Song #11: Baby It’s Cold Outside

Leeann’s Pick: Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison

Husband and wife Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison turn in an unusually gritty version of this sultry Christmas classic. It’s not the smoothest version that’s out there, but it’s compelling and a little different, which should only be expected by the Robisons.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK4sKwr02SE

Sam’s Pick:  Marah (featuring Felicia Navidad)

I’ve always liked the combination of flirtation and desperation between Felicia Navidad and Marah’s Serge Bielanko. The light-heartedness between the two helps to gloss over the inherent creepiness in the song (did he really just spike her drink to keep her from leaving?).

http://www.myspace.com/marahusa/music/songs/baby-it-s-cold-outside-featuring-felicia-navidad-70604366

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

If the Great War had been the last war, we wouldn’t be celebrating what is now known as Veterans Day.  We also wouldn’t have an incredible legacy of songs about soldiers in the annals of country music.

Here are five classics that celebrate those who have served our country and the ones who love them, along with one tale that has a returned soldier that’s not being loved quite enough.

“Dear Uncle Sam”  by Loretta Lynn
from the 1966 album I Like ‘Em Country

Lynn was on the cusp of superstardom when she released this top five hit.   Penning a letter to Uncle Sam, she pleads for the safe return of her husband.  She sings, “I really love my country, but I also love my man.”  His return is not to be, as the song closes with a heart-wrenching recitation of the telegram informing her that he won’t be coming home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQz5Ligx65A

“Galveston” by Glen Campbell
from the 1969 album Galveston

Campbell’s finest performance is a homesick ode for the lady and hometown that he left behind.  The sweeping strings and stirring vocal evoke the waves of heartache that are crashing up against his heart, much like the waters of Galveston Bay crash along the shores he once walked with her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsHUgpSxMoI

“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town”  by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition
from the 1969 album Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town

Mel Tillis penned this massive hit for Rogers and his band, originally recorded by country artist Johnny Darrell, who took it into the top ten in 1967.   The narrator lays in bed, paralyzed from his stint in “that crazy Asian war.”  He is helpless as Ruby gives in to desire and heads into town looking for the love he can no longer provide, and he’s left there wishing she’d only wait until he died for her to step out on him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TprfUdSAHgM

“Soldier’s Last Letter” by Merle Haggard
from the 1971 album Hag

The spiritual predecessor of Tim McGraw’s “If You’re Reading This.”   Mama sits at home, reading a letter from her son overseas.  He’s writing from a trenchmouth, hoping his mother won’t scold him for his sloppy handwriting the way she did when he was a kid, tracking mud into the house because he didn’t wipe his feet.   He promises to finish the letter when he returns from his next battle, but the letter that arrives back home is incomplete.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD8bUX7wZi8

“Travelin’ Soldier” by Dixie Chicks
from the 2002 album Home

The modern benchmark for soldier songs.  Bruce Robison’s original versions are both worth seeking out, and can be found on his self-titled 1996 album and his 1999 set, Long Way Home from Anywhere.   But the acoustic instrumentation that surrounds Natalie Maines’ plaintive delivery makes the Dixie Chicks version the definitive one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3b1AQFsPcc

“Welcome Home” by Dolly Parton
from the 2003 album For God and Country

In a brilliant feat of songwriting, Parton weaves together four stories: a soldier returning home, a soldier dying overseas, Christ’s death and resurrection, and Parton’s own hope and longing for eternal salvation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAsU5P_NsrE

A Song That Makes You Want to Dance.

Here are the staff picks:

Leeann Ward: “Cotton Eye Joe” – Rednex

Just as I don’t sing, I also don’t do much dancing. A song that makes me want to dance, however, should also double as my guilty pleasure choice. Chalk it up to association with childhood memories.

Dan Milliken: “Twistin’” – Bruce Robison

Robison is best known for piercing ballads like “Travelin’ Soldier” and “Angry All the Time,” but he can rock a lighthearted uptempo with the best of them, too. “Twistin’” will have you shaking around till you’ve ‘bout ripped your pants and broken your bones, just like the groovy tune’s narrator.

Tara Seetharam: “LoveStoned/I Think She Knows” – Justin Timberlake

My favorite off his kickass Future Sex/Love Sounds album. He literally commands you to dance in the middle of the song – and how can you not?

Kevin Coyne: “Runaround Sue” – Dion

I don’t dance. Sorry. But this is the song that makes my mom get up and dance, so that will have to do.

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #25-#1

#25
Smoke Rings in the Dark
Gary Allan
1999 | Peak: #12

Listen

A dark, atmospheric wonder, as Allan delivers the final eulogy for a love that couldn’t help burning out. – Dan Milliken

#24
Just to See You Smile
Tim McGraw
1997 | Peak: #1

Listen

Being deeply enamored of someone can make it easy – even appealing – to forfeit your own well-being. This single’s sunny tone reflects the persistent affection running through its protagonist, but its story demonstrates the heartbreak to which such unmeasured selflessness leads. – DM

#23
Small Town Saturday Night
Hal Ketchum
1991 | Peak: #2

Listen

Country music is rife with songs that elaborate on small town life, but none are as catchy or even as clever as Ketchum’s take on it: “Bobby told Lucy, ‘The world ain’t round/Drops off sharp at the edge of town/Lucy, you know the world must be flat/’Cause when people leave town, they never come back.’” Sounds like the fate of the small town that I grew up in. – Leeann Ward

#22
Choices
George Jones
1999 | Peak: #30

Listen

The hard-living George Jones did not write this reflective song about the consequences of various life choices, but you’d never know it, because it sounds as if he feels every word and emotion of it. With regret he he acknowledges, “I guess I’m payin’/For the things that I have done/If I could go back/Oh, Lord knows I’d run/But I’m still losin’/This game of life I play/Living and dying/With the choices I’ve made.” – LW

#21
For My Broken Heart
Reba McEntire
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

In a state of shock, very little about everyday life seems significant. The body and mind become transfixed on the impossible new information they’re supposed to process, and suddenly everything else feels shallow, unnecessary, intrusive. In classic country tradition, McEntire’s shock here is from a love walking away, but the sensation the song beautifully captures can haunt any manner of broken heart. – DM

#20
Fast as You
Dwight Yoakam
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

Hearing the opening hard driving riff of this Yoakam classic is all that any country music listener needs to hear to know just what song it is. There’s probably not a more recognizable introduction of the nineties. While the song is sonically bold, the character within isn’t so confident. He’s being emotionally run over by his lover, but hopes that the roles will reverse someday: “Maybe I’ll be fast as you/Maybe I’ll break hearts too/But I think you’ll slow down/When your turn to hurt comes around/Maybe I’ll break hearts and be as fast as you.” – LW

#19
Neon Moon
Brooks & Dunn
1992 | Peak: #1

Listen

Night after night, a heartbroken man drinks his sorrows away at a rundown bar. An average scenario for country music, no doubt, but Dunn spins it into a classic with his spot-on performance, dripping with wistfulness. – Tara Seetharam

#18
You’re Gone
Diamond Rio
1998 | Peak: #4

Listen

The lyric’s clarity and gratitude in the face of a great loss suggest that he’s reached the acceptance stage of grief.  The mournful vocal suggests that the grief will never go away. – Kevin Coyne

#17
Callin’ Baton Rouge
Garth Brooks
1994 | Peak: #2

Listen

This is country music on a stadium scale.  Never before or since has Garth Brooks so perfectly captured the fiery exuberance of his legendary live performances. – KC

#16
Café on the Corner
Sawyer Brown
1992 | Peak: #5

Listen

We’re truly defined by only two things in our life: our work, and our relationships.  The man in this song has lost his farm, and has to work bussing tables to support his family.  The crippling loss of dignity our protagonist feels is restored by the narrator’s sympathetic portrait and the empathy of the listener.  – KC

#15
The Dance
Garth Brooks
1990 | Peak: #1

Listen

A gorgeous moment of resolve, as love’s joys are deemed well worth its ultimate sadness. Brooks’ rich, warm performance stands among the most affecting of the era. – DM

#14
I Still Believe in You
Vince Gill
1992 | Peak: #1

Listen

Some singles are beloved because they feel technically perfect. This isn’t necessarily one of them. The keyboard production sounds dated, and the lyrics, while serviceable, are somewhat colorless. At first, it sounds dangerously close to an easy-listening snoozer. But then that chorus hits, and the melody – and Gill – launch this weathered re-declaration of commitment into the high heavens. And there’s no coming back down. – DM

#13
Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart
Randy Travis
1990 | Peak: #1

Listen

This song is so brilliantly constructed that it accomplishes what should be an impossible feat: it makes us sympathize with the one who broke the marriage vows, instead of the woman who he has disgracefully betrayed. – KC

#12
He Thinks He’ll Keep Her
Mary Chapin Carpenter
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

A sharp, melodic feminist anthem with a marked nineties sound but a timeless sentiment about the true value of capable, giving women. – DM

#11
Brand New Man
Brooks & Dunn
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

Brooks and Dunn begin their long, successful run with the memorable strains of Ronnie Dunn’s incredible vocal pipes. As he begins, “I saw the light, I’ve been baptized”, we know that we’re hearing something special. Instead of the expected cerebral declaration of salvation, however, we’re treated to a rousing declaration of love and how it can save a person. – LW

#10
Strawberry Wine
Deana Carter
1996 | Peak: #1

Listen

Memories of lost innocence and a sweet, sighing vocal from Carter combine to create one of the crown jewels of nineties country, with an emotional core so resonant that even the specifics of the story feel like each listener’s own. – DM

#9
When I Call Your Name
Vince Gill
1990 | Peak: #2

Listen

About a man who’s drowning in loneliness, this ballad is elevated to masterpiece standards by its haunting chorus. No one can convey searing pain like Gill; pair his voice with one as sorrowful as Loveless’, and the result is nothing short of exquisite. – TS

#8
Shake the Sugar Tree
Pam Tillis
1992 | Peak: #3

Listen

If the bouncy “Shake the Sugar Tree” sounds organic, it’s because it is. Since the Homeward Looking Angel project was out of money to spend by the time Tillis found the song, Tillis and her producer took the demo recording and added her voice to it, because she had a strong feeling that the song was a hit. While it feels organic, it also sounds bright and undated, which is a testament to simplicity in recording tactics. The instructive lyrics cleverly advise on the importance of constantly tending to relationships in order to keep them alive. – LW

#7
Angry All the Time
Bruce Robison
1998 | Peak: Did Not Chart

Listen

As their marriage crumbles around him, he looks around for one last appraisal, a foot out the door and still not sure why things ever went and changed.  – DM

#6
Meet in the Middle
Diamond Rio
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

A humble, plucky little record about the beauty of compromise in relationships. It’s so blissfully unassuming that it’s easy to take for granted the song’s sweeping truth: “Ain’t no road too long when we meet in the middle” is one of country music’s greatest slogans for humanity, intentional or not. – TS

#5
Friends in Low Places
Garth Brooks
1990 | Peak: #1

Listen

“Friends in Low Places” is the party anthem of party anthems. While the lyrics don’t exactly paint the setting of a rousing party, the vibe of the song does in a big way. While it is Garth Brooks’ signature song, it is also an iconic song in general. With its sing-along chorus, the song went beyond small country music listening circles; its popularity expanded far and wide beyond that smaller community, to the general music listening world at large. Even those who may not have heard a country song before could at least sing a line from “Friends in Low Places.” What made the song so larger than life? We will probably never really know. But we do know that it remains a memorable part of pop culture, which is really a rare accomplishment for a little ol’ lightweight country ditty. – LW

#4
The Greatest Man I Never Knew
Reba McEntire
1992 | Peak: #3

Listen

It’s often said that actions speak louder than words.  That isn’t always true, especially in the eyes of a child. Everything her father did said “I love you”, but never having heard him say the words, she didn’t know how he really felt.

Now, almost a year after his death, she finally knows. The real tragedy isn’t that her father never said “I love you” when he was alive, but rather that she’ll never have the earthly opportunity to respond, “I know. I love you, too.”  – KC

#3
The Song Remembers When
Trisha Yearwood
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

A masterpiece that reduces the soul-shaking power of music to its very essence.  Not only can a great song heighten the intensity of the moment you’re living in. It can also take you back to that moment in a heartbeat, when you least expect and aren’t quite ready for it.

For an artist like Trisha Yearwood, who collected more excellent songs than just about anyone in the past twenty years, it’s only right that one of her signature songs is itself a poignant tribute to songcraft.  “The Song Remembers When”  both makes the case for the power of music, and validates it with its flawless execution. – KC

#2
Independence Day
Martina McBride
1994 | Peak: #12

Listen

“Let freedom ring.” It’s not just a hook used to characterize a suffering mother’s actions; it’s a war cry that represents everything “Independence Day” stands for. Because in a country founded on ideals of life and liberty, a woman felt there was no way to protect her or her child except to destroy. Because even in a small town where everyone knew everyone’s business, nobody stepped out of line to salvage their neighbors’ existence. Because freedom is still compromised everyday, everywhere, and the only chance of saving it sometimes is to shout.

“Independence Day” is certainly such a shout, combining a bold, stinging Gretchen Peters lyric with a thunderstorm vocal by McBride. The record is fearless in conveying the dark truth of domestic violence, and wise enough not to cast any more judgment on the scenario than necessary, knowing that the situation speaks for itself.

Ultimately, the record has done much to shed light on its subject matter, as well as expand the boundaries of what can be discussed in a mainstream country song. Today’s acts may not often choose to use those expanded boundaries, because even in fields of artistic expression, it’s often easier to take the safe route and look the other way when confronted with humanity’s more troubling truths. But “Independence Day” stands as an example to all brave enough to follow in its path: a shout of truth, well-considered and well-timed, can ring on. – DM

#1
Maybe it Was Memphis
Pam Tillis
1991 | Peak: #3

Listen

It’s only fitting that this nostalgic list should end with a song about longing for the past.  Those of us who discovered country music in the nineties embraced it with an evangelical zeal, imploring their family and friends to listen to this amazing song, to that incredible artist. But what felt like the beginning of something that would keep getting better turned out to be a magical moment in time.

“Maybe it Was Memphis” is the perfect embodiment of that moment.  The song is poetry set to music, effortlessly evoking Faulkner and Tennessee Williams in its romanticism of the south.  The arrangement is stunning, with hallmarks of rock in steadfast service of its country core. The Tillis vocal is raw and emotional without being overwrought.  All of the disparate elements are brought together in perfect harmony. With relentless energy, it demands to be heard.

It’s a record that could’ve only existed in the nineties, when country music was broad enough to allow outside influences, but self-confident enough to incorporate them without sacrificing its own identity and integrity.  “Maybe it Was Memphis” defines an era of country music that approached meritocracy, an era where genuine talent paired with a worthy song was regularly rewarded.  An era where an a young artist’s debut single could become a classic as easily as the latest from a veteran superstar.

That era is over.  Long over.  But we still hold out hope that the magic will return, so we hang around.  We cling to a “Stay” here, a “House That Built Me” there, but the glimmers of hope are few, and they always seem to fade away.  Just like that Memphis summer night,  the magic has come and gone.  But we’ll keep looking back, ’cause it sure felt right.    – KC

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Jump Around

#400 – #376
#375 – #351
#350 – #326
#325 – #301
#300 – #276
#275 – #251
#250 – #226
#225 – #201
#200 – #176
#175 – #151
#150 – #126
#125 – #101
#100 – #76
#75 – #51
#50 – #26
#25 – #1

Bonus  points for a little blurb with each song!

My list is after the jump.

1. Shania Twain, “Whatever You Do! Don’t!”

Only four of the sixteen tracks from Come On Over weren’t released as singles for one market or another.  It features the creative use of fiddles that would become so prominent on Up!

2. Todd Snider, “Maybe You Heard”

From the Kris Kristofferson tribute album The Pilgrim, it’s a powerful challenge to friends who aren’t friends in need: “Don’t you condemn him. Leave it to strangers.  You oughta know to give him a hand if you can.”

3.  Bonnie Tyler, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”

Creedence Clearwater Revival as arranged by Jim Steinman?  As the opener of the album that features “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, it’s surprisingly effective.

4. Willie Nelson, “Rainbow Connection”

A lot of his covers don’t work – “Time After Time”, anyone?  But this one does, taking a Kermit the Frog standard and elevating it to the league of “Imagine.”

5. Bruce Robison, “Can’t Get There From Here”

Why Tim McGraw or Keith Urban haven’t covered this yet is beyond me: “I’m on a road that’s going nowhere, looking for a place that I belong. The wind’s pushing me in all directions, and none of them look like home.”

6.  Tim McGraw, “Tickin’ Away”

Time is running out, and not just because closing time is drawing near.

7. Johnny Cash, “I See a Darkness”

This time the friend in need is there, but that’s not enough to halt his desperation from spiraling out of control.

8. Lorrie Morgan, “Greater Need”

“It seems like I want you around me a little more than you want to be, so I guess I’m the one with a greater need.”  Killer.

9. Joe Diffie, “Good Brown Gravy”

They didn’t call him Joe Ditty for nothing.  But this one’s a riot!

10. Madonna, “‘Til Death Do Us Part”

From her post-divorce classic Like a Prayer, this is one of the most nakedly revealing songs I’ve heard.  “The bruises they will fade away. You hit so hard with the things you say. I will not stay to watch your hate as it grows. You’re not in love with someone else. You don’t even love yourself. Still, I wish you’d ask me not to go.

What are your ten hidden treasures?

#20
“Not Ready to Make Nice”
Dixie Chicks
2006
Peak: #36

It’s easy to label this as a transitory response of a song, whose quality is stamped by context and time, but to do so is to undermine its carefully crafted layers of universal emotion. Anger is only the outer coating of the song – beneath it lies a tender-to-the-touch complex of feelings:  pain and disgust, confusion and resolve, stubbornness and defeat. “Not Ready to Make Nice” may always recall a certain unfortunate episode in country music history, but its theme – that there’s a price to pay for standing up for what you believe – is timeless. – Tara Seetharam

#19
“Probably Wouldn’t Be this Way”
LeAnn Rimes
2005
Peak: #3

A striking portrait of grief that alternates between phases of desolation, disillusionment and gratitude. Rimes’ interpretation of the lyrics is chillingly precise. – TS

#18
“On Your Way Home”
Patty Loveless
2003
Peak: #29

While it has a very tasteful production, “On Your Way Home” is one of the most understatedly bitter songs this decade. “Where do you go on your way home?” Loveless sardonically asks. The song is rife with deliciously vindictive lines, including “If you keep on lyin’ to me, I might stay here just to spite you.” – Leeann Ward

#17
“Travelin’ Soldier”
Dixie Chicks
2003
Peak: #1

A simple, heartbreaking tale of young romance crushed under the weight of war. It’s the story between the lines that drives home the tragedy, as both main characters have a palpable sense of loneliness that they finally find relief from in one another just before they are ripped permanently apart. – Dan Milliken

#16
“Red Ragtop”
Tim McGraw
2002
Peak: #5

Not an abstract reflection on the freedom of choice so much as an exploration of the consequences that flow from having made a difficult one at a young age. – Kevin Coyne

#15
“September When It Comes”
Rosanne Cash with Johnny Cash
2003
Peak: Did not chart

This song is a beautiful reflection of Johnny and Rosanne Cash’s complex father-daughter relationship. It’s also eerily prophetic. Tinged with self-reflection and regret, it’s heartbreaking to hear Johnny sing: “I cannot move a mountain now/I can no longer run/I cannot be who I was then/In a way, I never was.” – LW

#14
“Three Wooden Crosses”
Randy Travis
2002
Peak: #1

“A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher.” So begins one of the greatest story songs of the last ten years, a fable Aesop would’ve sold his liver to write had Aesop been a Christian compatibilist. The song lets you know early on that only one of its four main characters is making it out alive, and the gradual exploration of why is compelling enough to turn even the most skeptical heart to putty, if only for three glorious minutes. – DM

#13
“Top of the World”
Dixie Chicks
2003
Peak: Did not chart

The live recording won them a Grammy, but it’s the studio version that is a masterpiece. Natalie Maines sings in the voice of a man who is beyond the grave and beyond the ability to fix his mistakes, but will never be beyond the guilt and regret that comes with having failed so terribly during his time on Earth. – KC

#12
“Long Black Train”
Josh Turner
2003
Peak: #13

Josh Turner burst onto the country music landscape in a huge way with this rousing gospel number that unabashedly adopts the fundamentals of praise-and-worship-style presentation. Akin to the singability of “I Saw the Light”, “Long Black Train”‘s mainstream appeal is found in its inspiring energy, which Turner presents with strength and sincerity rather than unsettling preachiness. – LW

#11
“Drive (For Daddy Gene)”
Alan Jackson
2002
Peak: #1

Jackson’s late father received the heartiest “well done, Dad” in country music history with this beautiful illustration of the parent-child relationship at its best. – DM

#10
“I Told You So”
Keith Urban
2007
Peak: #2

Urban sings the heck out of this cheeky lover’s plea, but the real mark of his artistry is the infectious, Celtic-flavored production that powers the song and turns it into an invigorating anthem quite unlike anything we’ve heard before in country music. – TS

#9
“Hurt”
Johnny Cash
2003
Peak: #56

An otherworldly catharsis of grief that hangs in the air long after the track has ended. – DM

#8
“Stay”
Sugarland
2007
Peak: #2

With a vocal as bare naked as her songwriting, Nettles has nowhere to hide from her desperation. Nor does the listener. – KC

#7
“Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”
Alan Jackson
2001
Peak: #1

Eight years after 9/11, it’s become easy to take this response song for granted, to lose sight of the striking truth of its observations, the healing it provided for a grieving nation at the time of its release. Bound as it is to the event it addresses, “Where Were You” cannot travel forward into the future the way other songs on this countdown can; its full impact will remain locked in the memories of those of us who lived through September 11th, 2001, and will never be experienced quite so deeply ever again. But as long as we’re the ones writing history, let us not forget just how deep that was. – DM

#6
“I May Hate Myself in the Morning”
Lee Ann Womack
2004
Peak: #10

If this anthem of preemptive regret had ended after the last time she sings, “I’m gonna love you tonight”, it would still be a classic. But the minute-plus instrumental outro lifts it into the heavens, with a fiddle and steel guitar fade-out that is nothing short of country music nirvana. – KC

#5
“If You’re Reading This”
Tim McGraw
2007
Peak: #3

This recording of McGraw’s performance at the 2007 ACM Awards is one of the most graceful, acutely touching tributes to our fallen soldiers ever released, in country music or otherwise. In letter form, a soldier delicately traces his journey from physical home to spiritual home, while comfortingly reaching out to those who are mourning his death. The song and celebrated performance represent a shining moment of humanity in country music. – TS

#4
“Before He Cheats”
Carrie Underwood
2006
Peak: #1

“Before He Cheats” is country-pop done very right. Underwood momentarily abandons her typically squeaky-clean style to deliver this vengeful revenge anthem with flare and appropriate gusto, making for one of the decade’s most memorable moments. – LW

#3
“I’m Movin’ On”
Rascal Flatts
2001
Peak: #4

This early single is the most staggeringly introspective song in its performing group’s catalog, outlining an inner battle of someone for whom it’s taken losing everything to see the value in anything.  The lyrics alone are gripping, but they’re paired with an emotive, melancholy melody that is one of the best-composed of the decade. – TS

#2
“Whiskey Lullaby”
Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss
2004
Peak: #3

As Paisley himself has rightly acknowledged, one of the smartest career moves that he’s ever made is to invite the angelic Alison Krauss to sing on this depressing song of drinking, heartbreak and death. As the 2000s goes, this is the most daring mainstream release by a popular artist. Paisley is known for his silly jocularity, but when he gets serious, he does it to great effect, which results here in one of the most respected songs of the past ten years. – LW

#1
“Long Time Gone”
Dixie Chicks
2002
Peak: #2

All right, so Country Universe loves its Chicks. But make no mistake: “Long Time Gone” earned every bit of this spot on its own merits. The lead release from Home, it came zooming in at the peak of the Chicks’ mainstream popularity and made as bold a statement to the country music world as the group would ever make.

There was the sound, for starters: feisty, swinging bluegrass-folk, with nary a drum beat to be found and stellar harmonies around every corner. There was the song: a deceptively plucky Darrell Scott story of dried up past days and even drier dreams. And of course, there was that final verse, in which the washed-up narrator decries the lack of soul in much of the super-polished music currently dominating country radio. It all flew boldly in the face of everything that institution was (and still is) about, but got played anyway, such was the Chicks’ star and the single’s undeniable charms.

As we look forward to the next decade of country music, ”Long Time Gone” is the kind of song we’ll continue to keep our eyes out for, the kind people will still want to sing along to decades down the line, that makes all the less admirable efforts worth wading through and reminds us why we fell in love with country music in the first place. We hope you’ve enjoyed this look back at the decade’s greatest singles, and urge you to go out and enjoy that last good bit of 2009 while you still can – ’cause after all, it ain’t comin’ back again. – DM

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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

#60
“Long Trip Alone”
Dierks Bentley
2006
Peak: #10

In a perfect world, this would be this decade’s wedding standard. – Kevin Coyne

#59
“Your Man”
Josh Turner
2005
Peak: #1

Lush baritone against an effortlessly charismatic, enticing invitation to let Turner be “your man.” How can you resist? – Tara Seetharam

#58
“The Lucky One”
Alison Krauss & Union Station
2001
Peak: #46

I feel a real kinship toward the man being sung about in this song, which suggests that happiness is choosing to embrace what is there today instead of mourning what’s been left behind or bathing in regret over what never was or what may never be. Perhaps the narrator’s sadness isn’t because she can’t be with “The Lucky One,” but rather can’t be like him. – KC

#57
“Nothin’ Better to Do”
LeAnn Rimes
2007
Peak: #14

The little girl who made her name imitating Patsy Cline and chirping Dianne Warren tunes grew up to write and release this muddy, soulful tale of mischief and theft, the most all-around badass thing Bobbie Gentry or Miranda Lambert never thought up. – DM

#56
“Like Red on a Rose”
Alan Jackson
2006
Peak: #15

With producer Alison Krauss at the helm, Jackson unexpectedly croons his way through this slow-churning love song that, for all its rich professions of love, manages to retain his signature earnest simplicity. – TS

#55
“Redneck Woman”
Gretchen Wilson
2004
Peak: #1

More than just a single, Gretchen Wilson’s debut was a watershed in modern country music, an unexpected smash whose rowdy declaration of self-acceptance ushered in a movement of redneck pride amid the genre’s writers and artists, the output of which has been mostly quite crude. Of course, that movement resulted from a shallow reading of what made “Redneck Woman” appealing. At its heart, the song isn’t about a particular lifestyle being better or worse than any other one; it’s just about being able to love yourself, Walmart lingerie and all. – DM

#54
“When It Rains”
Eli Young Band
2007
Peak: #34

“When It Rains” is fun, unshakably catchy ear candy. The narrator prefers when it rains, because it guarantees that he’s not the only one who’s unhappy. How clever (and dark) is that? – LW

#53
“Bring on the Rain”
Jo Dee Messina with Tim McGraw
2001
Peak: #1

Usually we don’t appreciate our times of struggle until we look back on them and give them credit for our personal growth. Messina suggests here that we can appreciate them in the moment. – KC

#52
“What the World Needs”
Wynonna Judd
2003
Peak: #14

Sometimes a message is so meaningful on its own that it doesn’t need to be swathed in lyrical complexity. Judd’s case for what the world needs is heartfelt, honest and too accurate to feel clichéd, with dead-on lines like, “Rich, poor, don’t matter/We’re all the same/Everybody’s hungry in a different way.” – TS

#51
“Boondocks”
Little Big Town
2005
Peak: #9

One of the decade’s few examples of the hackneyed “country living” theme done gloriously right, with a lush, rustic sound, unstoppable hook and potent sensory details. And oh, the harmonies! – DM

#50
“The Long Way Around”
Dixie Chicks
2006
Peak: Did not chart

If “Not Ready to Make Nice” is the Chicks’ attempts to address “the incident” to the world, “The Long Way Around” is like their attempt to address it to themselves. Reflecting on the history of their lives and careers, they observe that they’ve always done things their own way, concluding that “the incident” is just one more manifestation of that spirit, and to change course to suit others’ expectations would be to lie to themselves. “Guess I could have made it easier on myself,” Natalie Maines concedes, “but I could never follow.” – DM

#49
“Flies on the Butter (You Can’t Go Home Again)”
Wynonna Judd with Naomi Judd
2004
Peak: #33

With the wistful “Flies on the Butter” The Judds reunite for a song that nostalgically hearkens to their beloved mother-daughter harmony. – LW

#48
“Goodbye Earl”
Dixie Chicks
2000
Peak: #13

Call it malicious wrongdoing or call it justice served – whatever it is, “Goodbye Earl” is an inventive, spunky black comedy of sorts about two best friends who take the domestic abuse justice system into their own hands. It’s no doubt controversial, but in the end, to take the song at face value is to overlook its hilarity (death by black-eyed peas? Really?). – TS

#47
“What I Cannot Change”
LeAnn Rimes
2008
Peak: Did not chart

An adaptation of the Serenity Prayer, “What I Cannot Change” is a gorgeous declaration of changing oneself rather than demanding change that cannot be controlled. Rimes wisely sings, “I will learn to let go what I cannot change/I will learn to forgive what I cannot change/I will learn to love what I cannot change/But I will change, I will change/Whatever I, whenever I can.” – LW

#46
“Suds in the Bucket”
Sara Evans
2004
Peak: #1

A vivid, delightful story of a girl who, via her pick-up-truck-clad Prince Charming, smashes out the walls of her small town, leaving a community in disarray, the suds in the bucket and the clothes hangin’ out on the line. Evans delivers the story with genuine, toe-tapping gusto. – TS

#45
“Letters From Home”
John Michael Montgomery
2004
Peak: #2

One of country music’s all-time great war songs, a beautifully human portrait of the men and women in the armed forces and the relationships they put on hold back home in order to do their jobs. – DM

#44
“Like We Never Loved At All”
Faith Hill with Tim McGraw
2005
Peak: #5

A song that so perfectly speaks to the disbelief you feel upon realization that someone who once made you whole is now becoming whole on his own. It’s a well-known sentiment, but Hill and McGraw are so effective at infusing the song with real feelings of hurt, despair and remnants of love that the pain seems to come alive. – TS

#43
“Good Directions”
Billy Currington
2006
Peak: #1

“Good Directions” shows that it’s country without loudly declaring it. This song with turnip greens and pork rinds is ridiculously charming, which is largely bolstered by Currington’s boyish delivery. – LW

#42
“Wake Up Older”
Julie Roberts
2005
Peak: #46

The three minutes and eight seconds in which the Julie Roberts hype matched reality. – KC

#41
“Wrapped”
George Strait
2007
Peak: #2

Strait tries in vain to untangle himself from an irresistible love interest in this song, and it’s just the kind of authentic, charming dance hall number that he knocks out of the park. – TS

- – -

• 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 5

#60
Bruce Robison, Country Sunshine

One of modern country’s little-known heroes, Robison has built a career on simple songs of unusually strong focus, voice and insight. His strongest collection from this decade mainly explores love at its point of disenchantment, with characters sitting at various fallouts pondering who’s to blame, who used who, or why the feelings aren’t requited. Not so much Sunshine, then, but quite a bit of Country. – Dan Milliken

Recommended Tracks: “Friendless Marriage”, “What Would Willie Do”, “Tonight”

#59
Rascal Flatts, Feels Like Today

The group has yet to hit the nail on the “Rascal Flatts” head again like they did with this country-pop album – a collection of powerful, melody-driven songs on which Gary LeVox manages to tastefully reign in his tenor. When paired with the right material –particularly deep-rooted love songs like “Bless The Broken Road” –, the Flatts boys can emote like it’s nobody’s business, resulting in soaring, passionate performances. – Tara Seetharam

Recommended Tracks: “Where You Are”, “Bless The Broken Road”, “Oklahoma-Texas Line”

#58
Keith Urban, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing

Urban’s creativity peaked with this ambitious set, with arrangements as revelatory as his lyrics. As an album, it’s a cohesive work of art, yet it still managed to produce his strongest collection of singles that work just as well outside of their home. – Kevin Coyne

Recommended Tracks: “I Told You So”, “Stupid Boy”, “Got it Right This Time”

#57
Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, Willie and The Wheel

Willie Nelson teamed up with Western swing giants Asleep at the Wheal to create a project filled with warm treatments of Western swing standards. While Nelson sounds very much alive on this album, his trademark phrasing perfectly captures a relaxed, yet proficient, vibe. In order to be as prolific as Nelson tends to be, it’s common for him to minimally prepare for his recordings. It’s been reported that this was not the case for this album, however. Instead, he studied and practiced these songs until he felt comfortable enough to really do them justice. His extra effort is clearly evident as a result. – Leeann Ward

Recommended Tracks: “Hesitation Blues”, “I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None…”, “Right or Wrong”

#56
Brad Paisley, American Saturday Night

I’m drawn to albums that can flawlessly blend contemporary and traditional country music, and Paisley’s eighth album is a remarkable example in all senses. It’s a surprisingly revealing, carefully-written album that’s engaging yet lighthearted, and it embraces social consciousness as effectively as it does Paisley-seasoned humor. He’s not the first to do so, but Paisley certainly furthers the case that you can successfully look both forwards and backwards on the same album. – TS

Recommended Tracks: “Welcome To The Future”, “Everybody’s Here”, “You Do The Math”

#55
Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker

Adams had already released some exemplary work with Whiskeytown by the time the Aughts rolled around, but it was his classic solo debut that cemented him as alt-country’s “It” Boy. With the aural looseness of folk and the shrewd scrutiny of classic country, Heartbreaker plays like the very encapsulation of despair, each track exposing a cathartic new layer of its creator’s weary, self-mocking psyche. It would all be insufferably bleak if it didn’t sound so strangely healing. – DM

Recommended Tracks: “AMY”, “Oh My Sweet Carolina”, “Come Pick Me Up”

#54
Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

Recorded in Springsteen’s living room, The Seeger Sessions is a project that celebrates the songs of activist and folk singer, Pete Seeger. For this unique recording, Springsteen temporarily breaks away from his rock E Street Band and forms the more organic, big band style Sessions Band, which includes horns, banjo, guitar, percussion, piano, B3 organ, Harmonica, violin and upright bass. The result is a delightful album that sounds like a well executed jam session rather than a stuffy studio affair. – LW

Recommended Tracks: “Old Dan Tucker”, “O Mary Don’t You Weep for Me”, “Pay Me My Money Down”

#53
Lady Antebellum, Lady Antebellum

There isn’t anyone in country music quite like this vibrant trio, whose debut is a heartfelt, organic mainstream country album with undertones of 70′s-esque R&B. There’s a beautiful imperfection to the pairing of Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott’s equally soulful voices, and they’ve got a particular knack for writing melodies that are as interesting as they are expressive. Lady Antebellum is both a skillful showcase of these strengths and an exciting glimpse at the group’s potential in country music. – TS

Recommended Tracks: “All We’d Ever Need”, “Love’s Lookin’ Good On You”, “I Run To You”

#52
Alan Jackson, Like Red On a Rose

Who would think that the combination of bluegrass legend Alison Krauss and traditional country legend Alan Jackson would result in an album like this? With Krauss as producer, Jackson became the consummate crooner, singing with such depth and nuance that it was like hearing a completely different singer. – KC

Recommended Tracks: “Like Red On a Rose”, “Nobody Said That it Would Be Easy”, “The Firefly’s Song”

#51
Brad Paisley, Time Well Wasted

Brad Paisley’s fourth album continues the more aggressively muscular sound that its predecessor, Mud on the Tires had already wisely adopted. As is typical for a Paisley album his sharp wit shows up throughout the disc in the form of sly observations to which people can easily relate. However, he strays from the humor at times in order to deliver some of the most beloved songs of his career, including “Waitin’ on A Woman” and “When I Get Where I’m Going.” – LW

Recommended Tracks: “Rainin’ You”, “Easy Money”, “Time Well Wasted”

- – -

• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 1: #100-#91
• 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade, Part 2: #90-#81
• 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 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 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

See, like any warm-blooded entertainment blog, CU totally gets off on ranking stuff. So naturally, we’ve been hard at work piecing together our opinions on the decade’s finest albums and singles. The former category has proven easy enough to probe; the latter, however, presents a significant challenge, since singles that aren’t mainstream hits are often swept under the public carpet as the years go by.

I think it would be a shame to overlook some of the Aughts’ best work just because of our limited recall and research abilities, though, and I know our readers are diverse and knowledgeable enough to help us fill in the gaps. So I’m inviting everyone to name a bunch of their lesser-known favorites to help us broaden our selection pool (and have a little fun while we’re at it).

For example, my personal list would include:

• Nickel Creek, “When You Come Back Down”
• Dolly Parton, “Shine”
• Alison Krauss & Union Station, “Restless”
• Alison Krauss & James Taylor, “How’s The World Treating You”
• Loretta Lynn with Jack White, “Portland, Oregon”
• Old Crow Medicine Show, “Wagon Wheel”
• Ryan Adams, “Let It Ride”
• Pinmonkey, “That Train Don’t Run”
• Randy Rogers Band, “Somebody Take Me Home”
• Ashley Monroe, “Satisfied”
• Bruce Robison, “All Over But the Cryin’”
• Randy Travis, “Dig Two Graves”

And those are just some of the easy ones. But I’ll let y’all take over: What are some of your favorite non-hit singles from the past decade? Feel free to include anything from any classification of country – mainstream, Alt-Country/Americana, bluegrass, Texas, independent – and definitely include as many as you like, especially if you have a few that haven’t been mentioned yet. If it didn’t go Top 20 and was shipped to radio, it’s fair game!