Archive for October, 2005
Monday, October 31st, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 8:
#225-#201
#225
“Heads Carolina, Tails California”
Jo Dee Messina
1996
Peak: #2
Messina’s debut single established her edgy sound right out of the gate. Here, she’s convincing her lover to bail the small town that’s holding them down; just flip a coin, and we’ll head in that direction.
#224
“For My Broken Heart”
Reba McEntire
1991
Peak: #1
Reba McEntire’s For My Broken Heart album was recorded in the wake of the plane crash that killed most of her band members and her road manager. There’s a sense of gloom and melancholy that pervades that entire project, which is easily the best album she ever recorded. On the title track, she copes with life going on despite her suffering: “Lord the sun is blinding me, as it wakes me from the dark/I guess the world didn’t stop for my broken heart.”
#223
“Brand New Man”
Brooks & Dunn
1991
Peak: #1
The retiring of Naomi Judd from the music business produced a brilliant solo artist in Wynonna, and left a gaping void on the country duo landscape. Just when those also-rans like Sweethearts of the Rodeo and The Bellamy Brothers thought they had a shot at that Vocal Duo trophy the Judd girls had monopolized, out of nowhere came Brooks & Dunn, with this brassy, confident honky-tonk hit that launched them to the top of the charts. Using born-again imagery to praise the love of the woman that “saved him” from a life of one-night stands, lead vocalist Ronnie Dunn’s powerful vocals announced there was a new duo in town; they would go on to win more Vocal Duo awards than any twosome in history.
#222
“On a Bus to St. Cloud”
Trisha Yearwood
1995
Peak: #59
A sweeping orchestral intro melts into a quiet piano-laden ballad about being haunted by an ex-lover who seemed to leave too fast. Yearwood holds her cards close to her chest in the verses, but lets out a powerful ache on the bridge when she pleads, “You chase me like a shadow/and you haunt me like a ghost/And I hate you some, and I love you some, but I miss you most.”
#221
“Mississippi Girl”
Faith Hill
2005
Peak: #1
Okay, I confess. When I first heard this (and reviewed it here), I said this was self-indulgent. And I still think it is. But it’s damn catchy self-indulgence. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that John Rich co-wrote this and “Redneck Woman.” He has a way of making specific declarations feel universal. One of the finest lines heard on country radio this year was “Some people seem to think that I’ve changed, that I’m different than I was back then/But in my soul, I know that I’m the same way that I’ve really always been.” That one cut pretty deep with me; there’s more going on here than just Mississippi pride.
#220
“I Would Cry”
Amy Dalley
2005
Peak: #29
Can Curb put out this damn album already? How can you release five great singles, some of which hit the top 30, and not give consumers a chance to bring them home? Dalley has one of the freshest songwriting styles I’ve heard in a long time. On this, the best single she’s released so far, she matter-of-factly deals with her cheating man: “If I could pull you back from where you’ve been I would, but you’ve left me no reason left to fight.” If her tears had any power to undo the damage he’s done, she would cry. But they can’t, so she won’t.
#219
“The Long Goodbye”
Brooks & Dunn
2001
Peak: #1
Usually in music, break-ups are clean and neat. There’s some confrontation, and it’s over. Here, Brooks & Dunn capture a more realistic death of a relationship; it’s just slowly dying over time, and nobody wants to admit it because it used to be so good. This is the best ballad of their career.
#218
“Girls Lie Too”
Terri Clark
2004
Peak: #1
How funny is this? Clark lets the guys in on a secret – girls tell just as many lies as they do. Sorry, buddy: she doesn’t like that spare tire, she wishes you made more money, and quite frankly, she’s not always thinking about you when you’re together. Clark has just the kind of good-natured banter needed to pull this off without offending half the species.
#217
“Seminole Wind”
John Anderson
1992
Peak: #2
John Anderson tacked this on the end of what became his comeback album. When it was released as a single, it sold more records for him than he ever dreamed of. His passionate plea for preserving the Florida swamps where the Seminole tribe resides is one of his finest moments.
#216
“Outbound Plane”
Suzy Bogguss
1992
Peak: #9
It’s hard to imagine an artist as quirky as Nanci Griffith recording for a major Nashville label, but it happened. She didn’t have much success on the singles charts as an artist, but as a writer she launched two artists into the top ten for the first time. In 1986, her composition “Love at the Five & Dime” became Kathy Mattea’s breakthrough hit. Six years later, Suzy Bogguss did a rollicking rendition of “Outbound Plane”, finding her voice and first success in the process. On the strength of this and its follow-up single, Bogguss was the surprise Horizon Award winner at the 1992 CMA’s.
#215
“Grandpa Told Me So”
Kenny Chesney
1996
Peak: #23
Until very recently, this country-boy ode to the down-home wisdom of grandpa was my favorite record Chesney ever did. This was way before his girl thought his tractor was sexy; he is still very green and even more sincere. The chorus is a solid list of life lessons all rolled into one: “He said, ‘Life is made for you to live, the best love is the love that you give/There’ll be times when you wanna hold on but you gotta let go,’ and I live by those words, ’cause Grandpa told me so.”
#214
“To Have You Back Again”
Patty Loveless
1998
Peak: #12
“Time is a river, flowing forever, away from the sound of your heart.” If you’re wondering why Loveless keeps popping up on this list, it’s because of lyrics like that, coupled with a mountain voice that is unparalleled in modern country music. With husband Emory Gordy Jr. at the producer’s helm, she made the most artistically significant traditional country music of the last 20 years. Am I exaggerating? Go download “To Have You Back Again” and give it a listen, then tell me who’s done better music in the traditional vein.
#213
“If You Ever Stop Loving Me”
Montgomery Gentry
2004
Peak: #1
I’ve always found Montgomery Gentry a little too eager; the little guy reminds me of one of those irritating dogs that jumps up and humps your leg, and the guy in the hat? I keep hoping he’ll knock himself out while he twirls the microphone stand for the millionth time. But I’ll give credit where it’s due: this infectious hit from last summer had me singing along each time the video came on.
#212
“Restless”
Alison Krauss & Union Station
2004
Peak: #36
About as far away as you can get from Montgomery Gentry and still be in the realm of country music, this reflective and melancholy bluegrass ballad (do they ever record anything but?) is so understated that it took a few listens to fully grab me. The way she whispers, “I just can’t stand being alone. I’m gonna have to change that someday” leaves just enough indifference to make you think she doesn’t mind being alone all that much.
#211
“Everyday Angel”
Radney Foster
2002
Peak: #43
Foster finds everyday angels in his son’s sunday school teacher, who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr.; in his own father, who let a woman at work who was being abused by her husband stay with them during his childhood; and finally, a firefighter on 9/11 who gave his life trying to save others. His impassioned call at the end to “go be an everyday angel” is a bold challenge worth following.
#210
“Lonely Too Long”
Patty Loveless
1996
Peak: #1
No post-coital regret here. A conversation the morning after a potential one-night stand reveals the honest truth as she tells the man beside her, we’ve just been lonely too long. We haven’t done anything wrong by giving in to loneliness, at least if we make this the first step towards something bigger.
#209
“Give Me Some Wheels”
Suzy Bogguss
1996
Peak: #60
These women are just all over the road, aren’t they? Bogguss is tired of being put up on a pedestal by the man who idolizes her; she just wants to be loved for who she is, an imperfect woman. So she tells him, “I’ll never be the angel you see in your dreams. Give me some wheels if I can’t have wings.” A rocking declaration of freedom.
#208
“Goodbye Earl”
Dixie Chicks
2000
Peak: #13
Somewhere around my junior year of college at Belmont University in Nashville, all of these bumper stickers started popping up on the cars of female students: “EARL’S IN THE TRUNK.” This southern gothic tale of a man who never met a restraining order that could hold him back and the two high school friends who feed him his last meal offended some people with its snide tone, as lead Chick Natalie Maines is clearly reveling in his demise. But this tale of revenge is one of the best story songs in the history of the genre. Anyway, where were those protesters when Garth Brooks put out that song about running a cheating woman over with an 18-wheeler?
#207
“Blue”
LeAnn Rimes
1996
Peak: #10
For about two and a half minutes, 1996 became 1963. Rimes came out of nowhere with this torch ballad that actually had people thinking she was the reincarnate of Patsy Cline. Rimes never made another record like this again, but she deserves credit for lovingly turning back the clock to the golden era of the Nashville Sound.
#206
“Delia’s Gone”
Johnny Cash
1994
Peak: did not chart
Earl could’ve taken some tips from Johnny Cash. The Man in Black never sounded so dark as he did on his landmark acoustic album American Recordings, the first of his celebrated collaborations with producer Rick Rubin. Here he ties his cheating lover to the chair, and, well… “First time I shot her, I shot her in the side; Hard to watch her suffer, but with a second shot she died. Delia’s gone, one more round, Delia’s gone.” Even MTV wouldn’t play the video for this one.
#205
“Check Please”
Paul Jefferson
1996
Peak: #50
What a dirty little record. Jefferson is getting good and horny at the restaurant with a sexy-talking lady friend, but she keeps killing the mood by saying she wants to get married and have kids. When he finally relents on the third date and says he’ll wait, it turns her on so much she tells him to get the check so they can do the nasty as soon as they get out of there. I’m amazed this got as high as it did on the charts.
#204
“Who You’d Be Today”
Kenny Chesney
2005
Peak: #2
The best thing Chesney has ever recorded. This ode to a person who went before their time is heartbreaking: “It ain’t fair, you died too young/Like a story that had just begun/But death ripped the pages all away.” Beware of the video; you’ll be crying long after it’s over.
#203
“Remember When”
Alan Jackson
2004
Peak: #1
He had already written a classic anniversary song with “I’d Love You All Over Again”, but this blew that one out of the water. This tender recollection of memories, including when the marriage almost fell apart, is clearly a reflection on his own life. It was a gift for listeners that he chose to share something so personal.
#202
“You Can Feel Bad”
Patty Loveless
1996
Peak: #3
Listen, go ahead and dump me. But don’t pretend you’re all despondent because I’m handling it so well. It’s just a pat to your ego for you to picture me suffering, but hey – “You can feel bad if it makes you feel better.” A classic example of the brilliant writing talent of Matraca Berg.
#201
“Earthbound”
Rodney Crowell
2003
Peak: #60
Rodney wants to go to heaven, but not anytime soon. He’s enjoying life too much to be heaven bound; he’s earthbound. A joyous celebration of life, and how all of our sins are forgiven with time.
Saturday, October 29th, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 7:
#250-#226
#250
“New Way Home”
K.T. Oslin
1993
Peak: #64
There’s been so many songs about love, finding it and losing it, that fresh perspectives are few and far between. K.T. Oslin found one, as she sings about finding a new route home so she doesn’t have to drive past the house of her former love: “Someday I’ll see something I don’t wanna see and it will only break my heart all over again/Can’t afford it my friend, this will have to end/It’s the only heart I got, and it needs a little more time to mend.”
#249
“No One Else On Earth”
Wynonna
1992
Peak: #1
Wynonna was at the peak of her popularity when this bluesy hit topped the charts. She gives a pitch-perfect performance as a woman who has always been too tough to fall in love, but suddenly is somebody’s fool, growling the question – “How did you get to me?”
#248
“Letting Go”
Suzy Bogguss
1992
Peak: #6
There are so many deep and meaningful relationships that are not romantic, but few songs are written about them. Suzy Bogguss did her part to remedy that problem with this tender tale of a young girl going off to college, and how it is hard for both her and her mother to be letting go. The incisive use of the line “She’s had 18 years to get ready for this day/She should be past the tears, she cries them anyway” to describe both mother and daughter in alternating verses is just damn good songwriting.
#247
“I Fell In Love”
Carlene Carter
1990
Peak: #3
After a long-dead career as a progressive country-rock star, Carter resurfaced in Nashville with a surprisingly successful country debut. This charming rocker skyrocketed Carter into the top five of the country hit parade, and the album that spawned it earned her a Grammy nomination.
#246
“I Still Believe In You”
Vince Gill
1992
Peak: #1
Gill’s powerful declaration of devotion to his wife is so sincere that it makes you assume that it was the woman’s fault the marriage didn’t last. That may not be true, but it’s a testament to the power of great music. Footnote: This was the 1993 CMA Song of the Year.
#245
“Everybody Knows”
Trisha Yearwood
1996
Peak: #3
Trisha has been dumped, and she’s sick of people talking about it. Everybody has advice, from moving back home to praying for guidance to just “forget the jerk”, but all she needs is for everybody to back off so she can handle the situation herself.
#244
“It Only Hurts When I Cry”
Dwight Yoakam
1992
Peak: #7
Yoakam wrote this classic honky-tonk hit with Hall of Famer Roger Miller, and the collaboration clearly brought out the best in both of them. Witty, sharp and dripping with self-deprecation, this is a career highlight for both men.
#243
“Grown Men Don’t Cry”
Tim McGraw
2001
Peak: #1
Tim McGraw is just about the only hat act who can sing a song like this and not be called a pansy. He’s brought to tears by a homeless family, dreams of a father-son relationship he never had, and finally by his own daughter saying “I love you, Dad.”
#242
“Me and Emily”
Rachel Proctor
2004
Peak: #13
A surprisingly upbeat number about an abused wife running away by car, baby in tow. The vivid imagery in the lyrics – “Floorboard is filled with baby toys and empty Coke bottles and coffee cups/Riding through the rain with no radio, trying not to wake her up” – makes the listener believe every word.
#241
“On The Road”
Lee Roy Parnell
1993
Peak: #6
“Me and Emily” isn’t the only great song about hitting the road to get away from your troubles. Lee Roy Parnell’s 1993 hit, drenched in his trademark slide guitar, tells the story of two retirees, a misfit rebel son and an ignored housewife all looking for answers down the highway.
#240
“If Something Should Happen”
Darryl Worley
2005
Peak: #10
If “Live Like You Were Dying” is the ideal fantasy about dealing with a potentially terminal illness, “If Something Should Happen” is a stone-cold dose of reality in the same situation. Worley’s vocal trembles with nervousness as he asks his friend to look in on his wife and son if he doesn’t make it. His biggest concern is not himself, but the absence his death would cause, and he wants to make sure his family’s needs will still be met in some way. This is Worley’s finest moment to date.
#239
“Killin’ Time”
Clint Black
1989
Peak: #1
Clint Black’s debut album was brilliant honky-tonk, from start to finish. The opening line – “You were the first thing that I thought of, when I thought I drank you off my mind” – is an immediate sign that this guy has Haggard in his veins.
#238
“Like We Never Had A Broken Heart”
Trisha Yearwood
1991
Peak: #4
Sure, “She’s In Love With The Boy” was a mega-hit, but attentive fans heard the real essence of Trisha Yearwood when her second single hit the airwaves. Intelligent lyrics, sparse production and a voice filled with nuance and subtlety, the arrival of a serious artist was announced with this classic ballad.
#237
“I Can Count On You”
Lorrie Morgan
2004
Peak: did not chart
It’s interesting that for an artist who had many hit singles, it was the ones that didn’t make it too far up the charts that were her best work. Morgan sings this heartbreaker with only the help of a piano, and she uses the lower register of her voice with remarable results. This track is from her most recent album, Show Me How, which is arguably the best of her career.
#236
“Whole Lotta Love On The Line”
Aaron Tippin
1994
Peak: #30
Aaron could have sang the phone book over this hook and still made the list – the repeating guitar riff is almost hypnotizing. Thankfully, it formed the basis for one of his best songs, a plea to his lover not to walk out on a love worth fighting for.
#235
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do”
Pam Tillis
1991
Peak: #5
After two failed attempts in pop and rock, and a dismal run of country singles for Warner Brothers in the late 80′s, Mel’s daughter Pam came out of nowhere to launch a high-voltage career as the flagship female artist on the newly-formed Arista Nashville label. Co-written by Harlan Howard, who also wrote her dad’s first #1 hit, Pam’s deceptive feminist anthem announced her arrival as a woman to be reckoned with.
#234
“Forever and For Always”
Shania Twain
2003
Peak: #4
She’s had more hits on the pop chart than many pop stars, but when Shania does country, she’s tough to beat. The warmth of the steel guitar on this record is almost overwhelming, and her voice has never sounded better than it does on this, the highest-charting hit from her Up! CD.
#233
“I Just Might Be”
Lorrie Morgan
1996
Peak: #45
Maybe country radio just didn’t want to hear a song with “damn” in the chorus – as in, “I just might be the best damn thing that you ever threw away. Radio ignored this breezy break-up song that had Morgan showing more confidence and independence than usual.
#232
“Does My Ring Burn Your Finger”
Lee Ann Womack
2002
Peak: #23
Womack’s anger, indignation and loneliness absolutely radiate off of this record. An intense and powerful performance of a timeless cheating song.
#231
“Streets of Heaven”
Sherrie Austin
2003
Peak: #18
Break out the Kleenex. Mama Sherrie is in Room 304 of a nameless hospital, by the bedside of her dying 7-year old daughter, and praying that God not take her daughter from her. Her concern: the streets of heaven must be awfully crowded, and she’s too young to cross by herself. Who will hold her hand?
#230
“Angels Working Overtime”
Deana Carter
1999
Peak: #35
An entirely implausible tale of a baby left at a Denny’s in Colorado, found by a prairie family that raises her but doesn’t understand her. So she takes a Greyhound bus, gets out for a smoke, and the bus leaves her. So she hitchhikes, finds a guy heading to L.A., gets pregnant and they get an apartment for the two/soon-to-be-three of them. All this, and a choir of children to sing the chorus at the end. This is songwriters and producers working overtime, but it’s campy fun.
#229
“Who’s That Man”
Toby Keith
1994
Peak: #1
Keith started writing this song as a play off of that old joke – What happens when you play a country song backwards? You get your house back, you get your wife back, you get your dog back. Ironically, it led to him writing a classic country song that became an example of the joke instead of a joke itself. Keith is a divorced man driving past his old house, and sees his wife, his car, his kids, his dog, and asks, “Who’s that man running my life?”
#228
“Now I Know”
Lari White
1994
Peak: #5
There was a brief moment when RCA seemed to completely committed to making Lari White a major star, and this was the high point of that attempt. “Now I Know” is a near-perfect tale of a woman surviving being left better than she ever thought she could – “I always wondered how I’d live without you. Now I know.”
#227
“Pass It On Down”
Alabama
1990
Peak: #3
At the mid-point of the first Bush administration, a year after praising southern Democrats with “Song of the South”, Alabama’s politics got contemporary with this appeal to save the environment. Done in a common man style – “How we gonna breathe without them trees?” – they make a case for stewardship of God’s creation that should get both sides of the political fence thinking about leaving “some blue up above us.”
#226
“Everywhere”
Tim McGraw
1997
Peak: #1
Two lovers in a small-town. He can’t wait to get out; she can’t see herself living anywhere else. So he goes on his journey around the world, alone. The problem is, he still sees her everywhere. A somber loner’s tale.
Thursday, October 27th, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 6:
#275-#251
#275
“Live Like You Were Dying”
Tim McGraw
2004
Peak: #1
A mega-hit if there ever was one, this was the biggest hit of Tim’s career. A conversation between a man who was told he had a few months to live and another who asks what he did in response, leads to a laundry list of some fairly ridiculous actions – sky diving, mountain climbing and bull-riding when your days are already numbered? That’s just silly. But then there’s the line that’s all to real – “I gave forgiveness I’d been denying” – that is the song’s salvation.
#274
“The Night’s Too Long”
Patty Loveless
1990
Peak: #20
And now, the second of three songs originally on that 1988 Lucinda Williams CD. This twangy and irregularly rhymed story of Sylvia from Beaumont tells the tale of a woman who moves to the city to meet some fast men with such sharp detail – “With her back against the wall she can listen to the band, and she’s holding a Corona and it’s cold against her hand” – that you can actually feel the scene, not just picture it.
#273
“He Feels Guilty”
Bobbie Cryner
1993
Peak: #68
A brilliant writer and muddy river vocalist, sultry and thick and straight out of the swampland. All she needs is a bit of guitar to get her started, and she takes the listener right into the mind of a woman who just knows her man is cheating from the chill he’s sending out.
#272
“That’s Why I’m Here”
Kenny Chesney
1998
Peak: #2
This is the record that finally got Kenny some real recognition as a credible artist. A powerful tale of a man taking the step to join Alcoholics Anonymous, he really becomes the man in the song, as all great interpreters do.
#271
“Is It Over Yet”
Wynonna
1993
Peak: #6
You just don’t get weepers like this from women in the post-Shania world. Wy is watching as her man packs up to leave, and keeps asking herself “Is it over yet?” Her mind is telling her to be strong, but she doesn’t trust her heart – “I’d like to help you with a suitcase or two, but I’m afraid I’m gonna wind up down on my knees.” Her voice aches with hurt and vulnerability.
#270
“Every Little Thing”
Carlene Carter
1993
Peak: #3
Carlene Carter is one hell of a fiesty performer. The raw energy of this track, with the 60′s pop backup singers and driving drum beats, had more confidence and sexual energy than just about anything country radio ever let into heavy rotation in the male-dominated early 90′s.
#269
“Arlington”
Trace Adkins
2005
Peak: #16
A surprisingly moderate hit, this haunting tune is from the perspective of a soldier who has just been buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He’s proud of his service, and has joined his grandfather at the holiest of sacred ground.
#268
“How Do I Live”
Trisha Yearwood
1997
Peak: #2
Trish won a Grammy for her pitch-perfect rendition of this Diane Warren song. Yes, it was remembered mostly for the sing-off between her and LeAnn Rimes, who was left sounding like a little girl singing about a lost doll when stacked against the vocal powerhouse that is Trisha Yearwood. But it’s a gorgeous love song and finally got those award shows to acknowledge the legendary talent who’d been overlooked for too long.
#267
“What Mattered Most”
Ty Herndon
1995
Peak: #1
Ty misses the “forest for the trees.” He knows everything about his now ex-lover, from her favorite song (“In My Life”) to her car and her clothes, but he paid no attention to what mattered most – that she was feeling unloved and not needed.
#266
“Pocket Full of Gold”
Vince Gill
1991
Peak: #7
Can you get more classic country than the opening line “He slipped the ring off his finger when he walked in the room”? He clearly pities the man he’s singing about, who would give anything for another man’s treasure, and thinks he’s rich because he has money in his pockets. When he reveals he was a cheater himself in the second verse, you realize just where that pity comes from.
#265
“I’m Holdin’ On To Love (To Save My Life)”
Shania Twain
2000
Peak: #17
The eleventh and final single from the 20x platinum Come On Over was one of the best. Twain has never sounded more intelligent or clever, with a machine-gun speed list of all the crutches she doesn’t need – from psychics to Dr. Ruth to the internet – because she’s getting by on love.
#264
“Jenny Come Back”
Helen Darling
1995
Peak: #69
This is a tale about a girl who was smart, and determined, and beautiful, but changed to please and older guy in school. She ends up dropping out, and her sort-of friend sees her selling movie tickets for a career. It perfectly captures the dangers of selling yourself short to please others.
#263
“Girls With Guitars”
Wynonna
1994
Peak: #10
Maybe if Jenny had played guitar, she never would have followed some dumb guy around. Wy growls her way through this Mary Chapin Carpenter-penned saga about a girl who doesn’t take shit off of anybody, and only talks to boys who play the guitar. Her fierce confidence has her hitting the Big Apple and blowing away the guy who’s checking out her legs with her undeniable talent. Somehow you just know that a girl with a guitar answers only to herself.
#262
“He Gets That From Me”
Reba McEntire
2004
Peak: #7
Reba showed surprising restraint by recording this tearjerker with an acoustic production and no vocal acrobatics. Her conversation with her dead husband about how their son is getting her through the pain needs no bells and whistles to help the message along.
#261
“What a Crying Shame”
The Mavericks
1994
Peak: #25
The Mavericks were able to make retro cool in country music, for a few months at least. Raul Malo is one of the best voices to ever bless the genre, and his band’s sound was so distinctive that they received two Vocal Group awards without ever hitting the top ten at radio.
#260
“When You Need My Love”
Darryl Worley
2000
Peak: #15
Darryl’s debut single marked the arrival of a top-notch singer-songwriter, as he tells the woman he loves that someday he won’t be there for her when she’s been dumped by the man she really loves. With his delivery, you almost suspect even he doesn’t believe there will ever be a day that he’s not there for her, but it just makes him feel good to picture his heart letting go.
#259
“Good-Hearted Man”
Tift Merritt
2005
Peak: did not chart
Tift finally finds a man who loves and respects her, and she’s confused because she’s not sure how to handle the real thing. Her cynicism gives in to optimism as the song progresses. She sounds like she’s channeling Dusty Springfield.
#258
“Let Go”
Brother Phelps
1993
Peak: #6
While on haitus from The Kentucky Headhunters, the two Phelps brothers from that band put out two albums as a duo. This was the only hit, an song that inspires you to let go of all the things that are weighing you down.
#257
“High-Powered Love”
Emmylou Harris
1993
Peak: #63
Harris’ last attempt to please country radio was a forceful rocker about needing to find a love with more fire and energy, instead of just settling for guys who are all show and no heart. It’s hard not to smile when she asks, “Is there anyone left with teeth just a little uneven, who won’t spend more time with a mirror than he does with me?”
#256
“Redneck Woman”
Gretchen Wilson
2004
Peak: #1
Wilson’s in danger of becoming a cliche already, but when this song hit, it was a breath of fresh air. Their was just something universally appealing about Wilson’s comfort in her own skin; I don’t think you had to be a redneck or a woman to be yelling “Hell Yeah!” right back to her; you just had to he happy with who you are.
#255
“Down On My Knees”
Trisha Yearwood
1993
Peak: #19
Trisha has always been content to let the song shine; she saves her vocal power only for songs that deserve it. Because she uses her belting abilities so sparingly, the emotional punch is that much stronger when she does go full force, as she does on this power ballad from the early 90′s.
#254
“I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight”
Toby Keith
2001
Peak: #1
This back and forth between a man who wants a one-night stand and a woman who wants a man for life is light, entertaining and very funny.
#253
“Baby Likes To Rock It”
The Tractors
1994
Peak: #11
There was this brief period of anything goes in the mid-90′s, and no act exemplified that better than the suddenly double platinum-selling Tractors, who somehow found a home in country music with this bizarre, random hit, complete with scat.
#252
“How Your Love Makes Me Feel”
Diamond Rio
1997
Peak: #1
Diamond Rio’s harmonies are some of the best in country music history. This up-tempo description of how love feels manages to talk about ice cream and wandering cows along the way.
#251
“I Saw The Light”
Wynonna
1992
Peak: #1
No, it’s not a cover of the Hank Williams gospel classic. Rather, Wy drops by her lover’s house and sees two shadows getting it on through the window. “They say that love is blind, but baby not this time.” She can’t be bothered to play the victim this time, so she’s going to hit the town in her red dress and find her own shadow to dance with.
Wednesday, October 26th, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 5:
#300-#276
#300
“Lipstick Promises”
George Ducas
1995
Peak: #9
One- hit wonders are still something of an anomaly in country music, though they’ve certainly become more common since the 90′s boom began. Country artists are supposed to have long careers, once they break through with that one hit song. George Ducas seemed poised for stardom when he put out this irresistible Roy Orbison homage – let’s be honest, Ducas’ entire career was warmed-over Orbison – but this was the only hit he ever had.
#299
“Timber, I’m Falling In Love”
Patty Loveless
1989
Peak: #1
It’s okay to be corny in country music, so long as you’re sincere enough to pull it off. This Kostas-penned hit would probably be laughed off the radio today, but in the years before the New York media was paying attention, it was still okay to be this hokey. Even today, it’s hard not to get swept up in her joy of new-found love when Patty yells “Timber…”
#298
“My Next Thirty Years”
Tim McGraw
2000
Peak: #1
No mid-life crisis here. Tim takes a moment to reflect on his first thirty years and map up the next thirty years, which he want to spend laughing more, crying less and hanging out with his wife. With Faith Hill by your side, how can you not look forward to the rest of your life?
#297
“Every Once In A While”
BlackHawk
1994
Peak: #2
One of the most cocky songs to ever pose as a sensitive one, a casual listener might miss the arrogance and gloating driving the lyrics. Who knew you could be so snarky with mandolin and three-part harmony?
#296
“Getcha Some”
Toby Keith
1998
Peak: #18
If Keith released this song today, it would be a monster. A low-baritone drawl speaks over a funky harmonica during three verses of looking for sex, money and babies. Keith has never been more charming on record.
#295
“I Sure Can Smell The Rain”
BlackHawk
1995
Peak: #9
Some of the best country songs put a down-home spin on universal themes. Randy Travis built a whole song around that with “Deeper Than A Holler.” Here, the boys of BlackHawk sense impending doom about a woman they know is ready to leave, even though she’s saying things are fine – “I can’t see a single storm cloud in the sky, but I sure can smell the rain.”
#294
“Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt”
Suzy Bogguss
1998
Peak: #63
A man tries to rob a convenience store at 4 in the morning, and tells the clerk that she better do exactly as the note says. As the title indicates, he made a slight speling error that revealed a larger truth. “You know what I meant,” he says, and she replies, “Yeah, but that’s not what you said.” Written by the incomparable Bobbie Cryner.
#293
“We Tell Ourselves”
Clint Black
1992
Peak: #2
Before Clint Black started writing endless love songs for his wife, he was the master of the bitter and insightful breakup song. Here, he’s aware his lover and him are just going through the motions – “Somehow we sell ourselves on love, I just don’t think I’ll believe my heart this time.” A driving beat and relentless guitar build up the tension until it explodes into an extended instrumental breakdown that ends the record.
#292
“I Never Cared For You”
Willie Nelson featuring Emmylou Harris
1998
Peak: did not chart
Daniel Lanois produced the landmark Emmy album Wrecking Ball, which unfortunately didn’t send any singles to country radio or video outlets. So while that masterpiece cannot be represented on this list, this fantastic follow-up collaboration with Willie Nelson is nearly as good. Nelson truly is a genius, and this is a fresh take on one of his oldest compositions.
#291
“My Give A Damn’s Busted”
Jo Dee Messina
2005
Peak: #1
Wonderfully in-your-face. She’s the perfect messenger for a brand-new way to say you’ve had enough.
#290
“I Wish I Could Have Been There”
John Anderson
1994
Peak: #4
Country music’s own take on “Cat’s In The Cradle”, Anderson misses the birth of his daughter and his son’s first home run because he’s on the road. In retirement, his kids miss their parents’ anniversary party. Poignant.
#289
“Like We Never Loved At All”
Faith Hill
2005
Peak: #5
John Rich just writes one great song after another. Here, Hill laments that she’s still missing her man, and he’s moved on and doesn’t seem to miss her at all. One of her best.
#288
“I Got It Honest”
Aaron Tippin
1995
Peak: #15
Nobody does a blue-collar anthem better than Aaron Tippin. This is a beautiful and passionate testament to making an honest living, and not putting a price tag on your name. I believe your life’s work is a reflection of who you are as a person, not just what you did to pay the bills. This song reminds me of why I do what I do when there’s too much month at the end of the money.
#287
“Forgive”
Rebecca Lynn Howard
2002
Peak: #12
Don’t cheat on this woman; she’ll tear you a new one.
#286
“How Can I Help You Say Goodbye”
Patty Loveless
1994
Peak: #3
One of those classic three-act country plays that ends up with somebody dying. Loveless can wail when she wants to, but she has the good taste to let the lyrics shine and not get in the way. This was the one that took her to the next level.
#285
“When You Come Back To Me Again”
Garth Brooks
2000
Peak: #21
Inspired by the death of his mother, and the aimlessness he felt in the aftermath, Brooks put out his most achingly personal single. I tear up every time.
#284
“Georgia”
Carolyn Dawn Johnson
2000
Peak: #25
When men leave in country songs, the hit the bar. When women leave, they it the road. Johnson takes a tour of the southeast trying to drive her man off her mind. Her first and best single.
#283
“I’m Alright”
Jo Dee Messina
1998
Peak: #1
Messina sings for all those of those waiting for dreams to come true, and the rest of us who are pulling for them to succeed, even if it means we don’t see them that often. A bright sunshine bolt of optimism.
#282
“Anymore”
Travis Tritt
1991
Peak: #1
Tritt can pull off a sensitive ballad better than anybody, in between all of those honky tonk rave-ups. I don’t think he’s ever sounded better than he does here.
#281
“Crescent City”
Emmylou Harris
1994
Peak: did not chart
Lucinda Williams may not have had much success at the time with her self-titled 1988 album, but many women in Nashville took the songs from that album for their own. This is the first of three covers from that album on this list; Harris wraps a Cajun twang around this charming tale of New Orleans life.
#280
“Three Mississippi”
Terri Clark
2003
Peak: #30
I love the twin fiddles. I love her honky-tonk wail. I love the counting in the chorus. I love the line “My bones are aching from the weight I’m holding down.” I love this single.
#279
“I Hope You Dance”
Lee Ann Womack featuring Sons of the Desert
2000
Peak: #1
There’s a melancholy to Lee Ann Womack’s music that made this single a strange choice for her, until I realized that the mother singing may be wishing for her daughters to dance because she never did. It certainly would explain all those minor chords if that was the case. I still like her woe-is-me material better, but the impact of this song is undeniable.
#278
“I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying”
Toby Keith with Sting
1997
Peak: #2
Rather than just cover this Sting song, Toby got him to sing it with him. It’s the second best divorce song Toby ever did.
#277
“Holes in the Floor of Heaven”
Steve Wariner
1998
Peak: #1
Wariner made a major comeback with this tale of dead family members crying in heaven because they’re missing family gatherings; hence, the rain. Sweet, and touching, and more than a little cheesy. In other words, classic country music.
#276
“Dance With The One That Brought You”
Shania Twain
1993
Peak: #55
See, here’s the thing: even if Shania had never met Mutt, she still would have made this list. This beautiful waltz, written by Gretchen Peters, was one of the best should’ve-been hits of the early 90′s. It still has a timeless quality to it that suggests it might be a hit for someone else in the future.
Sunday, October 23rd, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 4:
#325-#301
#325
“I Cross My Heart”
George Strait
1992
Peak: #1
Strait’s first single to be co-produced with Tony Brown became his signature ballad. This tender love song is still being danced to at weddings everywhere.
#324
“Little Good-Byes”
SHeDaisy
1999
Peak: #3
SHeDaisy became Nashville’s first answer to the phenomenon that was the Dixie Chicks, even though the Osborn sisters had been signed before the Chicks hit it big. One of the reasons this chick trio is so easily dismissed is that their material is usually lightweight, opting for clever wordplay whenever possible. This first single established that formula right off the bat – “Took the hourglass, left the sand, now you’ve got time on your hands” – and gave them a higher-charting debut single than the Chicks had earned a year earlier.
#323
“Poor, Poor Pitiful Me”
Terri Clark
1996
Peak: #5
Like many musical geniuses, Warron Zevon was at death’s door when suddenly everybody from David Letterman on down was showering him with praise. Linda Ronstadt had a moderate pop hit with this Zevon classic in the early 80′s, but it was a twanged-up cover by Canadian Terri Clark that made the song a bona fide hit in the mid-90′s. She growls the vulnerability right out of this one.
#322
“Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?”
Shania Twain
1995
Peak: #11
Listening to the first Mutt Lange-produced Shania single, there’s no sign of the brilliant country-arena rock fusion that is going to break all sales records across the globe. Rather, this is a charming country shuffle, with more steel guitar and twin fiddle than you’d ever expect from this dynamic duo of producer husband and performer wife.
#321
“Speak”
Nickel Creek
2003
Peak: did not chart
Nickel Creek have had very little success at radio; this fantastic single from their gold-selling set This Side didn’t even chart. But the trio never sounded better on a single than they did on this one, with alternating lead vocals by the Watkins siblings and the always-flawless mandolin work by Chris Thile.
#320
“Sorry You Asked?”
Dwight Yoakam
1996
Peak: #59
Yoakam runs into an old friend at the bar who asks where his lady friend is, and he gives that friend an earful. A tongue-in-cheek and very funny running monologue, complete with Mariachi horns.
#319
“How Long”
Bryan White
2000
Peak: #56
In four short years, White went from the hot new thing in country music to a forgotten has-been. This sweet and longful single was supposed to get him back on track, but it stumbled at radio and remains his final appearance to date on the country hit parade.
#318
“I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow”
The Soggy Bottom Boys
2001
Peak: #35
This CMA Single of the Year defied all expectations, helping make the O Brother soundtrack a phenomenon at the beginning of the century. Bluegrass this blue and grassy isn’t supposed to be popular; for a short time, it had Music Row questioning their entire approach.
#317
“No One Needs To Know”
Shania Twain
1996
Peak: #1
Harmonica and acoustic guitar provide all the hooks and beat that Shania needs to create a catchy single about the early stages of a romance. Her affection for her new man is palpable in every beat and sigh on this record. She’s rarely sounded better.
#316
“It’s Your Love”
Tim McGraw with Faith Hill
1997
Peak: #1
Let’s be honest. When this lust-drenched ballad hit the airwaves eight years ago, we all thought it would be a matter of time before this hot couple went the George & Tammy route. In hindsight, it’s the first audio documentation of the defining creative and personal relationship modern country music. They simply sound great together.
#315
“I Keep Looking”
Sara Evans
2002
Peak: #5
Country music finally gets its own “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction.” Over a pulsating guitar, Evans laments how the grass is always greener, and how “as soon as I get what I want, I get unsatisfied.”
#314
“Love Can Build a Bridge”
The Judds
1991
Peak: #5
A lesser vocalist would make this song frustratingly maudlin, but in Wynonna’s control, it becomes a timeless appeal for love, hope and peace. I think her mom’s on the record, too.
#313
“Just To See You Smile”
Tim McGraw
1998
Peak: #1
Tim McGraw has a knack for finding songs that subtly reveal little life truths. This tale of a man who’ll do anything to make his woman happy has one of the best lyrical asides ever when she introduces him to her new lover – “I told you that I was happy for you, and given the chance I’d lie again – just to see you smile.”
#312
“Did I Shave My Legs For This?”
Deana Carter
1997
Peak: #25
It’s hard to imagine this blonde bombshell dolling herself up in a leaky trailer for a man who comes home and ignores her, but when her frustration leads her to ask “did I shave my legs for this?”, it’s fun to go along for the ride anyway.
#311
“It’s Getting Better All The Time”
Brooks & Dunn
2005
Peak: #1
Brooks & Dunn are best known for their bar anthems, but Ronnie Dunn’s voice is a perfect fit for bittersweet and mournful ballads. He rips out the listener’s heart with this lament on the aftermath of a painful breakup.
#310
“Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)”
Pam Tillis
1995
Peak: #1
When Pam Tillis won the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year award in 1994, beating out four women with far more commercial success, it was on the strength of her flawless new album, Sweetheart’s Dance. That classic kicked off with this Bo Diddley-flavored Tex-Mex anthem for living on the wild side of life. One of many fantastic, distinctive singles she would release, this was the only hit she had that went all the way to the top of the Billboard singles chart.
#309
“She Is His Only Need”
Wynonna
1992
Peak: #1
In this homespun tale of life-long devotion, Wynonna tells the story of a man who’ll do anything to make his wife happy, who feels like she doesn’t deserve him because he always goes overboard with the gifts. It’s rambling song without a hook or even much structure, but the sincerity Wy brings to the table makes it soar.
#308
“You’re Not the Best”
Charlie Robison
1999
Peak: did not chart
Too politically incorrect for the late nineties, Robison tells how pretty girls have broken his heart, so he’s settled for an ugly woman who’s “not the best, but you’re the best that I can do.” A criminally overlooked gem that lacks the bravado that makes Toby Keith so grating when he does songs like this.
#307
“Goodbye Time”
Blake Shelton
2005
Peak: #10
A spot-on cover of a top ten hit for Conway Twitty in the 80′s, Shelton’s voice has never sounded more powerful and focused than it does on this recent hit.
#306
“I’m Not Strong Enough To Say No”
BlackHawk
1995
Peak: #2
Mutt Lange co-wrote this anthem for all those men who are too weak to not cheat, but are smart enough to avoid situations where they will. A roving eye has rarely sounded more virtuous than it does here.
#305
“We Just Disagree”
Billy Dean
1994
Peak: #9
It’s no surprise that this cover of a 70′s adult rock hit sounded like an original in the hands of Billy Dean. His roots were clearly in the singer-songwriters that populated AM radio during the flower-power era. He brings this classic up-to-date for the nineties country audience.
#304
“There Goes My Baby”
Trisha Yearwood
1998
Peak: #2
Yearwood’s greatest strength as a recording artist is letting the material shine through. She avoids showboat vocals, even though she can rip the roof off when she wants to. On “There Goes My Baby”, she wants to. Her vocals are a force of nature, as she builds to a final chorus that makes always-screaming Martina McBride sound like a poor little kitten.
#303
“Someone Else’s Dream”
Faith Hill
1996
Peak: #3
Hill sings about a young woman who’s “got 27 candles on her cake, and she needs to make her life her own before there’s 28.” This is a morality tale that warns about living your life solely to please others.
#302
“Hey Cinderella”
Suzy Bogguss
1994
Peak: #5
Life’s not a fairy tale, and Bogguss is longing to ask Cinderella just how long is “ever after”, and are you really happy? She wryly asks the princess, “Does the shoe fit you now?” Odd little songs like this just don’t come around as much these days, at least on mainstream radio.
#301
“She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful”
Sammy Kershaw
1993
Peak: #1
The most beautiful women have no idea how gorgeous they are. Kershaw’s song is for them and the men who love them, even when they’re shaking off a poor night’s sleep and their hair is a mess.
Sunday, October 16th, 2005
The fall bumper crop of singles has plenty of keepers…
BERING STRAIT You Make Loving Fun (Universal South)
This sounds like something Janie Fricke or Barbara Mandrell would’ve had a hit with. That’s not a compliment.
BIG & RICH Comin’ To Your City (Warner Bros.)
The boys recount their recent tour, city by city. As should be expected, it’s incredibly entertaining, and a promising preview of their second album.
BRAD PAISLEY with DOLLY PARTON When I Get Where I’m Goin’ (Arista)
See, Patty Loveless and Wynonna have both recorded “When I Reach The Place I’m Goin’”, a much better song with the same basic premise, and obviously by better singers. Dolly helps this across the finish line, but I stand by my opinion that Paisley is essentially Bob Saget in a cowboy hat.
BROOKS & DUNN Believe (Arista)
Nice. I could imagine John Anderson knocking this one out of the park. Ronnie Dunn comes close.
CAROLINA RAIN Let’s Get It On (Equity)
Full disclosure: When I took a Music Business class in college, this act was signed by one of the groups, and I was pissed that their act was much better than the guy my group got stuck with. Anyway, they sound great with real production behind them. Thankfully, this is not a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic.
CLINT BLACK Code of the West (Equity)
He’s still in fine voice, but he really needs better material.
COLLIN RAYE I Know That’s Right (Aspirion)
His voice sounds shot. The song is mediocre.
DIXIE CHICKS I Hope (Columbia)
These ladies are without peer in contemporary country music. This is among the best things they’ve ever recorded,.
DOUG STONE Everything (Lofton Creek)
This sounds like it was recorded in a jail cell.
ERIKA JO I’m Not Lisa (Universal South)
I’ve always hated this song. She covers it competently, but it’s still a grating and whiny ballad.
GARTH BROOKS Good Ride Cowboy (Lyric Street)
You can tell it’s a Garth song before he even starts singing. A respectable tribute to the late Chris Ledoux.
GEORGE STRAIT She Let Herself Go (MCA)
Not one of his best.
GRETCHEN WILSON I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today (Epic)
A decent, sparse ballad.
HOT APPLE PIE We’re Making Up (DreamWorks)
What the hell is this?
MIRANDA LAMBERT Kerosene (Epic)
This is the first single she’s released that I actually like. Very catchy.
SUGARLAND Just Might (Make Me Believe) (Mercury)
It’s a pleasant mid-tempo song. It’s not the career record that “Down In Mississippi” or “Stand Back Up” could be, but it should keep their hot streak going.
VAN ZANT Nobody Gonna Tell Me What To Do (Columbia)
I like these guys. They’re a great Southern Rock addition to the genre.
WYNONNA Attitude (Asylum)
I’m all for anything that she can rip into.
Sunday, October 16th, 2005
The 400 Best Contemporary Country Singles
Part 3:
#350-#326
#350
“Only Here For A Little While”
Billy Dean
1991
Peak: #3
Dean’s debut single is a moving appeal for valuing the time that we have, as it will be over before we know it. His simplistic new life plan, inspired by the untimely death of a young friend, will have him “hold who needs holdin’, mend what needs mendin’, walk what needs walkin’ though it means an extra mile.”
#349
“Some Girls Do”
Sawyer Brown
1992
Peak: #1
Somewhere between winning Star Search and ditching leopard-skin pants, the boys of Sawyer Brown became small-town philosophers. This winning romp seems light on the surface, but is a bold and clear declaration that everyone is worthy of love and capable of finding it.
#348
“In The Heart Of A Woman”
Billy Ray Cyrus
1993
Peak: #3
It’s always been easy to make fun of Billy Ray Cyrus. Even after he finally snipped the infamous mullet, his next big career move was to play a country doctor on the Pax network. He’ll be remembered, and not too fondly, for “Achy Breaky Heart”, but this lead-off single from his sophomore set was catchy, clever and sincere, mullet and all.
#347
“Lucky 4 U (Tonight I’m Just Me)”
SHeDaisy
2000
Peak: #11
As odd as it is witty, this SHeDaisy single is”Friends In Low Places” from a woman’s point of view – a woman who just happens to have multiple personalities. The setup is ludicrous – a man actually asks his ex at a party how all of those personalities have been doing since he “broke our hearts” – but the payoff is quite amusing (“#5 just cries a river a minute, 7 wants to tie you up and drown you in it…”)
#346
“What About The Love We Made”
Shelby Lynne
1991
Peak: #45
The most heartbreaking divorce single to hit country radio since Tammy Wynette’s classic “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” more than twenty years before it. The wife and husband are splitting up the household items, but don’t know what to do about their daughter, who is upstairs crying in her room. (“We’ve told her at least a thousand times we love her, and no matter what happens that won’t change/But who can blame her if she won’t believe us? Aren’t we the same ones who told her she’d never see this day?”) Lynne’s incomparable voice communicates all the conflicting emotions of guilt, anger and resignation.
#345
“Why Walk When You Can Fly”
Mary Chapin Carpenter
1995
Peak: #45
A stirring call to live a life of greater ambition and spirituality. The fiddle-laden track is among the most “country” things Chapin ever recorded.
#344
“It Matters To Me”
Faith Hill
1996
Peak: #1
A woman topping the charts for three weeks with a ballad? It was almost unheard of in the early boom years, where redneck anthems by cowboys were all the rage. This powerful appeal for greater communication found a way, and gave Hill her first signature song; in fact, the melody is suspiciously similar to “Breathe”, her mega-hit a few years later.
#343
“Next To You, Next To Me”
Shenandoah
1990
Peak: #1
Shenandoah were about as average a country band as ever came along. This cute little love song is priceless for it’s line about “barbecue chicken and a TV Guide.”
#342
“Nothin’ But The Taillights”
Clint Black
1997
Peak: #1
I laughed out loud when I heard this the first time. Mr. Black gets into a fight with his lady, and she ditches him on the side of the road. As he starts the walk home, he plots his revenge. Great stuff.
#341
“Now That’s All Right With Me”
Mandy Barnett
1996
Peak: #43
Barnett was supposed to be the second coming of Patsy Cline; she even played the legend in a musical based on her life. Just when this was going to radio, the yodels of 13 year-old LeAnn Rimes singing “Blue” stole all of her thunder. A shame, really; Barnett had the chops, and she wrapped her silky voice around this song and made it her own.
#340
“She’s In Love With The Boy”
Trisha Yearwood
1991
Peak: #1
Perhaps it’s heresy for this to be the lowest-ranking Yearwood single on this list, but let’s be honest: it’s a charming love story, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in her catalog. Everybody loves the small-town romance of Katie and Tommy, and this is a modern country standard; for anybody else, it would be a career highlight. For Trisha Yearwood, it’s just a damn good start.
#339
“Raining On Sunday”
Keith Urban
Peak: #3
Like Rodney Crowell before him, many country hit-makers have realized that they can raid Radney Foster albums and find them some hits. Urban makes this Foster track his own, conveying all the frustration of a long work week that can make you long for a rainy Sunday in bed with your woman.
#338
“Only The Wind”
Billy Dean
1992
Peak: #4
Speaking of storms, Dean compares the rattling wind that scared him as a child to the stormy weather he’s facing in his current relationship. Dean’s early work was fantastic, and this is another great example of his ability to write distinctively.
#337
“Georgia Rain”
Trisha Yearwood
2005
Peak: #14
14 years after “She’s In Love With The Boy”, Yearwood sent another song about teenagers in love to radio; but this time, they weren’t hanging out in front of the Tasty Freeze. Rather, they were getting their groove on in the front seat of a pickup truck as the storm raged around them. Who else could make a sordid sex romp sound so classy?
#336
“Don’t Take The Girl”
Tim McGraw
1994
Peak: #1
Before Tim McGraw learned subtlety, there was the irresistably maudlin “Don’t Take The Girl”, which launched him to superstardom. A song that starts with a fishing trip will find a woman near death during childbirth, with a robbery thrown in the way for good measure. McGraw milks it for all its worth; even the most cynical will probably tear up a bit on the first listen.
#335
“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”
Rosanne Cash
1989
Peak: #1
Cash turns a Beatles pop hit into a country shuffle, putting more down-home sounds into this rock cover than she ever did in her own original material. This was the last of her eleven (!) #1 hits at country radio; if this list covered the rest of the 80′s, she’d be all over it.
#334
“My Strongest Weakness”
Wynonna
1993
Peak: #4
Wynonna’s voice is an instrument of wonder; her stark vulnerability on this record is chilling. Anything that starts with “The keeper of the gates of wisdom, please let me in…” is not going to be uplifting.
#333
“Soon”
Tanya Tucker
1993
Peak: #2
Nobody could ever be better at making the other woman sympathetic than Tanya Tucker. Your heart will break for the homewrecker here.
#332
“There Is No Arizona”
Jamie O’Neal
2000
Peak: #1
The debut single of Jamie O’Neal was so different and fresh that it sounded like nothing else on the radio; there were whispers of the second coming of Bobbie Gentry when this hit was released. It’s still haunting and mysterious today.
#331
“I Wish”
Jo Dee Messina
2004
Peak: #15
Yes, it’s a blatant rewrite of “I Will Always Love You”, but that just makes its success that much more impressive. Messina is usually strongest at kiss-off rockers, but she sounds wonderfully sincere and honest here.
#330
“Boom! It Was Over”
Robert Ellis Orrall
1993
Peak: #19
The title could refer to his career, as this was his only visit to the top twenty. But I just loved this when it came out – I was only in eighth grade then – and it brings back good memories of discovering country music.
#329
“99.9% Sure (I’ve Never Been Here Before)”
Brian McComas
2003
Peak: #10
I strongly believe that any song is improved by a few “na na na’s”. Seriously. This song wouldn’t be on the list if McComas didn’t add that “99 point, 99 point, na na na na na….” breakdown in the bridge. It hooks me every time. Na na na.
#328
“My Heart Has A History”
Paul Brandt
1996
Peak: #5
Brand’t deep-throated voice was a welcome respite from all the pansies running around in cowboy hats in the mid-90′s. He’s still a huge star in Canada, but his debut album was the only thing that got attention state-side. This debut single was impossible to deny.
#327
“Love’s The Only House”
Martina McBride
2000
Peak: #3
A smorgasbord of social commentary, done in a rambling style that is intriguing, if a little bewildering at first listen. I laughed when I heard it in college, but that was in the Clinton boom years; with poverty back in the forefront, it just feels more meaningful and truthful now.
#326
“Mendocino County Line”
Willie Nelson & Lee Ann Womack
2002
Peak: #22
Two great vocalists meet up for a ballad that could only be done by Texans. Surprisingly pop in production, this duet is wistfully romantic and more than a little bittersweet.
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