A taste of traditional western swing that simply asks listeners to dance all night and stay a little longer. And, yes, as tough as it can be, only one song from Dolly. I'm hoping and I'm praying as my heart breaks right in two/ Walking the floor over you.". Every era is reflected here, from the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers' historic recordings to the reign of the "Nashville Sound," outlaws, singing cowboys and pop crossovers. With the title track of their breakthrough album — about a young woman who's ready to spread her wings — the Dixie Chicks truly took flight. Charles’ heartbreaking spin on the Eddy Arnold/Cindy Walker song is the pinnacle of his landmark album “Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music.”. Originally released in 1922, Williams performed "Lovesick Blues" on Louisiana Hayride (1948). What one song could possibly capture the career of this country music giant? "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" debuted in 1949 and was inspired by Williams' rocky relationship with wife Audrey Sheppard. Homecoming leads to heartbreak on Milsap's 1980 chart-topper, wherein the singer "thumbed my way from L.A. back to Knoxville," only to find his love has moved on. "Someone killed country music/ Cut out its heart and soul,” Strait laments on the seething duet. How do you make a sprawling list of 100 tunes seem criminally short? A number of musicians have covered it, including Dolly Parton. Written by Bobbie Gentry in 1969, the almighty Reba unleashed fire with her show-closing 1990 version of this song. Some radio programmers were terrified of this 2014 song — in which Karen Fairchild sings of wanting to “taste (the) lips” of the woman who has her love interest’s attention — but listeners, critics and Music Row gave it a full embrace. What are the best country music songs of all time? NGDB's classic is all about simple pleasures, and listening to it is one, too. Church expertly captures a fleeting feeling chased by all musicians — like the chorus says, “Sometimes a melody sounds like a memory.”. Consult this list of 20 top country songs to get a better idea of the tracks that changed the music industry forever. It topped the country charts and reached No. "Everybody knows you've been stepping on my toes/ And I'm getting pretty tired of it." An awe-inspiring musical eulogy from Gill, delivered best during times when something moving needs to be heard. It was a country-pop hit that kept the singer balanced between each world. Travis lays out his devotion in his signature song, and listeners haven't stopped loving it since its release in 1987. A foot-stomping country-rock tribute to wanderlust down a lost highway. Instead, "John Deere Green" is the color used to paint "Billy Bob loves Charlene" on the town's water tower.
John Prine didn’t want credit when he co-wrote this kiss-off to Music Row. Nearly 60 years since being initially released — and 45 years since Harris and Parsons' duet — yes, love can still hurt. "Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine" debuted in 1972. A 1941 entry in which Tubbs shares a restlessness in a simple chorus: "I'm walking the floor over you/ I can't sleep a wink, that is true. Bryan didn't write this song, but he made a powerful connection to it, relating it to the deaths of his brother and sister. We want to hear from you: Join us on Reddit at 12 p.m. CDT Tuesday, Aug. 27 for an AMA with the writers who compiled this list, COUNTRY MILE: Artists, songs and lyrics take us through the rich history of country music. Recorded in 1938, "New San Antonio Rose" became the song for which Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys were known. A commercial and critical success still filling Lower Broadway taverns with a chorus that offers "My first taste of love, oh bittersweet.". In 1950, Frizzell kicked off his celebrated career with this No. A tear-jerking ballad worthy of the Country Music Association's Song of the Year award in 1989. It's a fine distillation of Charles' two Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music albums, from which all of its selections are culled. Recorded when she was just 13, Tanya Tucker’s first haunting hit is ironically about an aging Southern belle, one who's under the delusion that a long-gone suitor is still coming for her.
We dare you to name a song that’s more fun to sing than this Oaks “oom-poppa” classic (named after an East Nashville street).
But it was the perfect message to be delivered by Coe, perhaps country music’s most infamous outsider.
From defiant anthems by Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert to the mariachi-punk of Vandoliers and “Old Town Road”. On Sugarland's massive 2007 hit, Jennifer Nettles sings from the perspective of a mistress, who begs her lover to stay before deciding she's tired of waiting. The country music Class of 1989 returns to the all-time list, this time asking a question in the shadow of a generation-defining event. Maybe — it's the most lively, at least. Against all odds, tractors have nothing to do with Diffie's 1993 song. Yola, Morgan Wallen, and Runaway June looked at (or, in Wallen’s case, refused to look at) the dissolution of relationships from different angles. What Was It Like to Play Bass for Prince? This folk song about a mighty train had already been passed down for generations when Acuff cut it in 1936, and his version helped the "Wabash" legend spread around the world. Released in 1961, "I Fall to Pieces" became such a hit for Cline that it inspired other recording artists, such as LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood and Jim Reeves, to do versions of it also. Soon enough, it made him one of country's biggest stars. "Your Cheatin' Heart" came out in 1953. A slick-picking piece of country music (and No.
Zeal turns awry in the beloved 1990s ballad from Yearwood. Complemented by Spanish picking, "El Paso" offers a bloody romance worthy of western songwriting. One song from Cash.
Giddy-up! Clark penned a beautiful tribute to his grandmother's boyfriend, Jack Prigg, "an old school man of the world" who would sing "Red River Valley" with the budding songwriter. Lyrics. 2019YearinReview, Carly Pearce, Chris Young, Jason Aldean, kelsey waldon, Lee Brice, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Tanya Tucker. Top … Released in 1959, "He'll Have To Go" topped both the country and pop music charts. A song, a film and a way of life for a generation raised on Lynn's working-class honesty. The Red Headed Stranger narrates a story of emotional messiness with soothing clarity. Here are the 25 best country and Americana songs of 2019. The King of Country Music subtly parades his royal status with a crisp story from the road. Midland just wanted to cut loose and have some fun, while Runaway June aimed to reclaim independence. This self-penned tune became Twitty’s signature song, about a guy who can’t get over the woman he wronged and lost. It's since been covered by everyone from Patti Page to Cyndi Lauper and Phish. Behind the band's gorgeous harmony, Lady A sings of a longing some may know too well. Foley's rendering of "(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley (for Me)" shaped the later, even more, popular version recorded by Elvis Presley. In a characteristically triumphant move, Swift turns a tune about scathing critics into the brightest addition of her country music catalog.