinking by Little Big Town
Why wait until the weekend to have fun? That’s what this song is about. In it, lead singer Kimberly Schlapman sings about wanting to take a break with her friends and do a little day drinking instead of waiting until the work day is over.
While it’s not technically a beach song because it doesn’t mention spending time by the water, it’s the perfect song to play on the beach, which is why it makes this list. Truthfully, there’s a really great motto tucked in between these lyrics, which is talking about how we always tend to wait until the weekend to have fun.
The summer season is a stark reminder that there are so many ways to have fun and reconnect with your friends and family, and having fun and spending time together shouldn’t just be relegated to the weekend.
Even the inspiration for this song is a great reminder to not take life too seriously, as band member Karen Fairchild chose to whistle the famous tune in the track because she didn’t want to keep singing the chorus. It was a happy little accident that made the song stick out on the radio.
10. Water by Brad Paisley
“I was three years old splashin’ everywhere and so began my love affair with water.”
In this song, Brad Paisley talks about his love for water and where it began, citing splashing in the inflatable pool his dad blew up and down at the river bank with all his friends jumping off an old rope.
Paisley takes us through his entire childhood, adolescence, and adulthood and how his love for water has remained the same, even though there’s always been something new to do with it:
“Oh let’re go boys, yeah when that summer sun starts to beatin’ down and you don’t know what to do, just go and grab someone you wanna see in a bathin’ suit and drive until the map turns blue.”
As someone who grew up near the Jersey Shore, I relate a lot to this song because my time spent at the beach changed from year to year. I remember family vacations, all dressed up on Easter day, as well as dancing on the boardwalk and jumping off my friend’s boat and straight into the ocean.
However we spent our summers didn’t matter as long as we were together.
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Conclusion
When it comes to developing a playlist of country beach songs, there are so many to choose from. However, despite this, what I learned the most was that capturing songs about the beach isn’t always so black and white. Rather, it’s about capturing the feelings we experience while we’re on a beach: relaxation, peace, tranquility, and of course, fun.
Those long summer nights become nights we never want to end, and if you’re looking for the perfect playlist to match your spirits, crank these up to 100 and make some memories that will last a lifetime.
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