Brooks & Dunn’s iconic song “Neon Moon” is likely the greatest honky tonk bar stool heartbreak track of all time. And on this date in 1992, the duo released it as the third single from their debut album Brand New Man. A solo write by Ronnie Dunn, it eventually became the duo’s third consecutive #1 single on the country charts. It’s hard to overstate just how important the song has been within the country genre, specifically during the glorious period that was ’90s country, and it hasn’t remained an absolute timeless heartbreaker for over 30 years no for a reason. “Neon Moon” captures the essence of heartbreak and loneliness that comes along with drinking away your troubles in the glow of a dark bar under the neon light like no other country song ever has, and probably ever will. Kix explained that, of course, this is the tune that launched them to the forefront of mainstream country back in the beginning of their career: “After all these years, I hear more people say ‘Man, I love ‘Neon Moon’. I think it’s the song of the whole catalog.’ And obviously, that’s a song Ronnie wrote by himself, and I give him a hard time about, just it’s been so successful. But he’s right, the night that we won our first awards, you know big awards, we won two ACM’s that night. It was the same week that ‘Neon Moon’ went #1. And the next week our sales doubled. And it really started blowing up. And then ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’ was the single after that. Those two years after that were as exciting as you could ever dream about when you’re learnin’ to tune a guitar.” In the most Texas way possible, Ronnie added that he doesn’t think it could’ve been anymore incredible to watch their career grow the way it did as a result of this song: “That’s as fast as a horse can run.” This one has of course been covered countless times over the years, and even reimagined by Brooks & Dunn themselves with a different generation of country stars, and I think the fact that it continues to stand the test of time goes to show how brilliant, and relatable, it is. The lyrics speak to people from all over the world, with all kinds of different backgrounds, because we all know what it feels like to get your heart broken, and Ronnie Dunn captured that in a way that’s never been done before or since with this song. Nothing compares to the timeless original, but there are some great renditions that have been done over the years, and I think you might find at least a couple you’ve never heard before on this list that give the song a really different, but classic, feel with a totally different spin. Cigarettes After Sex Cigarettes After Sex is an American dream pop from in El Paso, Texas, that was started in 2008 by Greg Gonzalez in 2008. His voice has been describes as “androgynous,” which is definitely the right word and it’s incredibly unique in terms of the sound and tone. They put out this super cool version of “Neon Moon” in 2018, and it’s definitely not the country heartbreaker we’re used to hearing, but I think music fans who appreciate artistry and different interpretations of classic songs will find this version really interesting… it’s definitely “Neon Moon” like you’ve never heard it before. Carrie Underwood Carrie Underwood performed “Neon Moon” for ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn — The Last Rodeo in 2010, which was a televised CBS tribute concert honoring the duo. Plenty of stars sang their hits, but of course, Carrie stole the show with the song she’s been signing since she was just eight years old. Leon Bridges Leon Bridges is a R&B star, but he was raised in Texas, so of course, he knows his country music too, and he has worked with artists like Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs and Charley Crockett before, so I think it’s safe to say he knows is stuff. This one is really cool, too: @leonbridgesofficial Taking Neon Moon for a spin. Always been a favorite. #neonmoon #cover @Brooks & Dunn #leontour #leonbridges #lb4 #ontour #livemusic #newmusic #brooksanddunn ♬ Neon Moon – Brooks & Dunn Morgan Wallen The most recent version on this list, Morgan Wallen teamed up with Brooks & Dunn as part of their 2024 Reboot II album, which featured re-recordings of their hits with guest vocals from other artists. They allowed the artists to really run with it in terms of changing up the production or any other aspects of the songs, but Morgan stayed pretty true to the original and they sound great together: Kacey Musgraves Kacey Musgraves was the first one to reimagine this song for the first edition of Reboot which was released in 2019. It was the same concept of the 2024 version, just with different artists, and Kacey’s version of “Neon Moon” with Kix and Ronnie remains my favorite out of both projects to this day. There’s something so melancholy and vibey about what she did with the production, and it has something I just can’t put my finger on that makes it so alluring. I normally would never want to hear such a classic with any sort of new production, but she really nailed this and I still listen to it all the time. It’s easily my favorite “new” version of “Neon Moon” I’ve ever heard, and I don’t think that will ever change. Nothing beats the original, though… The post Top 5 Covers Of Brooks & Dunn’s “Neon Moon” In Honor Of The Country Classic Turning 34 first appeared on Whiskey Riff.