50 Best Country Songs About the Other Man

Country Songs on the Rival in Love

There’s a certain tension in country tracks that circle around the rival in love. It’s not the big sweeping heartbreak anthems or the neat closure tracks, but something more jagged. You catch it in the pauses, the side-eye lines, the way the singer sounds both angry and tired in the same breath. These aren’t smooth narratives tied up in a bow. They sound like late nights where everything feels messy and you can’t quite decide if you’re mad at your partner, the other guy, or yourself. That headspace hits harder when the story skips the fantasy and lands in the middle of the storm.

This theme has shown up across decades, tangled into ballads and barroom shouters. Sometimes it’s blunt, pointing fingers at the rival outright, other times it’s wrapped up in jealousy that slips through the cracks of a bigger story. A few tracks stretch outside literal territory, drifting into metaphors and sidelong glances, but they still echo that energy. And while country has a long history of this, it rubs shoulders with pop, rock, country, and R&B songs that wrestle with the same shadows. The other man becomes less a person and more a mirror of all the insecurity that leaks out when trust breaks.

The playlist pulls together moments where twang meets suspicion, where vocals crack in anger or resignation, and where stories lean into discomfort instead of skipping over it. Some are raw, some almost playful, some carry weight in silence. The common thread is that uneasy presence in the room no one wants to acknowledge. Here are the best country songs on the other man.

1. 'The Other Guy' by Luke Combs

2. 'I Can Love You Better' by The Chicks

3. 'She Just Started Liking Cheatin' Songs' by John Anderson

4. 'Does He Love You' by Reba McEntire & Linda Davis

5. 'White Liar' by Miranda Lambert

6. 'I Hope' by Gabby Barrett

7. 'Reasons I Cheat' by Randy Travis

8. 'Before He Cheats' by Carrie Underwood

9. 'Stay' by Sugarland

10. 'Your Cheatin' Heart' by Hank Williams

11. 'You Lie' by The Band Perry

12. 'Whoever's in New England' by Reba McEntire

13. 'Who's Cheatin' Who' by Alan Jackson

14. 'Blame It on Your Heart' by Patty Loveless

15. 'The Window Up Above' by George Jones

16. 'The Midnight Oil' by Barbara Mandrell

17. 'You Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man)' by Loretta Lynn

18. 'I Let Her Lie' by Daryle Singletary

19. 'Papa Loved Mama' by Garth Brooks

20. 'I've Already Cheated on You' by David Allan Coe & Willie Nelson

21. 'She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)' by Gary Stewart

22. 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton

23. 'Guilty as Can Be' by Cody Johnson

24. 'Misery and Gin' by Merle Haggard

25. 'A Woman Knows' by Kenny Chesney

26. 'I May Hate Myself in the Morning' by Lee Ann Womack

27. 'Lovin' Your Man' by Mindy McCready

28. 'Whispering Waltz' by Sierra Ferrell

29. 'I'm Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open' by Dolly Parton

30. 'Fist City' by Loretta Lynn

31. 'Gaslighter' by The Chicks

32. 'Talkin' in Your Sleep' by Crystal Gayle

33. 'Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)' by Travis Tritt

34. 'All These Years' by Sawyer Brown

35. 'God Help My Man' by Joey + Rory

36. 'What Room Was the Holiday In' by Tim McGraw

37. 'Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town' by Kenny Rogers

38. 'Kerosene' by Miranda Lambert

39. 'The Promise' by Sturgill Simpson

40. 'On the Other Hand' by Randy Travis

41. 'Whiskey Lullaby' by Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss

42. 'Every Time You Leave' by Randy Rogers Band

43. 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' by George Jones

44. 'Cold Shoulder' by Garth Brooks

45. 'How Do I Live' by LeAnn Rimes

46. 'I Hope She Cheats on You' by Brett Eldredge

47. 'Two Dozen Roses' by Shenandoah

48. 'If It Hadn't Been For Love' by The SteelDrivers

49. 'Rose in Paradise' by Waylon Jennings

50. 'Signed, Another Man' by Clayton Shay