Saving Country Music’s Greatest Songs Of All Time
So here they are, a list of what Saving Country Music considers to be the “Greatest Country Music Songs of All Time.” Please understand numerous factors went into this list, but the most important determining factor was influence. This isn’t our “favorite” songs, but appeal factored into the decisions as well. Please note that unlike our “Greatest Albums” list, with so many country songs to choose from, this will not include many alt-country or Americana selections, with only a few exceptions. These are songs that shaped country music and inspired countless other songs that borrowed from their original theme.
Saving Country Music’s Greatest Albums of All Time
The aim of this exercise is sharing, and so if you see a glaring omission or would change the placement of certain titles, please offer your insight in the comments section below. But please understand this is not a list of artists, it is a list of songs. Just because an artist is good, doesn’t mean they have a specific song worthy of this list. And since this list is already so long, we will likely only add new songs to it that are clear oversights.
SCM’s Greatest Songs of All Time on Spotify
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Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues
- Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson – Crazy
- Hank Williams – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
- Merle Haggard – Mama Tried
- The Carter Family/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will The Circle Be Unbroken
- Traditional – The Wayfaring Stranger
- Hank Williams – Cold, Cold Heart
- George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today
- Tammy Wynette – Stand By Your Man
- Patti Page – Tennessee Waltz
- Lefty Frizell (& others) – Long Black Veil
- Vernon Dalhart – Wreck of the Old ’97
- Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
- Loretta Lynn – Coal Miner’s Daughter
Kitty Wells – It Wasn’t God That Made Honky Tonk Angels
- Hank Williams – Long Gone Lonesome Blues
- Roger Miller – King of the Road
- Hank Williams – Your Cheatin’ Heart
- Patsy Cline – Walking After Midnight
- Hank Williams – Lovesick Blues
- Waylon Jennings/Willie Nelson – Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies
- Merle Haggard – Okie From Muskogee
- Willie Nelson – Whiskey River
- Hank Williams – Hey Good Lookin’
- Jimmie Rodgers – Blue Yodel/Mule Skinner Blues
- Charlie Daniels – Devil Went Down to Georgia
- Bill Monroe – Uncle Pen
- Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys – San Antonio Rose
- Osborne Brothers (& Others) – Rocky Top
- Willie Nelson – Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain
- Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line
Willie Nelson – Night Life
- Traditional – Cotton-Eyed Joe
- Kris Kristofferson – Sunday Morning Coming Down
- Willie Nelson – On The Road Again
- Jimmy Martin – Freeborn Man
- Jerry Reed – East Bound & Down
- Faron Young/Willie Nelson – Hello Walls
- Bill Monroe – Blue Moon of Kentucky
- Waylon Jennings – Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?
- Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors
- Kristofferson/Sammi Smith – Help Me Make It Through The Night
- Ernest Tubb – Walkin The Floor Over You
- Loretta Lynn – You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)
- Hank Williams – Move It On Over
- Townes Van Zandt/Willie Nelson – Pancho & Lefty
- Roy Acuff – Wabash Cannonball
Carter Family/Bill Monroe/Others – Working On A Building
- Willie Nelson – My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
- Johnny Paycheck (David Allan Coe) – Take This Job & Shove It
- Tennessee Ernie Ford – Sixteen Tons
- Sons of the Pioneers – Tumbling Tumbleweeds
- Willie Nelson/Waylon Jennings – Good Hearted Woman
- Dolly Parton – Jolene
- Ernest Tubb – Waltz Across Texas
- Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You
- Johnny Chash & June Carter – Jackson
- David Allan Coe – The Ride
- Dallas Frazier – California Cottonfields
- David Allan Coe – Longhaired Redneck
- Patsy Cline – Sweet Dreams
- Waylon Jennings – Luckenbach, TX
- Bobby Bare – Streets of Baltimore
- Marty Robbins – El Paso
- Hank Williams – Kaw Liga
- George Jones- She Thinks I Still Care
- Tammy Wynette – Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad
- Merle Haggard – Today I Started Loving You Again
- Waylon Jennings – Amanda
- Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
- The Carter Family – Wildwood Flower
- Conway Twitty – Hello Darlin’
- Jimmy Dean/Roy Acuff – Big Bad John
- Buck Owens – Act Naturally
- The Highwaymen – The Highwaymen
- Hank Williams Jr. – Family Tradition
- Garth Brooks – Friends In Low Places
- Hank Williams Jr. – Country Boy Can Survive
- The Oak Ridge Boys – Elvira
The Louvin Brothers – Satan Is Real
- Lee Ann Womack – I Hope You Dance
- Barbara Mandrell – If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don’t Want To Be Right
- George Strait – All My Ex’s Live in Texas
- Johnny Horton – The Battle of New Orleans
- David Allan Coe – You Never Even Called Me By My Name
- Charlie Rich – Behind Closed Doors
- Conway Twitty – It’s Only Make Believe
- Hank Williams Jr. – Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound
- Buck Owens – Streets of Bakersfield
- Ray Price – For The Good Times
- Hank Snow – I’m Movin’ On
- LeAnn Rimes – Blue
- Gram Parsons/The Byrds – Hickory Wind
- Guy Clark – Desperados Waiting For A Train
- John Denver – Country Roads
- Jeannie C. Riley / Tom T. Hall – Harper Valley PTA
- Charley Pride – Kiss An Angel Good Morning
Emmylou Harris & Gram Parsons – Love Hurts
- Garth Brooks – The Dance
- Vern Gosdin – Chiseled In Stone
- Townes Van Zandt – Waiting Around To Die
- Tim McGraw – Don’t Take The Girl
- Eddy Arnold – Make The World Go Away
- Roger Miller – Dang Me
- Buck Owens – Together Again
- Waylon Jennings – Dreaming My Dreams
- Buck Owens – Tiger By the Tail
- Hank Williams Jr. – All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)
- Randy Travis – Forever & Ever Amen
- Travis Tritt – Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)
- Dwight Yoakam – 1000 Miles From Nowhere
- Alan Jackson – Don’t Rock the Jukebox
- The Grateful Dead – Friend Of The Devil
Ray Wylie Hubbard – Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother
- Emmylou Harris – If Only I Could Win Your Love
- Dwight Yoakam – Fast As You
- Mel McDaniel – Louisiana Saturday Night
- Lynn Anderson – Rose Garden
- Reba McEntire – Fancy
- Don Gibson – Oh Lonesome Me
- Bobby Bare – Detroit City
- Billy Joe Shaver – Georgia On A Fast Train
- George Strait – Amarillo By Morning
- Clint Black – Put Yourself In My Shoes
- Brooks & Dunn – My Maria
- Tim McGraw – Live Like You Were Dying
- The Judds – Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days)
- The Dixie Chicks – Wide Open Spaces
- Clint Black – A Better Man
- Trisha Yearwood – She’s In Love With The Boy
- Alabama – Song of the South
Wayne Hancock – Thunderstorms & Neon Signs
- Old Crow Medicine Show – Wagon Wheel
- Kacey Musgraves – Merry Go ‘Round
- John Hartford – Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie
- Gram Parsons – Luxury Liner
- Billy Don Burns – Stranger
- James Hand – Shadows Where The Magic Was
- Juice Newton – Queen of Hearts
- Brooks & Dunn – Neon Moon
- The Louvin Brothers – Cash on the Barrelhead
- Waylon Jennings- Good Ol’ Boys
- Freddy Fender – Before The Next Teardrop Falls
- Willy “Tea” Taylor – Life Is Beautiful
- Sturgill Simpson – Life Ain’t Fair & The World Is Mean
- Lucinda Williams – Drunken Angel
- Left Arm Tan – Wish
- Alan Jackson – Chattahoochee
- The Boomswagglers – Run You Down
- Kenny Rogers – Love Will Turn You Around
April 3, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
kinda feel like Jolene has a place on here…
but wwell done,good sir…
April 3, 2013 @ 2:34 pm
I would consider that a gross oversight.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:45 pm
Glad I’m not the only one!
April 4, 2013 @ 11:32 am
Jolene. #53.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:20 pm
still would like to see some love given to Gary Stewart..
April 3, 2013 @ 2:41 pm
But this isn’t a list of names, it is a list of songs. What is his definitive song that I could add to the list?
April 3, 2013 @ 3:20 pm
She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles)
April 3, 2013 @ 3:27 pm
An Empty Glass
I Get Drunk
Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor
Let’s Go Jukin
Brand New Whiskey
Make It A Double
Call It Quits
I See The Want To In Your Eyes
Nothin But A Woman
Bedroom Battleground
Delia
lol Gotta love Gary Stewart
January 15, 2015 @ 2:46 pm
GARY STEWART WAS THE # 2 IN TRUE HONKY TONK MUSIC TO NONE OTHER
THAN HANK WILLIAMS AND WAS A TRUE LOSS TO THE MUSIC I CALL COUNTRY … THE CRUD THEY PLAY N THE RADIO THESE DAYS IS FAR FROM COUNTRY MUSIC IN MY OPINION. I HAVE EVERYTHING GARY STEWART EVER DID EVEN SOME STUFF I OBTAINED FROM HIM AS I GREW UP IN FT.PIERCE, FLORIDA WHERE HE LIVED & DIED… WHJEN HE WENT ON THE ROAD & RETURNED TO FT.PIERCE A COUPLE OF BUDDIES & MYSELF WOULD GET INFO ON OTHER MUSICIANS THAT HE CAME ACROSS OR PLAYED WITH WHILE ON THE ROAD DOING HIS SHOW’S. BUT HE TURNED US ON TO EMMYLOU HARRIS , JOHN PRINE,JERRY JEFF WALKER,GUT CLARK, RAY WYLIE HUBBARD & EVEN A YOUNG ROBERT EARL KEEN … GOD REST HIS SOUL “HE’S ON A “WHISKEY TRIP” I SWEAR !
April 3, 2013 @ 2:26 pm
I looked four times and didn’t see “A Satisfied Mind” by Porter Wagoner. That song has been covered by everyone, though Porter’s is still the definitive version.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:38 pm
Added.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:30 pm
no Billy Joe Shaver?, Honky Tonk Heroes.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:40 pm
Isn’t “Georgia On A Fast Train” more of his definitive song?
April 3, 2013 @ 3:02 pm
I would agree with Trigg although, there is a case with the importance of Honky Tonk Hereos and what it did for Waylon’s career.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:28 pm
that is true about Georgia but exactly what i was gettin’ was brought up by Mr. yessir.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:31 pm
Sorry if I came across as combative. I was seriously asking for folks’ opinion.
April 4, 2013 @ 8:02 am
He’s got some classics. I always felt Willy the Wandering Gypsy and Me was more definitive. The whole album is great, even the cover art: “Do Not Stand in Doorway.”
April 3, 2013 @ 2:34 pm
I may just have to burn my own “Greatest Country Songs” CD collection. Great list! I’d add Johnny Cash’s cover of Hurt, but other than that I thought it was pretty good.
It’s a little early to tell yet, but I’m hoping “Miss Me When You’re Gone” (Cups for those of you who don’t delve into old tyme music like I do) has an impact and keeps the Mumford & Sons roots revival going. Yeah, the version that’s on the radio now is poppy as hell, but I’m hoping someone stumbles on the original version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmXSOPDe5-Y
April 3, 2013 @ 2:39 pm
The thing about “Hurt” is it is a pretty obvious cover song. I know there’s other songs on this list that are covers, but that was the reason I didn’t include it here. Great song though.
April 3, 2013 @ 9:09 pm
When I first heard that song, I didn’t realize it was a cover. Hell, I didn’t know it was a cover ’til last year. Johnny Cash didn’t so much steal that song as ride up on a Harley, tuck it under his arm and ride of into the sunset
April 3, 2013 @ 2:40 pm
Great list and there’s not much I’d change other than adding Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:43 pm
and instead of Chatahoochie, I’d argue that “Midnight in Montgomery” and “Between the Devil and Me” are his best. Hell, they are some of my favorites ever.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:17 pm
If I stretched this list out further, “Outlaw Bit” would be on there. Great song and I considered it, but I left it off because I think it comes from the similar vein as “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?” I think that was the more significant Waylon song, and he’s already represented so heavily on this list.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:43 pm
You should create this list and your other “top” lists in Spotify and share the link on your posts.
Just a suggestion that I think would help make this site more interactive.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:05 pm
Thanks for the suggestion.
The reason I do not use Spotify or promote Spotify is because it offers the lowest payouts to artists for plays of any format. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad thing because I understand it is also a great promotional tool for artists and can help them sell records, but generally speaking, I leave it up to my readers to decide how they want to consume music, and embedding or incorporating with a subscription sites ostensibly excludes certain readers from content.
What I have noticed is that many Spotify users assume everyone has Spotify, as a lot of satellite radio users assume everyone has satellite radio, when in reality it is a small percentage of the population. The majority of my readers tend to still consume music in the traditional way of buying and owning it, which I think is the way a lot of people who would put the effort out to read a music blog still consume their music.
Having said that, I always try to incorporate and embed streaming media when I can. This list was just too big for YouTube, etc.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:24 pm
PC version of Spotify is free to use for everyone. The mobile version is 10 bucks a month(which is great value IMO).
It’d be nice to have a somewhat tangible version of your lists which is easy enough to do with Spotify.
I can’t count the number of artists that I’ve come to love because of suggestions/related artists on Spotify. It’s a great tool for musical discovery.
April 4, 2013 @ 6:15 pm
I got rid of Spotify I realized it was using my computer as a P2P server.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:45 pm
Good list. I would add Jerry Jeff Walker Mr. Bojangles, Gary Stewart Drinkin’ thing. Billy Joe Shaver Live Forever and Chris Wall I feel like Hank Williams Tonight.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:19 pm
I really struggled with “Mr. Bojangles.” Is this a country song? If I was making a “Greatest Songs of All Time” it would definitely be on there, but I think of it more as a folk and pop standard. (pop in the classic sense of the term).
April 3, 2013 @ 3:24 pm
I thinks one of the things that makes the song great is it is country in the greatest tradtions of waltz time story songs but it is so universal that it crossed over into jazz, folk pop etc.
April 5, 2013 @ 12:52 pm
All good choices, sir.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:56 pm
Seeing Sturgill Simpson on this list made me smile. I hope he has the impact on country music that you expect him to have. I’ve played Life Ain”™t Fair & The World Is Mean non-stop for the past year. Love his new album.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:57 pm
You really opened yourself up to a lot of criticisms on this on trigger! I dont really know where I could possibly start on something this grand. Good work though, and good luck defending your choices against every country music fans opinions.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:23 pm
Some people takes these lists as strokes of arrogance on my part, saying that I don’t have the right to rate music like this. Others take them like a “Where’s Waldo” exercise and go raffling through them with their only purpose to snivel about omissions (though others are honestly trying to help out, which I REALLY appreciate).
But the hope is the silent majority will look at this list, find something they didn’t know about before, and find a song that will touch their lives and mean something personal to them. And as long as this happens for at least one person, then I’ve done my job, and it was worth my effort.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:53 pm
I agree, very appreciative you put together these lists. At the very least its a great excuse to revisit the classics.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:59 pm
Good lord props on the list that’ had to be a tough one to make. Maybe small suggestion Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young – Faron Young , and a John Anderson Classic like Straight Tequilla Night or Down in Tennessee
April 3, 2013 @ 3:05 pm
Oh and maybe Hillbilly Highway – Steve Earle
April 3, 2013 @ 5:22 pm
I think Copperhead Road and Guitar Town are more iconic of him, but I agree he needs to be on the list
April 3, 2013 @ 5:39 pm
I can totally agree with that. Not letting your personal preferences take hold is what can be so hard about these lists. I think I would go with Guitar Town over Copperhead Road. Although, I do think more people know Steve Earle through Copperhead Road it just seems more like a rock song.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:40 pm
The reason I didn’t put any Steve Earle on here is because Steve Earle and songs like “Guitar Town” and “Copperhead Road” I think define alt-country, and since I knew this list would get long, I wanted to save those songs for another list.
April 3, 2013 @ 2:59 pm
Glad to see “Run You Down” on there! I was also surprised and elated to see “Friend of the Devil” on there because its the most underrated country song of all time.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:00 pm
I have been reading this site for a while now and have learned a ton. I have been hoping for this list for a while. Awesome, awesome list. I don’t think I would change much with it at all if I am judging by influence
influence.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:03 pm
Take your pick “She’s Actin Single I’m Drinkin Doubles” or “Out Of Hand”
t HANK s..LJ
April 3, 2013 @ 3:04 pm
This is an amazing list, appreciate you pulling it together.
Only 2 that jump out to me: “mamma’s don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys.
Another great song, though not sure the original is country though has been covered by a lot of country singers, is “Everybody’s Talking” from Midnight Cowboy.
Off to listen me some Willie and Dolly.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:41 pm
“Mammas Don’t Let You Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” has been added.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:15 pm
Great list! I would have to add the traditional “The Great Speckled Bird”
April 3, 2013 @ 3:16 pm
Great list, although Mr. Tubb’s Waltz Across Texas is up there twice. Glad to see a lot of my favorites up there.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:06 pm
Glad I’m not the only one who noticed that! (#52 and 61, to be specific…)
April 3, 2013 @ 6:10 pm
Don’t get me wrong it is a great song probably deserves 2 spots on that list!
April 3, 2013 @ 7:46 pm
Thanks for the heads up!
April 3, 2013 @ 3:17 pm
Sorry meant to include artist Gary Stewart “She’s Actin Single I’m Drinkin Doubles” or “Out Of Hand”..another good one Wayne Kemp “Harlan County Line”
April 3, 2013 @ 3:26 pm
Live Forever
April 3, 2013 @ 3:30 pm
WTF is Tim Mcgraw doin on here
I do like the fact you put Willy Tea Taylor – Life Is Beautiful on here
That is a great song
April 3, 2013 @ 6:29 pm
Don’t take the girl is a great song IMHO
April 3, 2013 @ 9:28 pm
I’ll agree to that
April 4, 2013 @ 1:23 pm
90s Tim McGraw isn’t really that bad. Like many pop country songs of the 90s, the sound is more country than today’s pop country.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:40 pm
Merle Travis –
Nine Pound Hammer
John Henry
April 3, 2013 @ 7:49 pm
I wanted to include John Henry on here, but there are so many different versions of that song from so many different artists, I’m conflicted on how to attribute it.
April 3, 2013 @ 3:42 pm
So where’s the link to the Spotify playlist? 😉
April 3, 2013 @ 3:48 pm
Great list – including some I haven’t heard in awhile. Will have to remedy that.
If it were my list, it would probably have to have Ian Tyson’s “Summer Wages.” He really doesn’t get enough attention from contemporary traditional country fans, in my opinion.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:08 pm
Nice to see Lefty Frizzell on the list. Did I miss “I Never Go around Mirrors’? The epitome of a man wallowing in self pitty.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
I’d put Flowers On The Wall somewhere in there.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:16 pm
Copperhead Road?
April 3, 2013 @ 4:16 pm
Any other song and I’d complain about it, but I think Waltz Across Texas deserves it.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:23 pm
Great list Trig more hard work I know. Did I miss “Today I started Loving You Again” One of my favorite hag songs.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:28 pm
No Lovesick Blues? I have often considered this to be Hank’s best and most popular song. It is the song that got him to the Opry for the first time. It was the song he performed first there, and got 6 (SIX) encores out of! That was unheard of at the time. It was the number one song for 16 weeks (also Hanks first #1 song). Not only should this song be on the list, it should be number 1. This is the song that broke Hank Williams and created the whole lore of him.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:54 pm
Added.
April 4, 2013 @ 11:52 am
Hank got 6 or 7 encores the first time he played the Opry.
April 3, 2013 @ 4:48 pm
Thought I would be pissed if I saw anything other than George Jones – He Stopped Loving Her Today at number 1 but I got over it after seeing that list. Haha. Three omissions that jumped out at me:
George Strait- Amarillo By Morning
Jamey Johnson- In Color
Vern Gosdin- Set ‘Em Up Joe
Live Like You Were Dying is the first one I would take off this list. And I know you said influence had something to do with the list but I can’t imagine Merry Go Round would ever make any other list of greatest country songs. Anything from Jason Boland should beat that song out, if you would make me pick one I would take Proud Souls.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:59 pm
I’ve added “Amarillo By Morning.” It was on the bubble to begin with and there’s been multiple requests. Good song.
April 3, 2013 @ 8:07 pm
Oh, right on! 😀
April 3, 2013 @ 5:11 pm
Traditional – Little Sadie, makes you think hmm, cocaine blues is a derivative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9yXwGwATF4
April 3, 2013 @ 5:15 pm
Good list, but of course everyone is going to have their issues/suggestions. Mine:
In terms or ordering, I think it’s fair that Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson have been more influential than Waylon Jennings, but you have 5 Willie Nelson songs and 3 Johnny Cash (4 if you consider that he popularized Sunday Morning Coming Down) before a single Waylon Song.
I also think Family Tradition and A Country Boy will Survive need to be higher. I think those songs really had a huge influence on modern country music (for good and ill) Certainly much much more than David Allan Coe’s the Ride or Long Haired Redneck, (which are the same sound and era), which are higher. On that note, I think You Never Even Call me by my name is 10 times more popular and lasting than the two Coe songs you have.
I would include:
Hank III: Crazed Country Rebel
Alabama-Dixieland Delight or Song of the South (If you’re going to have to have two Brooks and Dunn and Two Garth Brooks songs, I think you need to include Alabama)
Robert Earl Keen-The Road Goes on Forever–Shouldn’t be at the top, but probably defined most post-80s Red Dirt
Keith Whitley/Allison Krauss-When you Say Nothing at all
Stanley Brothers-I am a man of constant sorrow (It’s kind of been played out, but that song obviously had a huge impact in re-popularizing Bluegrass
DeAnna Carter: Strawberry Wine (if you put She’s in love with a boy. This song is much more country and I think stands up better with time, and pretty much everyone I know secretly loves it still)
Jerry Jeff Walker-Mr. Bojangles (maybe also Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother or LA Freeway)
April 3, 2013 @ 8:37 pm
Some good thoughts and suggestions. Per them, I’ve added DAC’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” and moved “Country Boy Can Survive” up slightly. “Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother” is already on the list, and the reason I decided to include Guy Clark’s “Desperados Waiting For A Train” over “LA Freeway” is because I feel the heart of “LA Freeway” is more of a rock song at heart.
“Country Boy Can Survive” was one of the first songs I added when compiling this list, and then as I added more songs, I kept putting them above it. I totally agree it may be one of the most influential songs at the moment in country, but it is during one of country’s most darkest periods. I don’t know if that’s why it slid on purpose, but I guess “influence” can work both ways and count against a song as well.
As for Waylon, I’ve always felt like his influence was felt more in his sound than his songs. When you look back at his career, he really didn’t have any big hits like Willie and Cash. I believe his biggest “hit” was Luckenbach, TX. You can still argue he had just as much influence on the music though, but I think that’s why I put a lot of Waylon songs on here, but they didn’t start for a while. I also tried to show some deference to older songs having more influence, and since Waylon’s major influence didn’t emerge until the 70’s, this may account for him not coming in earlier. I hope that makes sense.
April 3, 2013 @ 9:06 pm
I definitely see your point about Waylon. It’s really difficult to pick a definitive Waylon song. I personally like his music more than Willie or Cash, and I will admit that probably biases me a bit.
Also see your point on Country Boy Will Survive. I think it is a really great song, but it probably influenced a lot more bad music than good music. I was thinking of just how many laundry list songs list Country Boy Will Survive– (Colt Ford-This is Our Song; Colt Ford Cricket and a Line, Aaron Lewis-Country Boy, Blake Shelton-Kiss my Country Ass; I’m sure there are tons more)
April 3, 2013 @ 5:42 pm
this list is rather pointless without waylons “ladies love outlaws” song in the top 5…that song pretty much started the outlaw movement, where the movement got its name, and pretty much the definition of how your judging the rest of these songs…dont consider it one of his best songs, but no country song has ever been more important
April 3, 2013 @ 8:12 pm
No country song has ever been more important than “Ladies Love Outlaws”? Please. It didn’t start the outlaw movement. “Streets of Baltimore” or “Sunday Morning Coming Down” did depending on who you ask.
I think you can make the case it should be on the list and it’s a good song, but it’s branding that Waylon himself ran away from.
April 3, 2013 @ 9:33 pm
I see your point for those songs being the roots of outlaw in terms of the content, but (and I made this comment in another thread about Streets of Baltimore) both of the songs had strings. When I hear those songs, I don’t think outlaw country the way I do when I hear Ladies Love Outlaws, though I agree it does not need to be that high on the list, if at all.
On a side note, Sometimes when I hear that Waylon hated the term Outlaw Country, I wonder how much of it was him just him blaming the drug bust on the image. If so, my understanding of the event is that someone sent him cocaine through the mail, which I think could easily attract the DEA regardless of what they call your music.
On a side note to a side note, one of my favorite anti-Outlaw Country songs by Waylon, which is not as well known as Outlaw Bit is “A Long Time Ago”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRHAxFKaej8
With the perfect line:
“Me and ol’ Willie, lordy we’ve been sold and bought
I guess y’all heard about some kind of system that we fought
We ain’t the only outlaws just the only ones they caught
They tried to run us off but Willie’s slow
I quit running a long time ago”
April 3, 2013 @ 5:45 pm
but then again, half of these songs could be taken off, and most of the rankings are terribly off
April 3, 2013 @ 8:13 pm
That is your opinion. This list is my opinion.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:17 pm
Sometimes you list the performer, sometimes you list the songwriter, sometimes both. I think you should have been consistent and gone with the songwriter/original performer. Willie Nelson didn’t write “Whiskey River” for instance, and “Long Black Veil” has been performed by many people but no one every mentions who wrote it…
April 3, 2013 @ 8:17 pm
I agree, this was the most difficult part of assembling this list. In the end what I decided is the song was what was most important. Willie Nelson’s “Night Life” has been recorded by hundreds people in 50-something languages. I felt if I had long strings of songwriters and performers it would take away from the songs. So I tried to list the most significant writer/contributor, and if it was a toss up, I included them both. If there’s a specific song you think needs to be changed let me know.
April 4, 2013 @ 8:37 am
Hey Trig, here’s a suggestion for a future post… a list of greatest\favorite songs by writer. What I think you have here (and is quite valid) is a list of greatest performances of a song.
April 4, 2013 @ 9:22 am
With Whiskey River I would think giving Johnny Bush credit as the writer plus the fact he had a hit with it prior to Willie’s huge hit with it would be appropriate.
I still think a strong argument can made for JJW’s Mr. Bojangles Night life was also covered as you pointed out by lots of artists from lots of genere’s.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:21 pm
unless i overlooked it? i didnt see farewell party on there and i may be the only who would put it over HSLHT.
i dont think all my exe’s live in texas is anywhere near george’s best.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:32 pm
Much as I’ve always liked “All My Exes…,” I think I would sooner recommend “The Chair.” But the only problem with that is, the list is supposed to be more about influence; and “The Chair” was and still is pretty unusual for a mainstream country song, in terms of its structure.
April 3, 2013 @ 6:22 pm
I can’t really argue with any of these! 🙂
A few more I’d like to suggest:
Rosanne Cash, “Seven Year Ache”
Kathy Mattea, “Love at the Five & Dime” (Nanci Griffith cover)
Mary Chapin Carpenter, either “Down at the Twist & Shout” or “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”
April 3, 2013 @ 6:41 pm
Good list, I have no idea how you could come up with this. … I was surprised that there wasn’t any Keith Whitley “Don’t Close Your Eyes”, “I’m No Stranger To The Rain”, “Miami My Amy”, “Between an Old Memory and Me”. But I’m a huge Keith fan… Now I was really surprised not to see “Amarillo By Morning” personally I feel that that’s George’s signature song.
Additions
“Lost in The Fifties Tonight” Ronnie Milsap
“Some Fools Never Learn” Steve Wariner
“Set Em Up Joe”
“Here In The Real World” Alan Jackson
haha if freddy fender is on the list you have to include “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”
April 3, 2013 @ 8:18 pm
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve added “Amarillo By Morning” to the list.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:40 pm
George Jones He Stopped Loving Her Today is easily the greatest song in country music history and should be at the top of this list. I would also argue that it is the most influential song on in country music history.
April 3, 2013 @ 7:44 pm
Killin’ Time – Clint Black
April 3, 2013 @ 9:07 pm
Outstanding list. Can’t imagine the amount of time taken to compile. I’m amazed at some of theses songs I’ve forgotten about. My cheap 1 cent.. Using your criteria of song influence, here are my thoughts off the top:
Alabama – ‘My Home’s in Alabama’ (perhaps ‘Why Lady Why’ ‘Old Flame’ or ‘Feels So Right’??); Partial to ‘My Home’s In Alabama.’ This song kicked off their career and it is an all time country story tune. Ironically – not a #1 song. Alabama had a massive footprint on country music in the 80s. Alabama may have had the most dominant successful career run in country music history? 34 #1 singles, ACM’s entertainer of the year almost every year in the ’80’s including artist of the decade. Countless other awards… Surely one Alabama song?
Jimmy Dean (Roy Acuff); ‘Big Bad John’ Great country classic
Townes Van Zandt; ‘If I Needed You’ Wasn’t commercially influential – but countless artists were inspired by Townes. Beautiful song
The Rolling Stones; ‘Dead Flowers’ Yes – odd selection. But this is a country song. So many country artists have covered this song (including Townes). My favorite Steve Earle live song
Elvis Presley (Mark James); ‘Suspicious Minds’ Massive song/massive influence. Maybe it wasn’t defined ‘country’ when released. But this is a country song
Osborne Brothers/Lynn Anderson (the Boudleaux’s); ‘Rocky Top’ We all know it
The Statler Brothers; ‘Flowers On The Wall’ “smokin cigarettes and watchin Captain Kangaroo..” Brilliance
April 3, 2013 @ 9:35 pm
Rocky Top’s on the list.
I second Dead Flowers.
April 3, 2013 @ 10:33 pm
Sadly – I actually checked the list multiple times to make sure I wasn’t missing anything! Screwed up Rocky Top. Thought I busted Trig a few times. Charlie Rich, Guy Clark, The Highwaymen – but he had them. Sweet list
April 3, 2013 @ 10:44 pm
Some good suggestions here.
I thought of “Dead Flowers” being a huge Stones fan, but I made the hard and fast rule of not including songs from dedicated rock bands. If I add “Dead Flowers” I’d have to add “Wild Horses” and next thing you know I’m adding “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison. (okay, maybe an exaggeration, but you get my point.)
I’m going to add “Song of the South” by Alabama that has been suggested by multiple people and I thought of putting on this list at the beginning. I understand how successful Alabama was, but honestly, I just feel like their songs just take what’s on the surface of country music, and rarely delve deep. There are some exceptions of course, but I just don’t think their songs have as much staying power as their sucess in their day may have suggested, beyond nostalgia listening.
“Big Bad John” is another good add.
April 4, 2013 @ 11:28 am
Thanks for the addition.
No one doubts that Alabama is less influential than their sales #s (if that were true, they’d be behind Waylon, Willie, Hank, Haggard etc.) I also agree that it’s hard to think of any bands who are super influenced by Alabama, but I think there is more to them than nostalgia value.
As someone who went to high school in the mid-late 90s and college in the early 2000s, Alabama had way passed their peak when me and my peers started listening to them, so there was no nostolgia. When I’ve visited some younger friends in at College Bars in the South, people still go crazy when a cover band plays Dixieland Delight or whatever.
A lot of their songs don’t stand the test of time (and I never liked them to begin with), but I think High Cotton, Dixieland Delight, Tennessee River, Song of the South, Mountain Music, If you’re going to play in Texas, are legitimately great songs that people will still be listening to 20 years from now.
April 4, 2013 @ 2:45 pm
Agreed with Dead Flowers. I could make similar argument for ‘Night Moves,’ I’m on Fire,’ ‘Willin,’ Seven Bridges Road, etc.. But Dead Flowers is the closest!
I was looking at the rankings. Can’t imagine how you made these conclusions. The rankings are solid – I would argue only one in particular; Friends In Low Places @ #76? I’m not much of a Grarth Brooks fan. But his impact & influence is fairly monumental? I sold radio ads for a large country music station in the early 90’s. In my opinion – Garth Brooks single-handedly took country radio from a 2nd or 3rd place revenue generating format to an overwhelming #1. This happened almost overnight with Friends In Low Places. Garth had a lot of help with Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, etc.. But Friends In Low Places revitalized country music like no other song in my lifetime. No one could escape it! That song generated millions in liquor sales for watering holes across the country. Your top 20 is legendary – but I believe ‘Friends’ deserves at least top 20 – I would say top 10. Of course none of that really matters
April 4, 2013 @ 6:32 pm
When compiling this list, I had risers and sliders. “Friends In Low Places” was one of the very first songs I added, and it was probably in the lower Top 20. Then when I kept adding songs, they kept going above it, and it fell. I agree it is a very significant song, and I tend to agree it should be higher. But when I start looking at songs to put it above, that’s where I get stumped.
March 29, 2015 @ 6:23 pm
I know this comments a bit late, but I would love to see a list of your favorite country songs by rock bands. Obviously, the two stones songs you mentioned are great examples. The Dead’s Friend of the Devil is another great one. Recently, you wrote about the issue of Steven Tyler doing a country album, but I wonder if you ever heard areosmith’s version of Once is Enough, it’s a B side from permanent vacation album. The 1st half of the song is straight up country, then it flips to a fast rock version, it’s great. You mentioned Poison, Every Rose, which I really do see as a country song as well. Cinderella, another much maligned hair band had some great country tunes as well. ..and g’n’r had You Ain’t the First, a nasty little country gem (and they also covered Dead Flowers in concert). Anyway, that’d be a fun list, you should do it. I have a playlist like that and I love it, gets my need for rock and country covered at the same time.
April 3, 2013 @ 9:07 pm
belle of the ball- waylon jennings
jackson- june & johnny cash
catfish john- the stonemans (written by Bob McDill and Allen Reynolds)
my favorite version of this song is with just roni stoneman solo on her banjo but the only place you can hear that is on woodsongs com (episode 609) which also features a 10 year old mandolin player doing my favorite version of wagon wheel
cool list
April 3, 2013 @ 10:31 pm
Gotta add “Jackson.” Good suggestion.
April 4, 2013 @ 6:44 pm
I 2nd belle of the ball… and did i not see me a bobby mcgee?
April 3, 2013 @ 9:41 pm
If anyone’s interested to compare this to CMT’s top 100
http://www.harpinanawhinin.com/CMTs_100_top_country_music_songs.htm
April 3, 2013 @ 10:30 pm
How in the world did we all miss “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”?
April 7, 2013 @ 4:38 pm
I count three on CMT’s list that aren’t even country. One of George Strait’s worst songs, and the worst Tim McGraw song until “Truck Yeah” all on that list.
Surprisingly better than I expected out of them.
April 3, 2013 @ 10:04 pm
Although my personal favorite is “Good Old Boys Like Me”, I was curious if “Tulsa Time” was the Don Williams song you most considered for the list?
April 3, 2013 @ 10:27 pm
Honestly, two Don Williams songs I considered were on his last album “And So It Goes.” The first one was “I Just Come Here For The Music” and the seocond was “Infinity.” That albums is just so pure.
April 3, 2013 @ 10:31 pm
What no songs from Shooter?
April 3, 2013 @ 10:35 pm
#846,327 – Bucky Covington & Shooter Jennings – Drinking Side of Country
😉
April 3, 2013 @ 11:30 pm
One’s I would have on the list…
Today I Started Loving You Again-Merle Haggard
Don’t Close Your Eyes-Keith Whitley
I Believe In You-Don Williams
Farewell Party-Gene Watson
Chiseled In Stone-Vern Gosdin
April 4, 2013 @ 7:53 am
“Chiseled in Stone” is on there. Have had a lot of requests for “Today I Started Loving You Again” and I concur it definitely fits the criteria of an original idea for a song that has inspired other songs. Should have been up there the whole time.
April 3, 2013 @ 11:40 pm
Lorne Greene- Ringo
John Denver- Thank God I’m A Country Boy
Bobbie Gentry- Ode To Billie Joe
Blaze Foley- If I Could Only Fly
Charlie Ryan- Hot Rod Lincoln
Vicki Lawerence- The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
Possessed By Paul James- Cold And Blind
April 4, 2013 @ 1:24 am
I’ve started a Spotify playlist of this, will complete it when I have time. Hope you don’t mind, Trigger! These are really great songs, also those I have not heard before, thanks for putting it together.
http://open.spotify.com/user/iph/playlist/7f9tPFSw19QBqF0A1JZBvN
April 4, 2013 @ 7:54 am
Huge thanks! I will add the link above!
April 4, 2013 @ 1:35 am
Webb Pierce – There stands the glass
Moe Bandy – I just started hatin’ cheatin’ songs today
Mel Street – Lovin’ on backstreets
Stonewall Jackson – Smoke along the tracks
Highway 101 – The bed you made for me
April 4, 2013 @ 1:45 am
Excellent list! Over here in the UK we get a lot of people saying things like “I can’t stand country music”. My reply to this is normally along the lines that they haven’t really listened to it. From now on I’m gonna suggest this list as a starting point – just play that top 10 and I think they’ll begin to appreciate our music!
April 4, 2013 @ 6:17 am
Flying Burrito Brothers – Sin City, Wheels, Hot Burrito #1
John Hiatt – Icy Blue Heart
Gillian Welch – Orphan Girl
Lucinda Williams – Concrete and Barbed Wire
January 15, 2015 @ 2:52 pm
LOOK UP A GUY FROM FT.WORTH BY THE NAME OF ” TERRY RASOR ” & A SONG HE WROTE “RASOR TO SHAVER ” A TRIBUTE TO BILLY JOE SHAVER…YOU WILL LOVE THIS GUY’S MUSIC !
April 4, 2013 @ 6:46 am
No Dwight? Maybe Guitars, Cadillacs…
I love this list because of all the memories it provokes. And, damn Garth Brooks for writting such a badass song with Friends in Low Places.
April 4, 2013 @ 7:02 am
Garth didn’t write it.
April 4, 2013 @ 7:21 am
Thank you for your profound insight.
I should have known he didn’t write it though. Damn the man!
April 4, 2013 @ 7:58 am
A couple of Dwight songs on there. “Fast As You,” “1000 Miles From Nowhere” because I think it is one of the most underrated country songs of all time. “Guitars, Cadillacs” would be my 3rd choice.
April 4, 2013 @ 6:53 am
Wayne Hancock- Thunderstorms and Neon Signs
John Anderson- Swingin’ ?
April 4, 2013 @ 7:59 am
“Thunderstorms & Neon Signs” is up there. Have to pay tribute to The Train.
April 4, 2013 @ 10:11 am
whoopsie, I knew you wouldntve forgotten…
What about Luke the Drifter- Men With Broken hearts or Pictures From Life’s Other Side?
That album for the most part was a shoving off point to recitational breaks in country songs akin to Bobby Bare and the like…
April 4, 2013 @ 1:43 pm
Also that new Marty Stuart album has a few great cuts on it…Maybe ‘Tear the woodpile down’? Or maybe Marty and Travis’ “Whiskey Aint Workin”?
As much as I despise the Eagles, “Desperado” was a big deal at the time in a stagnant popular country landscape… but maybe that’s in the same boat as those Rolling Stones tracks mentioned earlier…
Trigger, as if you’re not busy enough doing work for free, you should really consider compiling a Top 200 list of Underrated/Unheard Country Songs!!! After all it’s primarily what I use this site for (discovery). Furthermore, I could actually rack my brain for songs that I actually love instead of coming up with eye-roll inducing songs like Desperado…
April 4, 2013 @ 7:12 am
I see you added Marty Robbins’ “El Paso” (#63). Woohoo!
***
How about “Independence Day” (written by Gretchen Peters, recorded by Martina McBride)?
April 4, 2013 @ 8:00 am
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I can’t add them all, but we’re all being reminded of some really excellent songs! If you’re wondering if a song is up there and are tired of looking through them, you can hit CTRL + F on most computers and pull up a “Find” window.
April 4, 2013 @ 8:22 am
A good list, Trigger. Oddly enough, last night I was thinking about a challenge of picking five songs me and some buddies had recently; ya know, the whole “stuck on an island alone, what five songs would you wanna have with you?” It was tough, but putting together and ranking this list would be just as daunting a task.
I’m a big Hank Jr. fan, so I’m gonna focus on that. I saw earlier that you referred to the influence of A Country Boy Can Survive, and, no doubt, it has had a bunch (whether or not you think that’s a good thing is up to you). But I wonder if maybe Bocephus’ The New South should have made it on here. Maybe not the most well known, but it was a prototypical country rocker; I really believe you can hear the influence of that song on other tunes, such as the previously mentioned My Home’s In Alabama. Of course, I’ll readily admit to being biased, as it’s one of my two favorite songs off my favorite Hank Jr. album.
I appreciate seeing Blue Yodel #8 Mule Skinner Blues on here; I guess it’s arguable whether that or T for Texas is the better song. Rodgers was a hometown hero for me growing up in Meridian, MS, so I’m predisposed toward his work, I reckon.
Overall good list, and thought provoking.
April 4, 2013 @ 8:53 am
Good Lawd.. Not a single Prine song? or did I miss it..
April 4, 2013 @ 9:02 am
I nominate Paradise. I read that when Bill Monroe was intrroduced to Prine as the writer of that song, Bill was surpised and said he thought that was a traditional song that he somehow missed.
April 4, 2013 @ 9:23 am
I skipped most of the comments, but what about “I Was Country (When Country Wasn’t Cool)” – Barbara Mandrell, John Denver – “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” or “Country Roads”
I can’t say I’m a great fan of any of these songs/artists, but in terms of influence, I think they certainly had an impact on the direction of country music. Whether or not that influence is negative or positive depends on your point of view.
Also, I would argue that it was more Garth Brooks’ popularity and appeal that was his influence and no so much his songs that were significant.
April 4, 2013 @ 6:48 pm
I’ve added “Country Roads.” Was another one on the bubble, but since we’ve added so many others, it should be there.
April 4, 2013 @ 10:14 am
George & Tammy – Godlen Ring
George Jones – Bartenders Blues, A Good Year For the Roses, Choices
Hag- Today I started loving you again, Sing me back home
Vern – Set em up Joe
Keith Whitley – Don’t Close Your Eyes
Paycheck – Old Violin
April 4, 2013 @ 10:39 am
Great list except for Tennessee Stud and When Fallen Angles Fly
April 4, 2013 @ 11:12 am
Underground country’s official anthem should be, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YFGV72A7K4
April 4, 2013 @ 11:24 am
Not one Statler Brothers song, but Lee Ann Womack and Leann Rimes?? Also, Johnny Cash was the one who made “Sunday Morning Coming Down” the success. You attribute it to Kris Kristofferson. I realize Kris wrote it, but his version is lame compared to Johnny Cash.
April 4, 2013 @ 12:17 pm
Lets leave LeeAnn Womack out of this. She’s far from the problem of what’s currently going on in Nashville. If anything, she’s part of the solution.
April 4, 2013 @ 11:46 am
Hi Trigger,
Another nice list. I would add a little trucker country. Many who come to classic country via non-roots based music are able to appreciate the ‘feel’ and stories of trucker country before fully embracing the softer hitting stuff.
Truck Drivin’ Man is a hugely influential song. Pick your singer. Buck I guess would of had the biggest hit with it but I personally like Charlie Walker’s and Dave Dudley’s version best.
The influence of trucker country on underground country since the 1990’s really can not be understated.
*also Wayne Hancock should be way higher up. To have Thunderstorms just two above a Kacey Musgraves song is crazy. No offense to her but come on some of the people in the last 25 spots on your list have not been around long enough to have influence…yet.
April 4, 2013 @ 1:50 pm
Totally agree… along with
Dave Dudley- Six Days on the Road
Junior Brown- Highway Patrol
Red Sovine- Phantom 309
Jimmy Martin-Widow Maker
April 4, 2013 @ 7:12 pm
I totally agree, and I had this same thought when putting the list together, but struggled to find the right song or songs. I think “Truck Driving Man” would be the easiest pick, but who to attribute it to?
I think “Merry Go ‘Round’s” influence has already been massive, and it is only going to grow over time.
April 4, 2013 @ 11:55 am
How about a most important artists list 😀
April 4, 2013 @ 12:44 pm
John Prine inspired countless songs and songwriters right up to today,even including your #132 artist,yet here’s another list from SCM where he’s nowhere to be found.
Straight up travesty.
April 4, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
But this isn’t a list of artists, it’s a list of songs. What John Prine song should be here? And then justify it Help me.
April 5, 2013 @ 6:40 am
Sam Stone.
In a time when county was not talking about the realities of war and it’s aftermath, Sam Stone brought it home.
How many songs before it were so direct?
April 5, 2013 @ 7:40 am
It may be easier to ask what Prine should shouldn’t.. haha..
Seriously man.. I don’t have the time to explain which ones should be on here and why. This your list and if the Prine stuff doesn’t stick out in your mind enough to put them on here that is cool. But here are a few.. Angel In Montgomery, Souvenirs, Paradise, Storm Windows, Far From Me, Sam Stone..
April 5, 2013 @ 7:41 am
WHOA.. TYPO.. Angel FROM Montgomery
April 4, 2013 @ 1:18 pm
If you’re going to have Tim McGraw on here, I prefer “Just to See You Smile” over either of the two songs listed. There’s actually steel guitar, fiddle, and banjo on it, and the plot is pretty good. It’s pop country, but the country elements are there.
April 4, 2013 @ 3:51 pm
I Never Go Around Mirrors
Seminole Wind
In Color
He’ll Have To Go
Always Late (With Your Kisses)
Alibis
Some have been suggested, just the first few that came to mind
April 4, 2013 @ 4:49 pm
I second Seminole Wind.
April 4, 2013 @ 4:01 pm
Some of these could work too.
Del Reeves, Girl On A Billboard
Johnny Paycheck, Slide Off Your Satin Sheets
Johnny Lee, Lookin For Love
Johnny Horton, Honky Tonk Man
John Conlee, Rose Colored Glasses
Willie Nelson/Faron Young, Hello Walls
April 4, 2013 @ 4:24 pm
charlie pride might have done his best to ruin this song, but what about doug sahm’s “is anybody going to san antone”
April 4, 2013 @ 4:35 pm
“Redheaded Stranger”?
” Pills I Took”?
April 5, 2013 @ 5:23 am
“Pills I took” by Those Poor bastards is a good choice! Considering how influential it was/is. It was covered by Hank III who is undoubtedly the most influential of all the newer lesser-known- country artists.
April 4, 2013 @ 4:57 pm
How about adding “I Never Go Around Mirrors”
April 4, 2013 @ 5:26 pm
The Devil Went Down to Georgia?
April 4, 2013 @ 7:33 pm
#26
April 4, 2013 @ 8:17 pm
Sorry, I must have missed it.
April 4, 2013 @ 5:50 pm
I’ll second that one…. And just another thought, if Live Like You Were Dying makes it I think Alan Jackson – “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning” should, too.
April 4, 2013 @ 6:26 pm
A little early for Kacey Musgraves ”“ Merry Go ”˜Round to be on here, hmm? I’m in the monitory to believe she’s overrated.
April 4, 2013 @ 7:36 pm
Kacey Musgraves may be overrated, but I don’t think “Merry Go ‘Round” is. I’m not a huge fan of the song, but considering its content and the current climate of country, what it’s done is nothing short of miraculous. It’s our generation’s “The Pill” or “Harper Valley PTA.” It’s the deconstruction of narrow perspectives.
April 4, 2013 @ 8:19 pm
Understood, but given those parameters i would nominate Miranda Lambert’s, Musgrave’s co-written, “Mama’s Broken Heart.”
April 6, 2013 @ 12:04 pm
I agree. Kacey is very, very talented and most likely has a bright future ahead of her, but I tend to think “Mama’s Broken Heart” is a better song than “Merry Go ‘Round.” Her perspective in the latter strikes me as being almost as narrow and provincial, in its own way, as the perspectives she’s singing about.
Just my humble opinion.
April 5, 2013 @ 6:37 am
That’s crazy talk.
In my opinion her record is all hype and no substance. She clearly has the industry behind her and they are simply hoping to cash in as Taylor is slipping into gossip rag trash.
Kacey is the Lana Del Ray of modern country.
She does give a lot of props to John Prine in her interviews though, so I like her for that.
April 5, 2013 @ 6:10 pm
But this isn’t a list of records or artists, it’s a list of songs. I think you could make the case that “Merry Go ‘Round” is the most significant song to chart on country radio and get serious airplay in the last 2 years, if not longer. Does it mean it’s better than some songs not on this list? No. But to take a song of that progressive nature and have it perform so well was nothing short of miraculous. I agree Kacey and her album were overhyped once we heard the album. But that shouldn’t erase all the history of what “Merry Go ‘Round” did. It was strong enough to get her multiple ACM nominations.
April 6, 2013 @ 1:18 pm
I personally don’t like Merry Go Round or Kacey Musgraves that much, but I don’t see anything wrong with including the song.
Of the 150 songs, I’m guessing less than 10 were recorded before 1945, so we basically have 140 songs over 70 years or so, which should average two songs a year.
A case can be made that we need to wait a while to see if the songs stand the test of time, but this isn’t the National Smithsonian, just one guy’s website.
April 6, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
@Howard – That’s one of the reasons I was so interested in her,watching her dropping Prines name in interviews and even writing a song about him.Then the album comes out and it’s nothing but a big,fat PFTTTTTTTTTTT…I read where Katy Perry and Perez Hilton love her though ,so chaulk one up for country music?!?
I’m starting to wonder if Trigger even knows who John Prine is.I don’t think I seen his name mentioned here in the 3 years or so I been coming to this place :-/
April 6, 2013 @ 6:08 pm
John who?
The point of this website is to try enlighten the reader about music and artists they don’t know, not reaffirm opinions or preach to a choir.
April 4, 2013 @ 7:25 pm
C.W. McCall- Convoy!
April 4, 2013 @ 8:29 pm
Willy Tea Taylor is on the list?! That’s exciting!
April 4, 2013 @ 8:44 pm
How ’bout “Ghost Riders in the Sky” Johnny Cash version from 25th Anniversary LP will do
April 4, 2013 @ 8:47 pm
Some of these might work:
To Beat The Devil-Kris Kristofferson
Jack Daniels If You Please-David Allan Coe
If I Needed You-Townes Van Zandt/Emmylou Harris
April 4, 2013 @ 10:00 pm
I would replace the Dixie Chicks’ “Wide Open Spaces” with “Cowboy Take Me Away”, (I, personally, feel Wide Open Spaces was too pop, but Cowboy Take Me Away, as much as I don’t like the Dixie Chicks, was an AMAZING song.
I’d also find somewhere for:
“Much Too Young (To Feel This Damned Old)” by Garth Brooks…
“Seminole Wind” by John Anderson
“Bob Wills Is Still The King” by Waylon Jennings
“Kiss An Angel Good Mornin’ ” by Charley Pride
“Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker
“Drive” by Alan Jackson
“Heartland” by George Straight
“This Cowboy’s Hat” by Chris LeDoux
“Last Living Cowboy” by Brian Burnes
“Run On” by Johnny Cash
April 4, 2013 @ 10:54 pm
What are the chances that this guy mentioned the song I wanted to mention, you know, right before I mentioned it…
April 4, 2013 @ 10:53 pm
As long as we’re just throwing awesome songs out, I want to say something about John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind”:
It’s awesome.
April 4, 2013 @ 11:31 pm
Love this site and everything it stands for, but………….this list is a tad “crazy” (imho). Was sure He Stopped Loving Her Today would be on top………or Hank…..or PATSY’s Crazy (Willie wrote it, but sure couldn’t SING it)………or Loretta’s Coal Miner’s Daughter. But certainly not Cash and certainly not Folsom Prison Blues. Top 10 for sure, but not #1! No contest! It seems like all the biggies are represented (albeit it in wrong placement) with a lot of filler in between. Many included that definitely belong and a heck of alot that don’t (ie. “Merry Go Round”)?! I’ve heard A LOT of Country songs in my life and there’s way more than 133 that are better/more important than that…………not saying Kacey’s not great by today’s standards, but in general, um, no. I mean unless I’m mistaken this list has her (& many, many other people) who couldn’t carry someone like Faron Young’s boots, yet no Faron (there’s other’s, but he seems like the biggest omission). Hello Walls alone is easily in the top 20. No offense but looks more like a “my favorite songs” playlist than the “Greatest of All Time”
April 5, 2013 @ 9:37 pm
Faron Young’s “Hello Walls” has been added to the list.
As for Kacey Musgraves and “Merry Go ‘Round” I think you could make the case it deserves to be higher. I think it is the most significant song in country music in the last 2 years, if not longer. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is the “best” or my favorite, it just means it is nothing short of miraculous to have a song like that do so well on the country charts and receive such radio play.
Trust me, these are not my “favorite” songs. I’m not saying this chart is perfect. But I tried to be as fair as I could.
April 5, 2013 @ 4:14 am
You put Juice Newton on there with a song that is of a style that should include a far superior female artist, yet you leave out the lovely, lovely Linda Ronstadt… Triggerman, c’mon man! “When Will I Be Loved”, ” Poor Poor Pitiful Me”. C’MON!!!
Also, I reckon Eddie Noack should be on there. Not a well known name, I know, but most would have heard “Psycho” or “Take It Away Lucky.”
April 5, 2013 @ 11:20 am
“…that should include a far superior female artist
I can’t stress this enough. This is NOT a list of artists, this is a list of songs. Maybe we’ll have a “Greatest Artists of All Time” list in the future, but to preclude a song that turned a lot of people onto country music just because we don’t like the artist or think she is a one hit wonder is not being fair to the legacy of that song. Never did I think while compiling this list, “Well, I need to include this artists, so what song of theirs should I put on here?” In fact, I tried to do the exact opposite.
Also, folks need to stop focusing on one song or one name. It’s a long list, with the objective of turning some people on to some good music while trying to be fair to ALL country music fans, including mainstream ones who might be wanting to look deeper into the music than what is displayed on Top 40 radio.
April 5, 2013 @ 3:42 pm
Fair enough. To be honest that’s my only little gripe with this list, otherwise I think it’s very a comprehensive and thorough list.
April 5, 2013 @ 6:12 am
Don’t think I bypassed these on the list:
George Strait – Amarillo By Morning
Bobbie Gentry – Ode To Billie Joe
April 5, 2013 @ 11:14 am
“Amarillo By Morning” has been added.
April 5, 2013 @ 7:18 am
Bill Monroe’s version of In the Pines.
April 5, 2013 @ 8:07 am
This is more a list of “Great Country Hits” than a list of “Great Country Songs” – just because a songs was/is a hit, doesn’t necessaraly make it’s a great song. Sometimes on the contrary….
April 5, 2013 @ 11:12 am
“just because a songs was/is a hit, doesn”™t necessaraly make it”™s a great song.”
And conversely just because a song was a hit doesn’t mean it was bad, and pap for the masses.
There are quite a few songs on this list that weren’t “hits.” This list was meant to be accessible and wide-arching. As always, taste is subjective.
April 5, 2013 @ 8:33 am
Pretty good list. A couple more that might need to be considered:
Ricky Nelson – Garden Party
Marshall Tucker Band – Can’t You See
Carl Perkins – Blue Seude Shoes
Orange Blossom Special – Erwin T. Rouse
Ralph Stanley – Stone Walls and Steel Bars
Eleven Hundred Springs – Hank
The Hosty Duo – Oklahoma Breakdown
Lefty Frizzel – If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time
Ricky Skaggs – Highway 40 Blues
Steve Young – Montgomery in the Rain
April 14, 2013 @ 8:26 am
we agree that Lefty Frizzell and “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” should be listed. thank you.
April 5, 2013 @ 11:05 am
Looking For Love?
April 5, 2013 @ 1:29 pm
I would add:
1. What I Like About Texas – Gary P. Nunn;
2. Suspicisous Minds – Elvis Presley / Waylon and Jessie;
3. Five O’Clock Somewhere” – Jimmy Buffett – Alan Jackson;
4. Something by Tom Russell (East of Saigon – West of Woodstock);
5. Don’t Come Home Drinking with Lovin on Your Mind – Loretta.
April 5, 2013 @ 6:40 pm
Hank 3 — I’ll Save My Tears
Aron Tippin — You’ve Got To Stand For Something
April 6, 2013 @ 8:13 am
Great list! It’s always tought to do these, and omissions are bound to happen. A few of the big ones that I think deserve a place on any top 150:
San Francisco’s Mabel Joy – Mickey Newbury
London Homesick Blues – Gary P. Nunn
She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles) – Gary Stewart
Burn Me Down – Marty Stuart
Tennessee Is Not the State I’m In – Joe Ely (or Honky Tonk Masquerade)
The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised – Johnny Paycheck
What’s Your Mama’s Name? – Tanya Tucker (some might prefer Delta Dawn)
Honky Tonk Heroes – Billy Joe Shaver (which I’d put as #1, although I’m probably in the minority there)
Dallas – The Flatlanders
April 7, 2013 @ 2:52 pm
Nice additions, amigo.
April 6, 2013 @ 12:34 pm
It might not have the biggest influince on country music itself… But i think the song that saved country for my generation was Hank 3- Country Heroes. If that song hadn’t come along, I think a lot of people will still hate country… Because of the image these Pop-country singers have givin it
April 24, 2013 @ 5:11 pm
definitley good point…… I too think that song desreves inclusion.
April 6, 2013 @ 4:59 pm
Nice list Trigger,
I see one glaring omission. Gene Watson’s “Farewell Party”. I would have it in my top 10.
Newt
April 6, 2013 @ 10:02 pm
I realize that there could be 50 Hank Williams songs on this list, but I think that “I Saw The Light” is his greatest song. Its a spiritual standard, yet, it is both popular music and church music, at the same time. It is so personal, but yet so universal.
April 7, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
What about “Knoxville Girl” by the Louvin Brothers.
April 7, 2013 @ 8:36 pm
Maybe I missed it but I have to suggest Chris Ledoux – this cowboys hat.
April 8, 2013 @ 2:21 am
Don’t know if I missed it but Dave Dudley’s “Six Days On The Road” is the best truck driving song of all time.
April 8, 2013 @ 11:25 am
Being an East Tennessee native, Rocky Top is always #1 on my list!!!
April 8, 2013 @ 11:41 am
I didn’t notice anything by Jimmy Webb (Glenn Campbell made a lot of his songs famous) on your list. There was a time you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing a Webb song, and that introduced a lot of people to country music. Campbell even got a tv show out of it.
April 9, 2013 @ 2:52 pm
Pictures from Life’s Other Side – Hank Williams
April 12, 2013 @ 9:34 am
I don’t think Kacey Musgraves shouldn’t be on this list. I understand she flattered you with her new album, but does a song that isn’t even country deserve to be on this list? The production and instrumentation of that song is purely pop. How about “Why Baby Why” or “The Race is On” by George Jone instead. Its hard to argue against a person’s “best songs” list because its purely dictated by a person’s opinion and taste.
April 13, 2013 @ 3:30 pm
That is why it is called “Saving Country Music’s Greatest Songs.” I’m not trying to speak for country music, but for this website. Having said that, I did try to take the widest perspective possible in compiling this list, not just my personal taste or perspective. In the end the point of this list is to turn people on to new music. I’m not saying the picks or the order aren’t important, but obsessing over one song out of 150 and using that as evidence it is illegitimate (not necessarily you, but others) is completely missing the point.
I have taken a lot of advice on this article, moved some songs up and down, and added many. I still believe “Merry Go ‘Round” belongs on here, and if anything, belongs higher. I think as time goes on, it will help substantiate this opinion. “Merry Go ‘Round” is not traditional as some have claimed, but I think you will struggle to find any serious music reviewer call it pop. If “Merry Go ‘Round” was pop, there would be no need for Saving Country Music to exist.