400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #75-#51

#75
When You Say Nothing at All
Alison Krauss & Union Station
1995 | Peak: #3

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This Keith Whitley classic was recorded as part of a tribute album to the late country star. It became a hit all over again, perhaps because Krauss performed it in a near-whisper. The quiet arrangement matches the sentiment beautifully. – Kevin Coyne

#74
Alibis
Tracy Lawrence
1993 | Peak: #1

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Lawrence dishes on his ex’s cheating ways to her new potential lover. How did she get that way? He reveals that he’s the one who taught her everything she knows from the cheater’s playbook. Moreover, he seems regretful of her corruption. – Leeann Ward

#73
Cowboy Take Me Away
Dixie Chicks
1999 | Peak: #1

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In a modern world where life can so easily feel cold and mechanical, love remains earthy and exciting and mysterious. It’s a window into a different world, one where we’re not defined by the predictables of our routine – the same stresses, the same cars and buildings – but by our core nature as people, our place in the greater fabric of Earth and, perhaps, heaven. On the surface, “Cowboy Take Me Away” sounds like just a sugar-sweet love song – I’ve even heard it called “pre-feminist”  – but there’s something else going on here: a plea for life to have meaning again. – Dan Milliken

#72
A Thousand Miles From Nowhere
Dwight Yoakam
1993 | Peak: #2

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With it’s hypnotizing melody, one can’t help but feel for Yoakam as he reels from “the cruel, cruel words” that were said to him, which cause him to feel as though he’s far removed from reality at “a thousand miles from nowhere.” – LW

#71
I’m Holding My Own
Lee Roy Parnell
1994 | Peak: #3

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When an ex-girlfriend asks Parnell how he’s been getting by since their break-up, he responds with a fabulous, subtle mix of thoughtfulness and indignation. It takes a skilled artist to pull of the haughty emphasis on “holdin’” without compromising the maturity of the song. – Tara Seetharam

#70
You Don’t Seem to Miss Me
Patty Loveless with George Jones
1997 | Peak: #14

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This is one of those great records that could only work as a country song. The fiddle is her undying love, and the steel guitar is her painful worry that it’s no longer reciprocated. Just the instrumental track could tell most of the story. Throw in two of the finest vocalists in country music history, and you’ve got yourself a classic. – KC

#69
A Bad Goodbye
Clint Black with Wynonna
1993 | Peak: #2

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Should he stay or should he go? He knows that he should go, but guilt and, maybe, even some sort of co-dependency won’t let him make a clean break. He wants to avoid a bad goodbye, but unfortunately for him, such a thing rarely exists. – LW

#68
Past the Point of Rescue
Hal Ketchum
1992 | Peak: #2

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This level of self-awareness is dangerous when your heart is on the verge of being broken. – KC

#67
Shut Up and Drive
Chely Wright
1997 | Peak: #14

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A remarkably rational inner monologue by a woman finally driving away from her always-failing relationship. She knows she’s still susceptible to her own loneliness, but reminds herself, “you’ll only miss the man that you wanted him to be.” – DM

#66
Thanks to You
Emmylou Harris
1994 | Peak: #65

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Songs of salvation are a lot more interesting when the protagonist has a long way to go before they get there. – KC

#65
Things Change
Dwight Yoakam
1998 | Peak: #17

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Yoakam’s always getting left, so most of this record is just a very good version of what he normally gives us. But in that final verse, where he gets to turn the knife himself, he settles the score for one brief moment. – KC

#64
If You Ever Have Forever in Mind
Vince Gill
1998 | Peak: #5

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A slow-burning, jazzy, luscious record that Gill knocks out of the park. – TS

#63
Almost Goodbye
Mark Chesnutt
1993 | Peak: #1

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“Sometimes the most important words are the ones left unspoken”, Chesnutt observes. In this case, it’s a premature “goodbye.” It is a power ballad wrought with melodrama of epic proportions, but it’s just so good anyway. – LW

#62
Wide Open Spaces
Dixie Chicks
1998 | Peak: #1

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A beloved, inescapable coming-of-age smash. – DM

#61
Aces
Suzy Bogguss
1992 | Peak: #9

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A woman who’d rather be right than wrong finally realizes that way of thinking is about to leave her alone and lonely. – KC

#60
Never Again, Again
Lee Ann Womack
1997 | Peak: #23

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Right out of the gate, Womack aces her traditional country exam: clever, frank, self-deprecating, sad, gorgeously sung. – DM

#59
In My Next Life
Merle Haggard
1994 | Peak: #58

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He’s spent his whole life trying to be her hero, and he’s set the bar so high in his mind, he doesn’t even realize that he cleared it by a long shot. – KC

#58
You’d Think He’d Know Me Better
Bobbie Cryner
1996 | Peak: #56

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It’s very difficult to be a thoroughly unlikable narrator and still garner sympathy, but Cryner pulls it off here. – KC

#57
That’s Why I’m Here
Kenny Chesney
1998 | Peak: #2

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Chesney paints a sympathetic portrait of a man who has owned the consequences of his alcoholism. – LW

#56
Love Travels
Kathy Mattea
1997 | Peak: #39

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Five and half minutes of Celtic-flavored bliss, and not a wasted second among them. – KC

#55
All These Years
Sawyer Brown
1992 | Peak: #3

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A husband catches his wife in bed with another man, and they finally share the candid, open conversation that could potentially save their marriage. – DM

#54
I’m Alright
Jo Dee Messina
1998 | Peak: #1

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With a lunch date between two old friends as its backdrop, “I’m Alright” dances around the details of a struggling artist’s life. It’s brilliant in its blend of realism and optimism, but above all, it’s insanely infectious. – TS

#53
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)
Radney Foster
1999 | Peak: #74

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A lullaby of timeless beauty from a father unable to stay near his child. Deep love and deep sadness sound from every note. – DM

#52
Here I Am
Patty Loveless
1994 | Peak: #4

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The truth is revealed so slowly here that even after a thousand listens, it still comes as a surprise. Credit a brilliant lyric from Tony Arata and a masterclass vocal from Loveless for that. – KC

#51
Worlds Apart
Vince Gill
1996 | Peak: #5

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Gill quietly displays a sweet social conscience: “There’s nothing quite as ugly as two people full of hate/We’ll end up as equals when we stand at heaven’s gate/Love is still the answer/It’s the only place to start/Why do you and me have to be worlds apart?” Tragically, Gill’s question never stops being relevant. – LW

This woman was good. Real good.  Possibly the best unheralded singer-songwriter of her time, with a sultry voice formed at the crossroads of Bobbie Gentry and Dottie West.  She first surfaced on Sony, releasing her self-titled debut in 1993. It was previewed by the autobiographical “Daddy Laid the Blues on Me.”

It could’ve been the start of a legendary career, but the single stalled at #63.  Next up was the haunting “He Feels Guilty”, which went to #68. It has an amazing guitar intro. That video can be viewed here.  Her debut album produced a third single, the #72 “You Could Steal Me.”  This one’s heartbreakingly gorgeous, but I can’t find an online way of sharing it with you.

The rest of that first album includes a duet with Dwight Yoakam on “I Don’t Care”, the Buck Owens classic. Another stellar cover is “The One I Love the Most”, which could’ve been a George Jones classic back in the early seventies.

But the best material comes from her own pen. Check out “I Think It’s Over Now”, which features the lyric, “You don’t have to say you love me if you think there’s any doubt. But if you have to think it over, well, I think it’s over now.”

Also worth seeking out is the closing track from that album, “This Heart Speaks For Itself,” which has every part of her body fooling others that she’s over the man who let her down.

In one of those glorious second chances that the music business rarely doles out, Cryner resurfaced on MCA three years later, sporting a more cosmopolitan sound and look. On Girl of Your Dreams, Cryner penned all five of the strongest tracks, while also credibly covering Dusty Springfield and Dottie West.  The lead single was “I Just Can’t Stand to Be Unhappy”, a kiss-off anthem that was too smart for country radio, stopping at #63:

What followed was an absolute masterpiece, one that still only reached #56 (and only #66 when Lorrie Morgan revived it two years later.)  “You’d Think He’d Know Me Better” is shockingly good, managing to tell the story of a selfish and cold woman by having her talk about how inconsiderate her man is. She’s the only one left in the dark at the end, as the listeners all realize who’s really to blame for this broken home:

Her final MCA single was “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength”, which chronicled Cryner’s battle with alcoholism. It didn’t chart.

Again, the album had gems beyond what went to radio.  “Vision of Loneliness” is amazing, a song that gained new resonance with me when my mother related to it so well during her bereavement:

The title track should’ve been a single, though it’s hard to imagine radio playing it after passing on her earlier work.  I’d argue that “The Girl of Your Dreams” isn’t just Cryner’s finest piece of writing, but that it rivals the very best of Matraca Berg, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Rosanne Cash. It begs for Trisha Yearwood to cover it:

So what happened after that second album faded into obscurity?  How could a songwriting talent like this get lost in the shuffle? Well, it didn’t happen right away.  After Morgan covered “You’d Think He’d Know Me Better”, Cryner surfaced as a writer on albums by top-tier female artists.

The most high profile of these three came after Cryner left a demo in Yearwood’s mailbox that simply had the title, “Real Live Woman.”  Yearwood later commented that she prayed before listening to it that it would live up to that title. It did, and ended up being Cryner’s biggest hit when Yearwood took it into the top twenty:

Suzy Bogguss took the compelling story song “Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt” to #63 in 1998, titling her album after it as Yearwood did with “Real Live Woman” in 2000.

Finally, Lee Ann Womack included “Stronger Than I Am” on her smash album I Hope You Dance.  It finds a woman in awe of her young daughter who seems so much stronger than she is.

After that, I have no idea what happened to this woman. Do you?  In an era when country music isn’t made for adults, or even by adults, this woman’s contributions are desperately needed.

#160
“Last Call”
Lee Ann Womack
2008
Peak: #14

Womack’s second-best Aughts song about late-night temptations is still better than a lot of people’s first-best songs about anything. Even in avoiding her drunken ex’s advances, she sounds positively heartbroken, suggesting she’d gladly make the other decision if she didn’t know better. – Dan Milliken

#159
“She’s Not Just a Pretty Face”
Shania Twain
2003
Peak: #9

Her motivation for her music has always been escapism, but I love the personal touch she slips into this one. Her late mother is the one who she’s referring to when she sings “at night, she pumps gasoline.” – Kevin Coyne

#158
“Wild West Show”
Big & Rich
2003
Peak: #21

Big & Rich’s loud “Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)” overshadowed this quieter song that showcases Big Kenny’s and John Rich’s supreme harmonies, their biggest asset. – Leeann Ward

#157
“Muddy Water”
Trace Adkins
2008
Peak: #22

A gospel-infused, fervent plea for forgiveness, fueled by the power of Adkins’ rumbling vocals. – Tara Seetharam

#156
“Real Live Woman”
Trisha Yearwood
2000
Peak: #16

We didn’t get any new music from Bobbie Cryner this decade, but at least we got a couple of songs, this one being the best. It’s an understated anthem to be sure, but who wouldn’t want to hold in his arms a woman with such hard-earned self-confidence? – KC

#155
“Settle for a Slowdown”
Dierks Bentley
2006
Peak: #1

The haunting opening strains of this song are captivating enough, but the ultimate strength of “Settle for a Slowdown” lies in the palpable desperation of the man who knows his relationship is over, but doesn’t want it to end: “I know there’s nothin’ stopping you now, but I’d settle for a slowdown.” – LW

#154
“How’s the World Treating You?”
Alison Krauss & James Taylor
2003
Peak: Did not chart

Some songs simply get more interesting when you turn them into male/female duets, where the same sentiment is expressed on both sides of a romantic divide. This is one of those songs. – DM

#153
“Trying to Stop Your Leaving”
Dierks Bentley
2008
Peak: #5

Poor Dierks Bentley isn’t having much luck with the ladies. Much like in “Settle for a Slowdown”, the narrator of “Trying to Stop Her Leavin’“ knows his relationship is over, but is still holding onto a shred of hope. It seems that the odds are against him and she’s leaving no matter how hard he tries to stop her. The song, with its pulsating undercurrent, successfully creates the atmosphere of urgency. – LW

#152
“Family Tree”
Darryl Worley
2002
Peak: #26

“Family Tree” seems to depict a chaotic household that’s still happy to add yet another limb to their family tree. Worley’s manic performance suggests joy and, perhaps, a hint of resignation as well. – LW

#151
“Brokenheartsville”
Joe Nichols
2003
Peak: #1

“Here’s to the past; they can kiss my glass.” If that’s not a classic drinkin’ song, I will kiss your glass. – DM

#150
“Johnny & June”
Heidi Newfield
2008
Peak: #11

Many a country song tries to get by on the sheer strength of the names it drops, but Newfield bypasses exploitation with “Johnny and June.” Instead, she creates a metaphor of a song that is so vigorous and so impassioned that you can’t help but feel at least a smidgen of the Cashs’ fiery love. – TS

#149
“Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)”
Sugarland
2006
Peak: #17

In which a bored housewife and her two best friends head down to the Delta for some gambling, or possibly some sleeping around expressed in gambling metaphors. Not totally sure which, but apparently all you can see during it is asses and elbows. – DM

#148
“I Play Chicken with the Train”
Cowboy Troy with Big & Rich
2005
Peak: #48

Scoff if you must. But this decade has been marked by countless attempts to sneak outside musical styles into the mainstream country tent, and it’s a trend worth documenting at its best and worst. Troy’s “hick-hop” probably gave us some of both, but it’s certainly easy to admire this deliriously catchy, danceable debut single, even if only for camp value. – DM

#147
“My Give a Damn’s Busted”
Jo Dee Messina
2005
Peak: #1

In this playfully sassy number, Messina just don’t give a damn. – TS

#146
“Me And God”
Josh Turner with Ralph Stanley
2006
Peak: #16

Not only is “Me And God” more traditional than what radio tends to play; Josh Turner stood firm against pressure to remove Ralph Stanley from the radio version. The song is a simple and joyful depiction of an intimate relationship with God. Instead of the fire and brimstone image in “Long Black Train”, “Me and God” defines Him as a beloved companion and friend. – LW

#145
“It Must Be Love”
Alan Jackson
2000
Peak: #1

It’s a shame that it’s hard to imagine a song like this climbing today’s charts. Jackson’s cover of Don William’s 1979 hit is a simplistic, delightfully charming take on the joy of being in love. – TS

#144
“If Something Should Happen”
Darryl Worley
2005
Peak: #9

A man makes preparations for his best friend to look after his family, should something go wrong. Good dad. – KC

#143
“Lovin’ All Night”
Patty Loveless
2003
Peak: #18

It’s not easy to greatly outshine a Rodney Crowell original, but Emmylou Harris does it with Crowell’s “Leavin’ Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” and Patty Loveless does it with “Lovin’ All Night.” Loveless adds an addictive energy to this flirtatious song, which resulted in a radio comeback of sorts for her. – LW

#142
“Looking for a Job”
Todd Snider
2006
Peak: Did not chart

Snider plays an ex-con fed up with his new boss’ crap, producing one of country’s sharpest work anthems in years. – DM

#141
“Who You’d Be Today”
Kenny Chesney
2005
Peak: #2

A painfully sad song about a loved one who died too young. I still can’t watch the video without getting chills and tearing up. – KC

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- – -

• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 1: #201-#181
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 2: #180-#161
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 3: #160-#141
  
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 4: #140-#121
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 5: #121-#101
  
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 6: #100-#81
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 7: #80-#61
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 8: #60-#41
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Part 9: #40-#21
• The 201 Greatest Singles of the Decade, Conclusion: #20-#1

The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 2

#90
Miranda Lambert, Kerosene

On her first major-label album, Lambert reveals herself as a fiery, spirited artist with a lot to say, and a clever voice with which to speak. Her sharp songwriting skills, though a work in progress as we’d later learn, take her naturally from aggression to desolation and back again. But most notably, through Kerosene, Lambert got the traditionalists to pay a little more attention to mainstream country music and its more promising artists. – Tara Seetharam

Recommended Tracks: “Kerosene”, “I Can’t Be Bothered”

#89
Kris Kristofferson, This Old Road
This Old Road has not have received as much mainstream attention as Kristofferson’s recent appearance in Ethan Hawke’s Rolling Stone article; an unfortunate fact, given it was the legendary writer’s first album of new material in 11 years. With This Old Road, Kristofferson shines a spotlight on the world much in the same his earlier writing shined a spotlight on himself. The result is an overtly political album with more depth than most modern attempts have been able to produce. – William Ward

Recommended Tracks: “The Last Thing to Go”, “Pilgrim’s Progress”

#88
Guy Clark, Workbench Songs

The recordings  of the songs that Guy Clark, one of country music’s most respected modern songwriters, has written for the most popular artists in country music are typically polished by the best Nashville musicians and slick producers. But Clark’s own albums tend to be more organic, with spare instrumentation that somehow manages to avoid sounding anemic as a result. His well worn voice sings these eleven melodically and lyrically strong songs with warmth and the kind of emotion that easily captures the listener. It’s one of the best albums of his deep catalog that spans over thirty years. – Leeann Ward

Recommended Tracks: “Walkin’ Man”, “Expose”

#87
Wynonna, What the World Needs Now is Love

It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since Wynonna’s last proper studio album. This collection is easily one of her best, with effective covers like “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Flies On the Butter”, along with socially conscious material that provokes thought instead of pandering to already held beliefs (“It All Comes Down to Love”). – Kevin Coyne

Recommended Tracks: “Sometimes I Feel Like Elvis”, “Rescue Me”

#86
Lee Ann Womack, I Hope You Dance

The massively successful title track powered this album to triple platinum, but it also overshadowed the excellent songs surrounding it. For those who explored the album beyond track two, there were some of Womack’s finest moments on record, as she had the good taste to plunder the catalogs of Bruce Robison (“Lonely Too”), Bobbie Cryner (“Stronger Than I Am”), Julie Miller (“I Know Why the River Runs”), and Rodney Crowell (“Ashes By Now”). – KC

Recommended Tracks: “Lonely Too”, “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger”

#85
Chris Thile, How to Grow a Woman From the Ground

This is the first album from the band that would eventually become Punch Brothers. Garnering a Grammy Award Nomination in 2006, How to Grow a Woman From the Ground is a solid bluegrass album with classical sensibilities and extraordinary instrumentation. – WW

Recommended Tracks: “Wayside (Back in Time)”, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground”

#84
Ralph Stanley II, This One Is Two

Hyperbole alert, but it’s hard to think of a more beautiful-sounding traditional country album from this decade, or one which more comfortably merges old school aesthetics with modern production polish. Stanley corralled a number of meaty story songs here, but it’s the combination of his warm baritone and the lush instrumentation that gives this gem its quiet strength. – Dan Milliken

Recommended Tracks: “Cold Shoulder”, “They Say I’ll Never Go Home”

#83
Various Artists, Livin’ Lovin’ Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers

Tribute albums too often feel redundant, as well-meaning artists deliver nice but forgettable imitations of classic records. Not so with the Louvins’, which sticks veteran and current artists alike on the Bros’ close harmonies and sees each intriguing combination (Pam Tillis and Johnny Cash? Why not!) triumph. I daresay it’s as good an introduction to the duo’s work as any compilation of their own recordings. – DM

Recommended Tracks: “How’s the World Treating You?”, “Are You Teasing Me”

#82
Todd Snider, The Excitement Plan

Snider mostly avoids both political themes and complex arrangements on his latest record, emphasizing his greatest strength as a writer instead: his uncanny ability to make the most specifically personal have universal resonance. Listen out for a wonderful cameo from Loretta Lynn on “Don’t Tempt Me.” – KC

Recommended Tracks: “Barefoot Champagne”, “Money, Compliments, Publicity (Song Number 10)”

#81
Mark O’Connor, Thirty-Year Retrospective (Live)

Mark O’Connor’s Thirty Year Retrospective is a double instrumental album of his live performance with Chris Thile, Bryan Sutton and Byron House.  The album covers a wide range of Mark O’Connor’s career, presenting a range of instrumental country, bluegrass, new grass and jazz with the detail and care often only applied to classical music. – WW

Recommended Tracks: “Caprice No. 4 in D Major”, “Macedonia”

- – -

• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 1: #100-#91
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 3: #80-#71
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 4: #70-#61
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 5: #60-51
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 6: #50-#41
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 7: #40-#31
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 8: #30-#21
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 9: #20-#11
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Conclusion: #10-#1

The following is a guest contribution from

Throughout my life I have attempted to share my taste in music with those around me. More often than not friends and family will show a interest then kindly move onto the next subject. Only one person in my life has shown me that genuine interest in everything I have ever done. I will never know if we really had that much in common, or if she was just that good at making me happy. That’s a secret I never want to know. Though we shared many interests in music, food, television and in life, there was one topic we both we both enjoyed: the music of Trisha Yearwood.

Throughout the years, I had chances to meet Trisha backstage and at a book signing. Each time she kindly agreed to personalize a photo for my grandmother. During a 2006 meet and greet, I told Trisha what a fan my grandmother was of “XXX’s and OOO’s.” Just less than 2 years later, Trisha personalized a cookbook “To Thelma, XXXs and OOOs Love, Trisha Yearwood.” I didn’t think she’d remember that. The woman’s personality is as impressive as her voice.

This past August, my healthy grandmother began to go downhill after complications from minor surgery. I mentioned on Yearwood’s fan site that my absence may be related to that. Sadly my grandmother passed away shortly after that message. It was a sudden and shocking loss that affected me in ways I will never be able to explain. I felt as if I was robbed of any future memories to be made with her, similar to the ones of the past I cherished so much.

A few weeks after her passing, I received a card in the mail. It was a “get well” card from Trisha Yearwood. She had signed “Thelma, Get Well Soon. Best Wishes, Trisha Yearwood” Just when I thought the doors had closed on us, Trisha gave me one last memory to share with my grandma. Country Universe has given me the chance to write my 25 favorite Trisha Yearwood songs, and I would like to dedicate it to all the years we both shared together enjoying the wonderful entertainer and amazing person’s music.

#25
“Georgia Rain”
Jasper County, 2005

In 2005, after a 4 year hiatus, Yearwood returned with her version of “Strawberry Wine”….in a truck. She sets the scene perfectly for us. Dark storm clouds looming over the Georgia sky. An old truck parked down on a red dirt road. With lightning illuminating the rusted hood, rain drops begin to penetrate the dried clay. Inside two young lovers embrace in their loss of innocence.

#24
“Dreaming Fields”
Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, 2007

I am a city boy; I was raised right outside of Pittsburgh, PA. I can’t exactly understand farming life because I never experienced it. Yearwood narrates this Matraca Berg ballad in a way that places me right on those farmlands, watching modern America taking over the land that families had survived on for generations. Any of us can relate to a song like this, watching the places where we have grown up begin to vanish.

#23
“Down on My Knees”
Hearts in Armor, 1992

Linda Ronstadt once sang, “Love Has No Pride.” Yearwood proves her idol right as she contemplates the possibility of her beau ever leaving her. She declares to him, “No one matters more in my life. Oh, makes me feel like you make me feel inside. And I’ve come far enough to know love’s worth never letting go of, and love is not a matter of pride.”

#22
“Love Wouldn’t Lie to Me”
Where Your Road Leads, 1998

How many times have you heard “I don’t like country music but I like Trisha Yearwood”? This is the perfect example where she can record a song that a pop listener will find enjoyable without invoking the ire of the captious country listener.

#21
“Believe Me Baby (I Lied)”
Everybody Knows, 1996

In this song the woman is the jerk. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. It is possible! Coming off the success of the more adult contemporary style of “Thinkin About You”, Yearwood chose to use a similar style on this track and it fit perfectly with this tune that was co-written by Kim Richey.

20
“Victim of the Game”
Trisha Yearwood, 1991

I love songs with a twist, and this is the perfect example of such a song. We listen in on what we believe to be Yearwood giving advice to a close friend, but in the closing of the song we learn it is Yearwood scolding herself. “When I look into your eyes/I can really feel the pain/ Starin’ in the mirror at a victim of the game.”

#19
“Walkaway Joe”
Hearts in Armor, 1982

In a day and age where Taylor Swift is singing about the heartbreaks and tragedies of life as a teenager with an adult’s self-awareness, Trisha Yearwood’s classic can help take us back to a time when a seventeen year-old girl’s innocence ran deep.

#18
“Everybody Knows”
Everybody Knows, 1996

Trisha is sick and tired. She’s had a break up, and she’s trying to get through it. Friends, family and even her preacher all have the perfect advice. But she doesn’t need a shrink, not even a drink. Her problem can be solved with some chocolate and a Cosmo, yet everybody still seems to have their own solution that they insist on sharing.

#17
“There Goes My Baby”
Where Your Road Leads, 1998

This is the perfect example of a strong vocal off of a weak album. Trisha Yearwood and Tony Brown don’t quite go together as well as, say, Reba McEntire and Tony Brown. This song is one that shines through the clutter found on her 1998 collection. Many people seem to think they have heard this song before, but Yearwood was the first and only to belt out the notes of this #2 hit.

#16
“She’s in Love With the Boy”
Trisha Yearwood, 1991

In this day and age may it be hard to relate to exchanging rings outside the Tastee-Freez, but anyone who was ever a teenager can clue in on the final verse where Mama stands up to the dad in her child’s defense.

#15
“Real Live Woman”
Real Live Woman, 2000

Trisha arrived home one night in Nashville to find a demo tape in her mailbox. She listened to the song and immediately called the writer, Bobbie Cryner. She didn’t know when or how she would use this song, but she had to have it. The final result is what many call the anthem for woman of all shapes and sizes.

I personally love the woman that the song describes. I can guarantee you any man with the slightest fantasy of a home and a family dreams of building their future with the “Real Live Woman” that Yearwood brings to life.

#14
“This is Me You’re Talking To”
Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, 2007

Yearwood has a keen ear for finding the perfect song that listeners can relate to. I just love the climax of the song: “Me, the only who really knows you. Me, the one who’s heart you’ve broken. Me, the one who was still hoping you might be missing me.” The final strand of hope that there may be something left in the ruins of their failed relationship.

#13
“Maybe it’s Love’”
Everybody Knows, 1996

The ladies of country’s best guest vocalist, Vince Gill, makes an appearance on this track. The two artists come together as they examine this possible second chance at love. In the final chorus Gill echoes Yearwood’s sentiment in what appears to be a challenge of vocal power from two of the genre’s finest vocalists.

#12
“Lying to the Moon”
The Song Remembers When, 1993

Matraca Berg is a writer who has some of Nashville’s finest songs under her belt. This song was the title track of her debut album and one of her personal favorites. But when Yearwood put this song on her “Song Remembers When” album, Berg vowed she would never sing it live again, because she felt that she could not give justice to the song after Yearwood performed it. A victim of love lost, she is unwilling to accept the facts. She lies to the starry sky, the wind, the night, and even the moon. In her despair, she never realizes she is lying to herself.

#11
“On a Bus to St. Cloud”
Thinkin’ About You, 1995

Many singers, especially female vocalists attempt to leave their audience in awe with hitting that one note that roof raising blast. They show off their sheer power and volume to knock the listener off their feet. Yearwood manages to do the same with a soft and haunting tone in this string-drenched ballad of a lover lost all too soon.

#10
“I Don’t Paint Myself into Corners”
Inside Out, 2001

Vocal supremacy. Go and listen to the last minute of this song, and then go find me a singer who could have come close to that. I will be waiting.

#9
“Where Are You Now”
Real Live Woman, 2000

When I first decided to write this, I had to go back and listen to this song over a half dozen times. How could I say something that hasn’t been said before? The song is a story of fury and disappointment with a past love that didn’t just leave her, he let her down. “You used to soothe me, you used to swear with heart-crossed conviction that you’d be there. Where are you now?”

#8
“Heart’s in Armor”
Hearts in Armor, 1992

A piano, viola and Don Henley’s vocal are Yearwood’s only companions through this stunning journey of missed opportunities. “One more day my heart’s in armor, though I meant to let you in. In an effort not to harm it, I have missed my chance again.” Writer Jude Johnstone described the song as “Everything you ever wanted to do and never quite managed. It’s about regret.”

#7
“Nothin’ ‘Bout Memphis”
Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, 2007

On the day Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love was released, I rushed to Wal-Mart at 6 a.m. Soon, I found myself stalled at track #4. It was very difficult to move on to further songs when I had this marvelous story song ringing out through my speakers. The magnificent horn section in the song helps place you right in Memphis. A woman and her new love travel the streets of Elvis’s town as flashbacks of a past relationship haunt her. We have all been in that situation before, where we hide the truth to protect the ones we care about. “I know that it would hurt him if he could see my past. He thinks he’s the only one to touch me like that.”

#6
“Sing You Back to Me”
Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, 2007

“As proud as you are of me right now, I am prouder to be your daughter.”-Trisha Yearwood’s 1997 CMA Female Vocalist acceptance speech.

Jack Yearwood passed away on September 20th, 2005 in Monticello, Georgia. As a tribute, the banker’s daughter did something rare. She recorded a song in which she was the subject, rather than the storyteller. In one take, she finished the song. Every human attribute to emotion can be felt in each and every word of the song; you can hear her tears flood over the melody, and her heart break in the chorus. “A miracle of page and pen, you’d hear it and be here again, and always and forever there would be, a song that I could sing you back to me.”

#5
“XXX’s & OOO’s (An American Girl)”
Thinkin’ About You, 1995

Fun and catchy. This song just has it going on. It was somewhat of a throwback to the audience that fell head over heels for “She’s In Love With the Boy” and maybe that’s who Fundis and Yearwood were aiming for. The end result was a #1 hit and a country recurrent that is still played today. Many may not rate this song as high as I did, but it has always just had a special meaning to me, not so much for the content but for whom it was shared with.

#4

“The Song Remembers When”
The Song Remembers When, 1993

A song for songs, this poetic ballad penned by Hugh Prestwood could have turned into a scream fest if it had fallen into the hands of, say, Martina McBride. Luckily for us Yearwood and Fundis came together in the studio for a perfect delivery of the perfect song. Kris Kristofferson has said Yearwood is the finest interpreter of song, and never before has it been clearer than in her delivery of this song. No matter how you convince yourself that you’ve forgotten and you’ve moved on with your life, one lyric can catapult you right back into that moment.

“It was like a lighted match had been tossed into my soul, it was like a dam had broken in my heart”. Though you may have burned your bridges to never go onto what might have been the song can always take you back for that one moment in time. “For even if the whole world has forgotten, the song remembers when.”

#3
“Try Me Again”
Real Live Woman, 200

Linda Ronstadt, Yearwood’s biggest influence, co-wrote this song with Andrew Gold and included it on her 1976 album Hasten Down the Wind. Yearwood’s faithful cover starts off with a touch of innocence in her voice. “Well, I drove past your house last night and I looked in your window. Lately I aint been feeling right, and I don’t know the cure, no.” It’s a feeling that a union ended too early, and you just can’t accept the reasons why, leaving you stunned and lost. The innocence in Yearwood’s voice shifts to desperation as she rips into the final chorus of the song, begging her former love to “Try Me Again.”

#2
“I Would’ve Loved You Anyway”
Inside Out, 2001

When you lose someone to death, it’s a permanent loss that you will never get back. The pain and the sorrow leave a bottomless gap in your soul that never quite heals, yet you would not trade one moment of time with that person for a second of peace. Even if you did know the way things would end, and the pain you would have went through, you would have done it exactly the same.

#1
“When a Love Song Sings the Blues”
Real Live Woman, 2000

She enters a dark room to visit an old friend and there in the darkness he waits. “I see you waiting in the shadows, wondering where I’ve been. Dusty old piano it’s you and me again, my old friend.” She brings to life this instrument in a sorrowful lament in the loss of love and the methods of healing.

The cheerful melodies of the past don’t seem to flow as well, now that he’s gone. Examples of “Faded Love” and “Born To Lose” are mentioned as if to emphasize her point. She feels her story, her experiences are so sad and so heartbreaking that the only way she can release these feelings is through the power of music, the only constant relationship she has had thus far.

If you are interested in writing a guest post for Country Universe, send an e-mail to kevin@countryuniverse.net