We’re pleased to share the Country Universe staff picks for this year’s CMA Awards, as well as our predictions of who the winners will be.  This year we have some highly competitive categories in which predicting the winners is quite difficult, leading to some significantly divergent picks among our writing staff.  Agree?  Disagree?  Join in the discussion in the comment thread below, and let us know.

The CMA Awards telecast will air on Wednesday, November 9, 8pm Eastern on ABC-TV.  We will be live blogging the show here at Country Universe, so do be sure to drop by and join in the fun!

Entertainer of the Year

Should Win:

• Jason Aldean – Kevin
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• Taylor Swift - Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Tara
• Keith Urban

Will Win:

• Jason Aldean
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton - Dan, Leeann, Jonathan
• Taylor Swift – Ben, Kevin, Tara
  
• Keith Urban

Dan: I can imagine anyone but Urban taking it, but I like Jonathan’s logic.

Ben:  It’s hard to bet on the Entertainer award going to a female artist, but it seems Swift has undoubtedly had the biggest year of all the nominees.  Her album sold like hotcakes, and produced a trio of killer radio singles, while she topped that off with her Speak Now tour.  That combination should bag her this year’s top prize.

Leeann: Paisley could take it again, but my money’s on the CMA wanting to give it to fresh blood this year. Taylor Swift is who probably actually deserves it, however.

Jonathan:   Paisley is probably the most logical pick, but he didn’t figure as heavily into the nominations this year as he could have, so I’m wondering if the voters have cooled on him as much as the crew here at CU have of late. Swift’s live show should be a factor in this category, but she has a whole lot of gender bias to overcome, and there seems to be at least something of a backlash against her in the country community post-Fearless. Which leaves the ubiquitous Shelton, who has been something of a new “Everywhere Man” for the genre over the past year.

Kevin:  I think Swift will win because she had the highest profile year.  But I think Aldean defines the genre in 2011, for better or for worse.  Mostly worse.

Tara: As I’ve said before, this is the most appropriate way for the voters to reward Swift’s monster success, and for the first time at the CMAs, I truly feel she deserves this award. I’m particularly impressed with the way she continues to cultivate her relationship with her fans. I just hope the voters don’t pair this award with the FVOTY award.

Male Vocalist of the Year

Should Win:

• Jason Aldean - Dan, Ben
• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
• Keith Urban - Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  

Will Win:

• Jason Aldean – Dan, Ben
  
• Kenny Chesney
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton - Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Keith Urban

Dan:  Aldean’s not my thing, but he’s the biggest guy in the field by an unignorable margin. More than anything, I think the indie Broken Bow Records deserves props for building their flagship artist so well.

Ben:  I’m largely indifferent to this particular field of nominees (save possibly Keith Urban), but Aldean’s massive success should most likely nab him his first Male Vocalist trophy.

Leeann: Again, I think it’s Shelton’s night to sweep in order to shake things up this year. He and Urban have the strongest voices in the category anyway.

Jonathan:  Urban’s the only one of the lot who has released even one single I’ve liked in the past year, so he’d get my vote. Aldean has the commercial clout, sure, but quality has to count for something, right? Voters have looked at the word “Vocalist” in the category name and have passed over Chesney for years, and I wonder if they’ll do the same to Aldean here. I’m thinking yes.

Kevin: Urban’s the one who I can stand to listen to. But if Shelton was able to win last year, I don’t see how he loses this year. Not post-Voice and “Honey Bee.”

Tara: It makes me sad that I can’t find a solid reason to support Urban or Paisley, both of whom I used to feel passionately about. And in all honesty, I can’t find a solid reason to support any of these guys, based on their output during the eligibility period. I’m going to blindly back Urban –who, despite being “Urban-lite” these days, is at least consistent– and predict that Shelton’s amped public profile will give him the edge with voters.

Female Vocalist of the Year

Should Win:

• Sara Evans – Kevin
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Taylor Swift – Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan
• Carrie Underwood – Tara

Will Win:

• Sara Evans
• Miranda Lambert – Dan, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Martina McBride
• Taylor Swift - Ben
  
• Carrie Underwood

Dan:  Come ACM season, I’ll be all for Lambert; Pistol Annies and Four The Record prove she’s using her new commercial powers nobly. But I like Swift’s performances on Speak Now, and that album just applies more to this awards cycle.

Ben:  Swift is the overall strongest contender, but I could see voters seizing the opportunity to recognize Evans, who released a new album and had a number one single during the eligibility period.  I wouldn’t rule Lambert out either, though she didn’t have as strong a year as she did in 2010.  But I doubt this will be Underwood’s year, and McBride’s was essentially a filler nomination, so I’d say it’s down to Swift, Evans, and Lambert. (But, like Dan, I will totally be Team Miranda when the ACMs roll around)

Leeann: I reflexively say Lambert should win, but Swift has had the best year and will likely win as a result. I won’t be heart broken if Lambert takes it though.

Jonathan:  There’s a part of me that would vote for Lambert on principle and out of loyalty, but I can’t argue with a simple mathematical inequality: “Back to December,” “Mean,” and “Sparks Fly” > “Only Prettier,” “Heart Like Mine” and “Baggage Claim.” Had her label been campaigning harder that she’s never won this award, Evans could’ve been a bigger threat here, but Lambert’s ongoing momentum should carry her to a repeat win.

Kevin: Can this power couple nonsense be derailed?  Probably not, so while I’d rather see Swift get it over Lambert, I’m doubtful it would happen. My real fantasy would be for the only non-winner, Sara Evans, to take it.  For prosperity’s sake, and for actually putting out a great single that I failed to realize was great until it was already a hit.

Tara: This is a tough one for me. Lambert’s worked the genre like no other female has this past year and a half, but the singles she’s released in the eligibility period have been so-so. Swift’s put out some solid material, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to support her winning a vocalist award. And then there’s Underwood, who’s been relatively quiet on the radio front, but whose stunning performance of “How Great Thou Art” back in April went viral and serves as a reminder of what I firmly believe is one of the finest voices in the genre. I’m going with my gut and backing Underwood, but I think the voters will reward Lambert again, which is fine with me.

Vocal Duo of the Year

Should Win:

• The Civil Wars – Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland
• Thompson Square

Will Win:

• The Civil Wars
• Montgomery Gentry
• Steel Magnolia
• Sugarland - Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Thompson Square

Dan:  Seriously, why not the Civil Wars? They’ve sold about as many albums (200,000-ish) as everyone besides Sugarland without the support of a major label. Not to mention they just made the most interesting music.

Ben:  I’m supporting the Civil Wars on principle, but it’s a no-brainer that Sugarland’s hot streak is not over yet.

Leeann: I love The Civil Wars. The end.

Jonathan:  Yet more evidence that this category should be merged with Vocal Group of the Year to cut the deadweight. Though the Civil Wars getting in instead of the JaneDear Girls is a nice testament to the fact that the CMAs, every so often, can exercise good taste and discretion.

Kevin:  Sugarland’s album was atrocious.  The Civil Wars are in the running for my favorite set of the year.  Easy call for me.

Tara: Can Sugarland hurry up and release a new, redeeming album, please?

Vocal Group of the Year

Should Win:

• The Band Perry
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band – Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  

Will Win:

• The Band Perry
• Lady Antebellum – Tara
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• Zac Brown Band - Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin
  

Dan:  Lady A were between albums. Some variety this year, please.

Ben:  It’ hard to bet against Lady Antebellum, but the Zac Brown band gave us a strong album and two of the year’s most memorable hit singles (“As She’s Walking Away” and “Colder Weather”), and I predict that they will be rewarded justly.

Leeann: Zac Brown Band has a good chance with the best music in the category, but Lady A just might not be out yet.

Jonathan:  Little Big Town’s brilliant “Little White Church” should’ve put them back in the mix for good, but they really botched the single releases from their album and are right back to being also-rans. The Band Perry will settle for the “New Artist” award as a consolation prize this year, which leaves Lady A and Zac Brown Band to duke it out. In terms of the quality of their output, Zac Brown Band has Lady A dead to rights, but is that enough to stop the trio’s awards-show juggernaut? Let’s hope so.

Kevin:  Zac Brown Band is the only option both realistic and palatable.

Tara: This is the first of these categories that I feel strongly about this year. Based on the strength of You Get What You Give, Zac Brown Band deserves to nab this award, hands down. But I’ll go against my co-bloggers here and guess that Lady Antebellum still has the industry wrapped around its finger.

New Artist of the Year

Should Win:

• The Band Perry - Ben
  
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church - Leeann, Jonathan
• Thompson Square
• Chris Young – Dan, Kevin, Tara
  

Will Win:

• The Band Perry – Ben, Jonathan, Tara
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church – Dan, Leeann, Kevin
• Thompson Square
• Chris Young

Dan: Church seems the most likely to have a long, interesting career and probably deserves the win. I just don’t want to encourage “Homeboy,” I guess.

Ben:  Thompson Square and The Band Perry are the only two nominees whom I would still consider “new” artists, and I think The Band Perry beats Thompson Square any day.  Bryan, however, did reach a new level of stardom over the past year, so he stands a good chance at wining nonetheless.

Leeann: While it’s strange that with three albums Church is still in the New Artist category, it’s probably that same reason that he should win the award, not to mention that he had the strongest album of the nominees in the past year.

Jonathan:  Young’s the best singer in the field, but his material is still too inconsistent in quality for me to get on board with him. Church, on the other hand, finally made good on his early promise and his considerable hype with Chief and would be a deserving winner, as would the uneven but still pretty good The Band Perry. As the only nominee with any other nominations, they have to be considered the slight favorites over Crest WhiteStrips.

Kevin:  I think Church’s big breakthrough happened close enough to the voting window to give him a slight edge.  I’d like to see Chris Young get the boost from a win.

Tara: Of all the nominees, I’m the most excited for Chris Young’s future in country music – his vocal talent is tremendous, and even though it falls right outside of the eligibility period, Neon is one of my favorite releases of this year. Based on their other major nominations, though, I think The Band Perry will take this.

Album of the Year

Should Win:

• Blake Shelton, All About Tonight
• Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party
• Taylor Swift, Speak Now - Ben, Kevin
  
• Brad Paisley, This Is Country Music
• Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give - Dan, Leeann, Jonathan, Tara

Will Win:

• Blake Shelton, All About Tonight
• Jason Aldean, My Kinda Party – Dan, Leeann, Jonathan, Tara
• Taylor Swift, Speak Now – Ben, Kevin
  
• Brad Paisley, This Is Country Music
• Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give

Dan: Here’s a logical place to acknowledge Aldean, though I hope voters think twice about it.

Ben:  In my book, Swift and the Zac Brown Band are the only truly worthy winners (and I’m still scratching my head over why a Blake Shelton “Six Pak” was even nominated in the first place).  To me, the most intriguing thing about Swift is that she really does seem to get a little better and a little deeper with each album.  Speak Now is her crowning achievement to date, and in my opinion, the best album on this ballot.

Leeann: It hurts my heart to think it, but Jason Aldean’s big year will likely earn him the award for best album, even though numbers isn’t how such an award should be selected.

Jonathan:  Speak Now is Swift’s strongest album, but, “Mean” notwithstanding, it’s also her most unabashedly pop album. And song-for-song, I still think You Get What You Give is slightly better. But Aldean has been a steady seller, and he’s big enough that he has to win one of the major awards, and this one’s his best bet.

Kevin:  “All songs composed by Taylor Swift” impressed the heck out of me, not the least of which because the songs were far better than her earlier work.  Zac Brown Band’s a close second for me.

Tara: Speak Now is solid, but You Get What You Give is the better example of how to move this genre forward, with its delicious yet reverent mishmash of influences. But I think this is where the voters will recognize the often overlooked commercial success of Jason Aldean.

Single of the Year

Should Win:

• Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
• Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”- Leeann, Tara
• Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
• Blake Shelton, “Honey Bee”
• The Band Perry, “If I Die Young” – Dan, Ben, Jonathan, Kevin
  

Will Win:

• Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
• Zac Brown Band, “Colder Weather”
• Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson, “Don’t You Wanna Stay” - Jonathan, Tara
• Blake Shelton, “Honey Bee” - Kevin
• The Band Perry, “If I Die Young” - Dan, Ben, Leeann

Dan: It’d be heartening to see The Band Perry’s risky, rootsy release get its due. Plus: the single alone is 3x Platinum, better than any of its competitors can claim.

Ben:  “Colder Weather” and “If I Die Young” are the two strongest competitors, but for me, a cool folksy arrangement puts the latter over the edge.

Leeann: This is tough. I can actually see any of these singles winning, but I have a good feeling about “If I Die Young”, though I’d love to see “Colder Weather” prove me wrong.

Jonathan:  This one’s actually a tough call, since all five of the singles are big radio hits and everyone here has multiple nominations. “If I Die Young” is the best-produced single of the lot, but I’m predicting that Kelly Clarkson’s endless likability gives the edge to her duet with Aldean.

Kevin:  Love the Band Perry record most, followed by Sara Evans.  But this is the CMA awards, and Shelton managed to be both completely vanilla and namedrop Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn.

Tara: If I better understood the story in “If I Die Young,” I might be able to get behind it, but I think “Colder Weather” is the more memorable single. It’s my favorite kind of country ballad – killer vocals, gripping melody and palpable emotion. I see the fiery Aldean / Clarkson collaboration taking this one, though. (By the way, dude, “Honey Bee” – really CMA?)

Song of the Year

Should Win:

• “Colder Weather” – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey & Coy Bowles
• “Dirt Road Anthem” – Brantley Gilbert & Colt Ford
• “If I Die Young” – Kimberly Perry – Dan, Tara
• “Mean” – Taylor Swift - Jonathan, Kevin
  
• “You and Tequila” – Matraca Berg & Deana Carter - Ben, Leeann
  

Will Win:

• “Colder Weather” – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, Levi Lowrey & Coy Bowles
• “Dirt Road Anthem” – Brantley Gilbert & Colt Ford
• “If I Die Young” – Kimberly Perry - Dan, Ben, Jonathan, Tara
• “Mean” – Taylor Swift - Kevin
  
• “You and Tequila” – Matraca Berg & Deana Carter – Leann

Dan:  “If I Die Young” is a flawed composition, but it’s still the most striking and strange one here, and that’s worth something.

Ben:  I never though I’d see a CMA Song of the Year field in which Matraca Berg and Deana Carter would compete against Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert.  I would so love to see Berg and Carter win the award.  I might tend to be slightly biased when it comes to Matraca Berg, but I think “Tequila” is a fine composition on its own merits, and a worthy winner indeed.  Still, my gut predicion is that Perry will grab the trophy instead.

Leeann: “Mean” is probably my favorite song in terms of production and melody, but “You and Tequila” is the best song of the nominees.

Jonathan:  Berg is a treasure and I like Carter well enough, so it’s nice to see their names on the ballot again, but “You and Tequila” isn’t either of their best compositions. Here’s the thing about “Mean”: What doesn’t work about the song has everything to do with the fact that it shows the extent to which Swift still hasn’t fully figured out her artistic persona. But in terms of melody and overall construction as a stand-alone song? It’s the class of the field. As Dan said, “If I Die Young” is flawed, but it also has a lot going for it and will be a fine, worthy winner when it inevitably takes this.

Kevin: I love “You and Tequila”, but it’s an old song.  I’m glad Chesney rediscovered it, but I can’t see it as this year’s Song of the Year.  I think “Mean” is the best of the bunch, with the music as clever as the lyrics.

Musical Event of the Year

Should Win:

• “As She’s Walking Away” – Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson – Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• “Coal Miner’s Daughter” – Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow & Miranda Lambert
• “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson
• “Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley with Alabama
• “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Will Win:

• “As She’s Walking Away” – Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson – Kevin, Tara
• “Coal Miner’s Daughter” – Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow & Miranda Lambert
• “Don’t You Wanna Stay” – Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson – Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan
• “Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley with Alabama
• “You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

Dan:  The Single nod for Jason and Kelly suggests they have the edge here. But my heart echoes a resounding “Go on, son.”

Ben:  “As She’s Walking Away” is just so effortlessly charming that it would easily be my first pick, but the cross-genre appeal – and bonus Clarkson star power – of “Don’t You Wanna Stay” make it the most likely winner.  The fact that “Don’t You Wanna Stay” is also nominated for Single (which “As She’s Walking Away” sadly isn’t) suggests a likely victory in this category.

Leeann: How can I not pull for the Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson when I have a chance? I’m pretty confident that the drama, cross genre appeal, and, yup, the drama again, make “Don’t You Want to Stay” the sure bet though.

Jonathan:  “As She’s Walking Away” is one of the purest and truest duets in years, and it could pull some votes from the more traditionalist voters, but the Aldean and Clarkson single just has too much firepower to lose here.

Kevin:  If this doesn’t go to Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson, then I no longer understand how CMA voters think.

Music Video of the Year

Should Win:

• Blake Shelton, “Honey Bee”
• The Band Perry, “If I Die Young” – Dan
• Taylor Swift, “Mean” – Ben, Kevin, Tara
  
• Brad Paisley featuring Alabama, “Old Alabama”
• Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”

Will Win:

• Blake Shelton, “Honey Bee” - Ben
• The Band Perry, “If I Die Young”
• Taylor Swift, “Mean”
• Brad Paisley featuring Alabama, “Old Alabama” - Dan, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter, “You and Tequila”

Dan: It’s my least favorite Paisley video ever, though.

Ben:  Swift’s “Mean” is my personal favorite among these nominees, but I’m expecting that voters will show some Shelton love instead.

Jonathan:  Paisley has to win something, right? And this also gives the voters a chance to honor some beloved genre vets.

Kevin: I think the video splicing tricks will give Paisley and Alabama an additional edge.  Of the five clips, “Mean” is the one I like the most.

Musician of the Year

Should Win:

• Paul Franklin (steel guitar) - Dan, Ben, Leeann, Jonathan, Kevin, Tara
  
• Dann Huff (guitar)
• Brent Mason (guitar)
• Mac McAnally (guitar)
• Randy Scruggs (guitar)

Will Win:

• Paul Franklin (steel guitar) - Leeann, Jonathan
• Dann Huff (guitar)
• Brent Mason (guitar)
• Mac McAnally (guitar) – Dan, Ben, Kevin, Tara
  
• Randy Scruggs (guitar)

Dan: Default underdog support.

Ben:  I would love to see this go to the steel guitar man (and preferably not to Dann Huff), but Mac McAnally tends to be the favorite here.

Leeann: I want the steel guitar to represent this year. So, I’ll will it to happen.

Jonathan:  Franklin’s the only nominee who hasn’t won previously, and being regarded as long overdue eventually helped McAnally score his first win, leading to his current three-year hot streak.

Kevin:  I’ll be rooting for Paul Franklin until he finally wins, but I won’t believe that he’ll win until he finally does.

Tara: What Ben and Kevin said.

Matraca Berg’s catalog of recorded cuts would be a good place to start, an epiphany that serves Kenny Chesney well.  Berg is usually associated with female artists, and indeed, this song was originally recorded by Deana Carter, who also co-wrote the song.   But Berg’s pen has been responsible for some great moments from Keith Urban and Randy Travis, so it’s no surprise that Chesney does well with this one.

Chesney sings it with more personality and general presence than Carter did, and the record also benefits from picking up the pace toward the end, a choice that would have elevated Berg’s own version as well.  The harmony vocal of Grace Potter isn’t essential until the song starts to fade away, but it does ease some of the loneliness embedded in the lyric.

All in all, it’s just nice to hear Chesney singing a great song again.

Written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter

Grade: A-

Listen: You and Tequila

Google “Gary Harrison songwriter” and you won’t find a website or MySpace. There’s not even a Wikipedia article. Don’t know where he’s from, how he got into songwriting or what he likes to eat for dinner.

As far as I know, he has never made an album. When he co-writes a song, does he write the music or the lyrics or a little of both? Don’t know. He’s a Grammy nominated songwriter as co-writer of “Strawberry Wine”, the 1997 CMA Song of the Year, and has penned many BMI Award-Winning Songs. It appears that his first big hit was “Lying in Love with You”, written with Dean Dillon for Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius. The duet went to #2 in 1979.

Since there is so little data to draw from, a chronological treatment of his illustrious career would be difficult. I’ve decided instead to begin with the collaboration Gary is best known for, his work with Matraca Berg, and then continue with his other significant songwriting collaborations.

In his excellent Favorite Songs by Favorite Songwriters article on Matraca Berg, Kevin gave us his favorite 25 songs written by Berg. Gary Harrison has frequently collaborated with Matraca. On Kevin’s list the following 9 songs are written by Berg/Harrison:

• #25 Wild Angels – Martina McBride
• #22 Give Me Some Wheels – Suzy Bogguss
• #20 Demolition Angel – Pam Tillis
• #19 Everybody Knows – Trisha Yearwood
• #10 Strawberry Wine – Deana Carter
• #7 Wrong Side of Memphis – Trisha Yearwood
• #5 Diamonds and Tears – Suzy Bogguss
• #4 Dreaming Fields – Trisha Yearwood
• #3 My Heart Will Never Break This Way Again – Patty Loveless

Give a read to Kevin’s write-up for all 25. Kevin asked for comments from his readers on their favorite Matraca Berg songs. In the 29 comments received, three more collaborations with Gary were mentioned that didn’t make Kevin’s cut, including “Hey Cinderella” and “Eat at Joe’s” by Suzy Bogguss and Pinmonkey’s “That Train Don’t Run”.

“Hey Cinderella” is from Suzy’s 1993 CD, Something Up My Sleeve. Fantasy turns into “dreams that lost their way” by the end of the first long verse. In the second verse, reality sets in. In “Eat at Joe’s”, from her 1992 CD, Voices in the Wind, Suzy’s sounds like a sultry waitress in an all night diner – “here’s a hot top on your coffee, honey you’re a mess, I ain’t your wife I ain’t your momma, but I’ll do I guess”. The bridge is a wistful but not really hopeful call out to prince charming.

My favorite Pinmonkey song is still “Barbed Wire and Roses”, but “That Train Don’t Run”, from their 2006 Big Shiny Cars CD, isn’t far behind. It’s up-tempo like Barbed Wire. It was also a single for Matraca Berg from her 1997 “Sunday Morning to Saturday Night” cd. The singer recalls a former lover who may have been a bit on the wild side. It must be “your memory rattlin’ the shutters, that train don’t run by here no more”. The next line is “I lie and listen to the last boxcar, sweet dreams baby wherever you are”. Love that last phrase. Sounds like something Bogie might have said.

A bit of trivia: I wonder how many times that last phrase, “sweet dreams baby, wherever you are”, has been used in a song. In addition to the Pinmonkey song, I found it in “Goodnight”, written by Charlie Black and Dana Hunt, from Suzy Bogguss’ self-titled 1999 CD. The last line of the chorus is “I’m signing off, sweet dreams baby, wherever you are”. A song by Jedd Hughes, “Time to Say Goodnight” has “sweet dreams baby, sweet dreams baby wherever you are tonight”. It was written by Hughes, Tommy Lee James and Terry McBride and can be found on Hughes’ 2004 CD, Transcontinental. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else finds another instance.

I found another Berg/Harrison collaboration but this time with Jeff Hanna on a Chely Wright song, “Emma Jean’s Guitar”. It’s an album track from Chely’s 1997 Let Me In CD, which featured “Shut Up and Drive”. The story tells of a guitar with Emma Jean’s name etched in the finish found in a pawnshop. The singer wonders about Emma Jean’s hopes and dreams and feels that she’s the guardian of her guitar.

Gary has written quite a few great songs without Matraca. Another frequent co-writer for Gary has been Tim Mensy. My favorite Mensy-Harrison collaboration is Trisha Yearwood’s “Nearest Distant Shore”, an album track from her 1992 Hearts in Armor CD. It’s a song about getting out of a bad relationship: “You did your best but “the one you swore to love is pulling you down, you’re in over your head, chilled to the bone by the waters you’ve tread, chart a course to land before you drown”.

“That Wasn’t Me” was an excellent album track for Martina McBride on her 1993 CD, The Way That I Am. She knows that the guy is still hurting from the memory of an old girlfriend. She tells him “that wasn’t me”. It’s time to move on because she “can no longer pay the price” of his not letting go.

For fans of Mark Chesnutt, there’s “I Just Wanted You to Know”, a #1 song in ’94 from the CD Almost Goodbye and a #6 the same year, “She Dreams”, from What a Way to Live. Other Mensy Harrison collaborations include Doug Stone’s “I Thought It Was You”, a #4 in 1991, “A Singer in the Band”, an album track on Joe Nichol’s Revelation CD in 2004, and a Mark Wills song “Any Fool Can say Goodbye”.

With J.D. Martin, Gary Harrison wrote “Rollin’ Lonely”, a Johnny Lee song from his “Workin’ for a Livin’ ” album, which reached #9 on the charts in 1985, “Domestic Life”, a John Conlee #4 hit from his “American Faces” album in 1987, “Two Car Garage”, a #3 hit in 1983 from the B.J. Thomas album “The Great American Dream” and “Broken Toys”, a song about child abuse from BJ’s 1985 album “Throwin’ Rocks at the Moon”. The last song was written with Gloria Thomas as well as J.D.

Gary co-wrote 3 songs with Tammy Cochran from her “Thirty Something and Single” album released in June of 2009, the title track, “It’s All Over But the Leaving” and “He Really Thinks He’s Got It”.

With Karen Staley, he wrote “Face in the Crowd” which peaked at #4, a duet with Michael Martin Murphey and Holly Dunn from the former’s 1987 “Americana” album and “Now and Then” which Michelle Wright took to #9 in Canada.

Some other Gary Harrison songs are:

- “I Hate Everything” written with Keith Stegall, a #1 for George Strait in 2005. Check out the wake-up call at the end.

- “Alone Some” with Billy Yates, an album track for Billy from his 2005 album “Harmony Man”.

- “Crazy Me” and “I Do It for Your Love” with Richard Marx, from the Kenny Rogers 2000 CD There You Go Again.

Impressive list and I’ve probably missed some songs. If you search BMI.com, you’ll find 918 work titles for Gary Harrison. He’s been so busy, he probably hasn’t had time to set up a website or MySpace.

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

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #225-#201

#225
Passionate Kisses
Mary Chapin Carpenter
1992 | Peak: #4

Listen

A lightweight wish list/love ditty that somehow seems to tap into a deep well of truth. Credit Carpenter’s soulful vocal, which digs in and finds the cohesive character written between the song’s separate cute lines. – Dan Milliken

#224
Black Coffee
Lacy J. Dalton
1990 | Peak: #15

Listen

The electric guitar line sounds cribbed from The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, but the sentiment couldn’t be much more different. Dalton is tense all over, as bad omens seem to stack on top of each other while she waits in anticipation of one big let-down. – DM

#223
Everytime I Cry
Terri Clark
1999 | Peak: #12

Listen

The downward spiral of abuse may be more dramatic when it climaxes with a burning house. It certainly makes for a heck of a song. But choosing to walk away, overcoming the weakness inside in the process, makes for a heck of a song, too. – Kevin Coyne

#222
The Tips of My Fingers
Steve Wariner
1992 | Peak: #3

Listen

These days Bill Anderson is most known for co-writing Brad Paisley’s “Whiskey Lullaby” and George Strait’s “Give It Away”, but Steve Wariner’s “Tips of My Fingers” is yet another lonesome Anderson composition from the early nineties. The  soaring blend of Wariner’s lead and Vince Gill’s background vocals is the perfect combination to sell this song of self-inflicted heartache. – Leeann Ward

#221
Don’t Rock the Jukebox
Alan Jackson
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

Only Jackson could turn one “heartbroke” hillbilly’s simple request to hear some Jones into an endearing tagline for country music. – Tara Seetharam

#220
Soon
Tanya Tucker
1993 | Peak: #2

Listen

They say that “someday never comes.” Such is the case with “Soon”, as Tucker’s character learns the hard way. – LW

#219
Rumor Has It
Clay Walker
1997 | Peak: #1

Listen

The roses, the wine and his unexplainable smile are giving away Walker’s secret, but the only thing he cares about is whether or not his special someone shares the same secret. I find myself wanting to use the word “charming” every time I write about Walker, but that’s just what this is: a charming little record that he sings with sincerity. – TS

#218
Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)
John Michael Montgomery
1995 | Peak: #1

Listen

I’m not sure how this scenario would play out in real life, but it makes for a part ridiculous, part ingenious toe-tapper. – TS

#217
Angels Working Overtime
Deana Carter
1999 | Peak: #35

Listen

Is the driving force here God’s plan for the girl or the girl’s faith that God will provide? Does it matter, given the glorious result? – KC

#216
I’ll Try
Alan Jackson
1995 | Peak: #1

Listen

On the surface, it seems like a halfhearted declaration of commitment, since we’re used to saying, “I promise to love only you.” However, anyone who’s in a committed relationship, even the strongest of relationships, learns that “I’ll try” is really the most honest promise one can make. – LW

#215
If I Didn’t Have You
Randy Travis
1992 | Peak: #1

Listen

Randy Travis is really good at the up-tempo love songs. “If I Didn’t Have You” isn’t necessarily lyrically original, but the jaunty production and Travis’ vocal exuberance elevates the song from sappy to delightful. – LW

#214
Whenever You Come Around
Vince Gill
1994 | Peak: #2

Listen

I stand by my belief that the best-written lyrics can’t touch the best-written melodies or the most expressive vocal performances. Case in point: “Whenever You Come Around,” in which Gill conveys through his vocal performance alone the intoxicating, paralyzing infatuation he has with a woman. He pays such careful attention to the synergistic rise and fall of the sentiment and melody that I’m convinced no combination of words could have told this story better. – TS

#213
If I Know Me
George Strait
1991 | Peak: #1

Listen

It’s a simple song of commitment. He knows that no matter the argument, they’ll be back in each other’s arms when all is said and done. – LW

#212
Tender When I Want to Be
Mary Chapin Carpenter
1994 | Peak: #6

Listen

Carpenter acknowledges that strength is an admirable quality, but a budding relationship shows her that a little tenderness isn’t a sign of weakness. – LW

#211
Norma Jean Riley
Diamond Rio
1992 | Peak: #2

Listen

Diamond Rio shows off their tight harmonies and instrumental prowess in this goofy song  that celebrates the steps of sheer infatuation. – LW

#210
Don’t Tell Me What to Do
Pam Tillis
1990 | Peak: #5

Listen

Tillis stands up for her right as an independent woman…to stay hopelessly in love with you. The drums drive it, the steel guitar defines it. A brilliant fusion of old and new in both theme and sound. This lady knew what she was doing. – DM

#209
Blue Clear Sky
George Strait
1996 | Peak: #1

Listen

There he goes again, turning one of life’s simplest truths – that love, like the best things in life, comes when you least expect it – into a solid hit, made all the more charming by its Forrest Gump-inspired turn-of-phrase. – TS

#208
Nowhere Bound
Diamond Rio
1992 | Peak: #7

Listen

How influential was sixties rock on nineties country? Diamond Rio did a country derivative on the Beatles classic “Nowhere Man” without compromising its integrity as a country record or cheapening the classic original. – KC

#207
Hey Cinderella
Suzy Bogguss
1993 | Peak: #5

Listen

Bogguss understands the wiser, more mature version of the fairy tale; the one where the mundane details of life take center stage. – LW

#206
Dust On the Bottle
David Lee Murphy
1995 | Peak: #1

Listen

My guess is that this spunky little record from the mid-90s is still in rotation today not just because it’s infectious ear candy, but because, like the best country songs, it uses a bite-size story to tell a timeless, life-size truth. – TS

#205
I’m Alright
Kim Richey
1997 | Peak: Did Not Chart

Listen

“After all was said and done…there was nothing left to do.” The weary smile embedded in that opening line lingers through the song, which doesn’t make a big show out of getting over someone and persevering through the occasional pain. This is what real people sound like when they decide to overcome stuff, I think. (I am also assuming that real people have sunny banjo parts playing somewhere during such decisions.) – DM

#204
Lead On
George Strait
1995 | Peak: #7

Listen

Two weary lovers who were burned in their youth find new hope in each other. Well, not so much hope as a willingness to believe that their potential future together might be better than being alone with the memories of love from days gone by. – KC

#203
Lord Have Mercy On a Country Boy
Don Williams
1991 | Peak: #7

Listen

Williams wistfully longs for the country  life that he once enjoyed, but his beloved country surroundings has slowly transformed into a city, which is difficult for him to endure. Unlike many “I’m from the country songs”, this one lacks the bravado and, instead, conveys humble befuddlement. – LW

#202
One of These Days
Tim McGraw
1998 | Peak: #2

Listen

Lays on enough sap to rival “Don’t Take the Girl”, but if you can sift through that, there’s a strikingly frank self-reflection here by a man with whom we might not normally think to sympathize. – DM

#201
Tempted
Marty Stuart
1991 | Peak: #5

Listen

Marty Stuart is respected for championing traditional country music today, but he wasn’t afraid to stray from the format at times back in the day. Listen to this song, and you hear some cool  old-time rock influences. – LW

#375
How Do I Get There
Deana Carter
1997 |  Peak: #1

It’s always a gamble when friends decide to take their relationship to the next level. “How Do I Get There” explores the struggle of following one’s heart, even though it’s taking a big emotional risk to do so. – Leeann Ward

#374
If I Could Make a Living
Clay Walker
1994  |  Peak: #1

This song is either ridiculously cheesy or irresistibly cheesy depending on your taste, but there’s no denying Walker sells the heck out of it with charm and enthusiasm. – Tara Seetharam

#373
It Sure is Monday
Mark Chesnutt
1993  |  Peak: #1

Mark Chesnutt is one of the best male vocalists of the nineties, but there were many times when he did not always rise to the challenge of conveying the energy to elevate a decent song to a good one. Case in point: “Friends in Low Places”, which was eventually properly energized by Garth Brooks. “It Sure Is Monday”, however, is a positive example of Chesnutt actually making a song his own by demonstrating the ability to breathe life into a decent song and make it really good. – LW

#372
Take Me as I Am
Faith Hill
1994  |  Peak: #2

What do you think – will you take Faith Hill as she is? I mean, I know she’s kinda ugly and stuff, but…she does tell, like, the best Drunken-Martina stories at parties. And her quiche is just beyond.

Joking aside, it’s really something how this hit manages to make a mature, realistic perspective on love sound so bubbly and optimistic. That Hill can sing lines like “Baby, don’t turn out the light / I want to see you look at me” and sound so effervescent doing it suggests that we don’t have to forfeit our Taylor-Swiftish enthusiasm for romance just because our outlook on it grows up. – Dan Milliken

#371
What Mattered Most
Ty Herndon
1995  |  Peak: #1

Many nineties stars had their biggest hit right out of the box. Herndon’s debut single remains his finest moment, but don’t take that as a minimization of his talent. A carefully cataloged collection of little things noticed while missing the big picture, this single would be the finest moment of plenty a career. – Kevin Coyne

#370
My Heart Has a History
Paul Brandt
1996  |  Peak: #5

Brandt’s debut album was a big hit stateside, thanks in large part to his stunning debut single. A finely crafted lyric, a production that makes room for a church organ, and the best baritone voice to surface in the mid-nineties.  His native Canada’s been smart enough to hold on to him. He still regularly reaches the top ten of the country charts  north of the border. – KC

#369
We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This
George Strait
1998  |  Peak: #4

The kind of song that can’t get over how great its own title is, but in this case it totally works. The nervy melody nails the rush of flirting with trouble. – DM

#368
Don’t Laugh at Me
Mark Wills
1998  |  Peak: #2

Wills builds this socially conscious song around a deceivingly elementary message, but it’s the anecdotes that drive it home, simple and real. The most stinging line for me is the cripple’s “don’t think I don’t notice that our eyes never meet,” because it materializes the imaginary, unnecessary divide society creates between people that Wills is begging us to tear down. – TS

#367
Then What?
Clay Walker
1997  |  Peak: #2

Friends don’t let friends throw their good lives away.Clay Walker’s catchiest song to date, “Then What?” is a straightforward attempt to caution his friend regarding the consequences of committing adultery. – LW

#366
(Without You) What Do I Do With Me
Tanya Tucker
1991  |  Peak: #2

One of those beautiful heartbreak songs that works as well for a widow as it does for the recently divorced. – KC

#365
It’s a Little Too Late
Mark Chesnutt
1996  |  Peak: #1

A catchy little tale of an oblivious man, a fed-up woman and a whole lot of things that he should’ve-would’ve-could’ve done to keep her. – TS

#364
She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful
Sammy Kershaw
1993  |  Peak: #1

It’s refreshing that this song has had so much staying power on country radio, because nowadays it isn’t often the spotlight falls on women like this one – modest, grounded, and beautiful inside and out – or on the men who are special enough to recognize them. – TS

#363
Walk On Faith
Mike Reid
1990  |  Peak: #1

Reid urges us to use faith as our compass as we travel through life, a theme that’s no stranger to country music but that’s rarely expressed so joyfully and hopefully. – TS

#362
I Just Might Be
Lorrie Morgan
1996  |  Peak: #45

The awkward removal of a minor swear word ruined the rhythm of the chorus, which is as good a theory as any for why this excellent record didn’t fare too well at radio. She so casually dismisses the man who dismissed her that it’s easy to walk away thinking it was the wrongdoer, not the wronged, who got the shaft. – KC

#361
Bye Bye
Jo Dee Messina
1998  |  Peak: #1

One of country music’s greatest break-up anthems, “Bye Bye” is an exhilarating rush of pride and newfound freedom. – TS

#360
Can’t Break it to My Heart
Tracy Lawrence
1993  |  Peak: #1

With one of the best tear-soaked male voices of the nineties, Tracy Lawrence was adept at ringing out the emotions of the songs that he sang, no matter the tempo. While “Can’t Break It to My Heart” is set to a bouncy melody, Lawrence laments that he knows his relationship is over with palpable emotion. As a result, he can get it through his head, but he just can’t break it his heart. – LW

#359
Maybe
Mandy Barnett
1996  |  Peak: #65

Sometimes a singer sounds so great singing something that the song itself feels irrelevant. Mandy Barnett faces this problem a good deal of the time. – DM

#358
Fallin’ Out of Love
Reba McEntire
1991  |  Peak: #2

One of her smartest and most emotionally resonant singles finds McEntire using the second person voice, perhaps as the inner monologue of the woman who slowly discovers that “nothing feels as good as letting go.” – KC

#357
I Love the Way You Love Me
John Michael Montgomery
1993  |  Peak: #1

Montgomery delivers a love song that aptly balances sweet, telling details with the sweeping profession in its title. – TS

#356
I Cross My Heart
George Strait
1992  |  Peak: #1

A passionate, straightforward vow of love – no bells or whistles needed. – TS

#355
Every Once in a While
BlackHawk
1994  |  Peak: #2

Well before Toby Keith got in touch with his inner swagger, BlackHawk released this stunningly arrogant record which assumes that the woman he left behind still revels in his memory, so lucky she was to have been with him for at least one moment in time. Stunningly arrogant, indeed, but somehow pretty darn charming, too. – KC

#354
Now I Know
Lari White
1994  |  Peak: #5

It wasn’t written as an answer song to the BlackHawk record above, but it certainly would make an interesting rebuttal. White’s biggest hit was also her best.- KC

#353
The Thunder Rolls
Garth Brooks
1991  |  Peak: #1

One of country music’s truly epic singles, masterful in how it captures the surreal mist of emotions that hangs over lives being played at their highest stakes. – DM

#352
A Little Bit of You
Lee Roy Parnell
1995  |  Peak: #2

This is simply an honest-to-goodness declaration of infatuation. Who wouldn’t want to hear “There ain’t nothin’ that a little bit of you can’t cure”?
- LW

#351
I’ll Think of a Reason Later
Lee Ann Womack
1998  |  Peak: #2

A delightful slice of catharsis for jealous ex-girlfriends everywhere, made extra amusing by the contrast of Womack’s sweet soprano against the vindictive lyrics. – TS

For many of us, it was the nineties when we discovered and fell in love with country music, and it’s the music and artists from that decade that represent the pinnacle of the genre. It may be debatable whether the nineties were the most artistically significant decade in the history of country music, but there’s no debating that country music never had more commercial success or cultural impact than it did in that decade.

It was a time that when the C-list artists could sell gold or platinum on the strength of one or two hits, and that 24-hour video outlets could give wide exposure to songs and artists that radio playlists could not.  When the four writers of this feature got together and combined our favorite singles from the decade, it was clear that this retrospective had to run far deeper than the one we recently completed for the first decade of the 21st century. There were simply far more good singles to choose from.

That being said, this list is a reflection of our personal tastes.  While they often overlapped with what was commercially popular, with nineteen top ten hits and eleven #1 hits among the first 25 entries alone, we didn’t consider radio or retail success in our picks.  So while you’ll see all of the big nineties stars represented on this list, it won’t always be with their biggest hits.  There’s more than a few stars that never quite came to be as well, saved from the dustbins of history and easier to find now than they were back then, thanks to the twin marvels of YouTube and Amazon.

As always, share your thoughts in the comments!

400 Greatest Singles of the Nineties: #400-#376

#400
Little Good-Byes
SHeDaisy
1999  |  Peak: #3

Passive aggression finally got its due representation in modern country with SHeDAISY’s debut single, in which a mistreated protagonist exacts revenge on her ex by ever-so-slightly screwing up his house. Sort of like “Before He Cheats” for sane women. On the other hand – taking all the Beatles records and leaving only Billy Joel? Pretty cold, Osborn sisters. – Dan Milliken

#399
It Wouldn’t Hurt to Have Wings
Mark Chesnutt
1995  |  Peak: #7

Chesnutt is getting over you – promise – but he sure wouldn’t mind being lifted above the memories of your “mind-wrecking” love in this delightfully charming sing-along. – Tara Seetharam

#398
Fool, I’m a Woman
Sara Evans
1999  |  Peak: #32

The age-old stereotype that women can’t make up their minds is cleverly subverted into a threat toward an unkind man. A good combo of Loretta Lynn sass and Diana Ross sha-la-las. – DM

#397
One More Last Chance
Vince Gill
1993  |  Peak: #1

“One More Last Chance” may seem like a song about a man who is begging for just one more last chance to get things right. But under the surface, it’s about a man who is hopelessly addicted to alcohol and partying. Even when his wife takes away his obvious means of transportation by hiding the keys to the car, he resorts to riding his John Deere tractor to the bar instead. It’s a fun song, but one that is inspired by an incident associated with George Jones, who, incidentally, is infamous for his destructive alcohol addiction. – Leeann Ward

#396
The Cheap Seats
Alabama
1994  |  Peak: #13

“The Cheap Seats” aptly captures the spirit of America’s favorite pastime. – LW

#395
Lonely Too Long
Patty Loveless
1996  |  Peak: #1

A tender plea for the morning after to be the beginning of something more, with Loveless delivering both angst and cautious optimism through her vocal. – Kevin Coyne

#394
(If You’re Not in it For Love) I’m Outta Here!
Shania Twain
1995  |  Peak: #1

Look, guys, some of you are so transparent, it’s laughable. And to you I offer Twain’s deliciously audacious, merciless warning: if you’re not in it for love, we’re outta here. – TS

#393
Jenny Come Back
Helen Darling
1995  |  Peak: #69

Darling recalls watching a high school friend sacrifice her intelligence and ambition to please the boy she loves, who outgrows her in the end because she has nothing of her own to offer him. She ends up a high school dropout working at a movie theater. In short, how those fantasy Taylor Swift videos would end in the real world. – KC

#392
Dreaming With My Eyes Open
Clay Walker
1994  |  Peak: #1

Walker puts a clever twist on a fact of life that’s all too hard to grasp – the only thing we can control is the present. His infectious pledge to live in the moment is as effective as country’s finest inspirational ballads because it’s firmly grounded in reality: “I learned that one step forward will take you further on than a thousand back or a million that ain’t your own.” – TS

#391
There Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong With the Radio
Aaron Tippin
1992  |  Peak: #1

With an addicting guitar riff, Tippin celebrates the radio. It doesn’t matter that the car is falling apart, but at least there’s nothing wrong with the most important part of the vehicle, the souped up radio. – LW

#390
Write This Down
George Strait
1999  |  Peak: #1

One of the dittiest of all George Strait ditties? Sure. But there’s a subtle, maybe accidental wisdom to it, too. So much art is created in moments of unusual passion, when sensations like pain or love feel intense and everlasting. But most life isn’t lived in such moments, and any feeling is subject to fade away without some regular renewal. “Tell yourself ‘I love you and I don’t want you to go’” sounds light and cutesy on the surface, but it’s those little notes – and not grandiose gestures of unusual passion – that keep a relationship chugging along for the long haul.  – DM

#389
Still in Love With You
Travis Tritt
1997  |  Peak: #23

With conspicuous steel guitar work, this minor hit for Tritt is a straight up country romper by today’s standards. – LW

#388
Walking Shoes
Tanya Tucker
1990  |  Peak: #3

She seems a little sad about it, but she’s had enough of being taken for granted and is gearing up to walk right on out of her underappreciating lover’s life. – LW

#387
Big Deal
LeAnn Rimes
1999  |  Peak: #6

A sassy little number that finds a regretful Rimes lashing out at the girl who nabbed her old boyfriend. Brash, spunky and so much fun. – TS

#386
That’s My Story
Collin Raye
1993  |  Peak: #6

What do you think – the grooviest song about a guy trying to craft an alibi out of a backyard hammock ever? – DM

#385
I Like It, I Love It
Tim McGraw
1995  |  Peak: #1

A melody destined for inclusion in Applebee’s commercials. A lyric about a horny guy and his teddy bear-loving girlfriend. I thought about trying to mount a good argument for it, but whatever. I know you sang along the first eight times you heard it. – DM

#384
You Can’t Make a Heart Love Somebody
George Strait
1994  |  Peak: #1

A simply sung, heartbreaking story of a woman who desperately wishes the heart could take orders – and a man who bears the brunt of the reality that it can’t. – TS

#383
Count Me In
Deana Carter
1997  |  Peak: #5

Easily the most understated of the five hit singles from her debut album, “Count Me In” is beautiful because of its innocent vulnerability. – KC

#382
Where Do I Fit in the Picture
Clay Walker
1994  |  Peak: #11

Sure, Walker milks this forlorn ballad for all it’s worth, but his ability to dramatically emote is the success of his trademark tear-soaked voice. – LW

#381
Some Girls Do
Sawyer Brown
1992  |  Peak: #1

Set to a hooky melody: Boy meets girl. Girl acts unimpressed. Boy knows better. Girl hooks up with boy. The end. – LW

#380
I Want to Be Your Girlfriend
Mary Chapin Carpenter
1997  |  Peak: #35

Even in the nineties, Carpenter was mostly known for her introspective lyrics. That’s the best part of her songwriting, but hearing the lighter side of MCC from time to time is fun, too. – LW

#379
Little Bitty
Alan Jackson
1996  |  Peak: #1

Alan Jackson has a knack for dressing up inriguing social themes as fluffy radio bait. Here, he counters the societal fixation on the “big” draws of money and prestige, expressing a peaceful acceptance of the rather small role most of us will ultimately play in the universe. We can’t all be famous or widely influential, but if we can love well and carry our chosen mantles with pride, things aren’t so bad. – DM

#378
Not a Moment Too Soon
Tim McGraw
1994  |  Peak: #1

Some people find the whole “you saved my life” concept melodramatic, but I think if there’s anything in life that calls for melodrama, it’s love. McGraw’s testimony is sweet and believable, and the weighty lyrics are cushioned by a simple yet moving arrangement. – TS

#377
Here in the Real World
Alan Jackson
1990  |  Peak: #3

Jackson’s breakthrough hit lamented that what we see in the movies – cowboy heroes, good winning out in the end, the boy getting the girl – doesn’t always work out that way in the real world. How fitting that he’d end up a real world cowboy hero, one of the good guys making great music for twenty years and counting. – KC

#376
Everybody Knows
Trisha Yearwood
1996  |  Peak: #3

Most of your friends probably found you kind of boring when you were paired off and content. Now you’ve been dumped, and everyone’s got an opinion about what the relationship meant and what you should do next. Trisha is having none of it – just chocolate, a good mag and some much-needed alone time for her. – DM

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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

As always, we start with a look at this year’s nominees and work our way back to 1968.

2010

• Zac Brown Band, “Toes”
• Billy Currington, “People Are Crazy”
• Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
• Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
• David Nail, “Red Light”

There’s usually a “Huh?” nominee among the ACM list in recent years.  This year, it’s David Nail.  Good for him!  Currington hasn’t won yet for this hit, even though he got himself a Grammy nomination for it.  With Lady Antebellum reaching the upper ranks of the country and pop charts with “Need You Now”, my guess is that they’re the presumptive favorites. Then again, Miranda Lambert is a nominee for the third straight year, and she’s up for her biggest radio hit.

2009

• Trace Adkins, “You’re Gonna Miss This”
• Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
• Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder & Lead”
• Heidi Newfield, “Johnny and June”
• Brad Paisley, “Waitin’ On a Woman”

Adkins has been a fairly regular fixture on country radio since 1996, but this was his first major industry award.  He also won the ACM for Top New Male Vocalist in 1997.

2008

• Gary Allan, “Watching Airplanes”
• Big & Rich, “Lost in This Moment”
• Kenny Chesney, “Don’t Blink”
• Miranda Lambert, “Famous in a Small Town”
• Sugarland, “Stay”

“Stay” swept the Song of the Year categories at all three industry shows, along with winning the ACM for Single Record.  Allan’s presence here shows that being a little West Coast can still help a guy at the ACMs.

2007

• Heartland, “I Loved Her First”
• Rascal Flatts, “What Hurts the Most”
• George Strait, “Give it Away”
• Josh Turner, “Would You Go With Me”
• Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats”

George Strait earned his second ACM Single Record award a decade after his first (“Check Yes or No”) and two and a half decades after having his first radio hit.  Underwood won at the CMAs later that year.  “Give it Away” is one of a small group of ACM winners to not receive a nomination at the CMA ceremony.

2006

• Gary Allan, “Best I Ever Had”
• Brooks & Dunn, “Believe”
• Brad Paisley, “Alcohol”
• Sugarland, “Baby Girl”
• Carrie Underwood, “Jesus, Take the Wheel”

In the battle of biblical hits, the CMA picked Brooks & Dunn but the ACM picked Carrie Underwood.  Much like George Strait would later win a CMA trophy for a different single (“I Saw God Today”), Underwood later triumphed at the CMA with “Before He Cheats.”

2005

• Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying”
• Brad Paisley with Alison Krauss, “Whiskey Lullaby”
• Rascal Flatts, “Bless the Broken Road”
• Keith Urban, “Days Go By”
• Gretchen Wilson, “Redneck Woman”
• Lee Ann Womack, “I May Hate Myself in the Morning”

Because McGraw picked up the trophy at the CMAs in 2004, the field was cleared for Womack to win the CMA later in 2005.  McGraw had won the ACM before for “It’s Your Love.”

2004

• Brooks & Dunn, “Red Dirt Road”
• Alan Jackson with Jimmy Buffett, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere”
• Alan Jackson, “Remember When”
• Toby Keith, “American Soldier”
• Randy Travis, “Three Wooden Crosses”

Among all the lead nominees, only Toby Keith wasn’t a previous winner. Still, the award went to the new alcoholic’s creed, winning over a more pensive Jackson track and a big comeback hit for Randy Travis.

2003

• Kenny Chesney, “The Good Stuff”
• Toby Keith, “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)”
• Trick Pony, “Just What I Do”
• Keith Urban, “Somebody Like You”
• Mark Wills, “19 Somethin’”

Chesney spent nearly two months at #1 with this hit, perhaps giving him the edge over the other mega-hits at radio from Keith, Urban, and Wills. As for the Trick Pony nomination, somebody really should find out what Heidi Newfield has on those ACM voters.

2002

• Brooks & Dunn, “Ain’t Nothin’ ‘Bout You”
• Diamond Rio, “One More Day”
• Alan Jackson, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”
• Toby Keith, “I Wanna Talk About Me”
• Travis Tritt, “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive”

Jackson’s powerful 9/11 reflection stands out as the only ballad among his four ACM Single Record victories.

2001

• Toby Keith, “How Do You Like Me Now?!”
• John Michael Montgomery, “The Little Girl”
• Jamie O’Neal, “There is No Arizona”
• Aaron Tippin, “Kiss This”
• Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert, “I Hope You Dance”

Toby Keith’s run of four consecutive nominations began this year. His album of the same name proved victorious that evening.  Womack’s massive hit became an instant standard, and is incidentally the most recent winner to also be a genuine crossover hit.

2000

• Dixie Chicks, “Ready to Run”
• Lonestar, “Amazed”
• Tim McGraw, “Please Remember Me”
• Brad Paisley, “He Didn’t Have to Be”
• George Strait, “Write This Down”

As pop hits go, this one was a monster. “Amazed” even topped the Hot 100, the first country single to do so since “Islands in the Stream.”

1999

• Faith Hill, “This Kiss”
• Martina McBride, “A Broken Wing”
• Shania Twain, “You’re Still the One”
• Steve Wariner, “Holes in the Floor of Heaven”
• The Wilkinsons, “26 Cents”

Hill and hubby Tim McGraw each have two ACM trophies in this category, one solo and one shared.

1998

• Diamond Rio, “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”
• Tim McGraw with Faith Hill, “It’s Your Love”
• LeAnn Rimes, “How Do I Live”
• George Strait, “Carrying Your Love With Me”
• Trisha Yearwood, “How Do I Live (from “Con Air”)”

While Yearwood had won over Rimes at the Grammys a few weeks earlier, the ACM sidestepped the big controversy of the year and gave the trophy to the biggest hit in the bunch.

1997

• Brooks & Dunn, “My Maria”
• Deana Carter, “Strawberry Wine”
• Tracy Lawrence, “Time Marches On”
• LeAnn Rimes, “Blue”
• George Strait, “Carried Away”

It’s rare that the ACM goes with the song that was least successful at radio, but don’t let that #10 peak of “Blue” fool you.  That hit was responsible for millions of record sales.

1996

• Brooks & Dunn, “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”
• Faith Hill, “It Matters to Me”
• Tim McGraw, “I Like It, I Love It”
• George Strait, “Check Yes or No”
• Shania Twain, “Any Man of Mine”

It was a stroke of marketing brilliance: add two singles to a box set of a genre superstar. When the first single became one of his biggest hits, the box set quickly became the top selling in country music history.

1995

• Joe Diffie, “Third Rock From the Sun”
• Vince Gill, “Tryin’ to Get Over You”
• Alan Jackson, “Livin’ On Love”
• Tim McGraw, “Don’t Take the Girl”
• John Michael Montgomery, “I Swear”

There have been a few wedding standards to win this award, though Montgomery’s hit didn’t cross over in its original form.

1994

• Clint Black with Wynonna, “A Bad Goodbye”
• Garth Brooks, “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)”
• Alan Jackson, “Chattahoochee”
• Reba McEntire with Linda Davis, “Does He Love You”
• Dwight Yoakam, “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”

Jackson won the ACM with his massive hit, but the McEntire/Davis duet and the Yoakam track were Grammy winners.

1993

• John Anderson, “Straight Tequila Night”
• Brooks & Dunn, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”
• Billy Ray Cyrus, “Achy Breaky Heart”
• Collin Raye, “Love, Me”
• Tanya Tucker, “Two Sparrows in a Hurricane”

Brooks & Dunn are among the most nominated artists in this category’s history, but this is their only victory.

1992

• Clint Black, “Where Are You Now”
• Garth Brooks, “Shameless”
• Alan Jackson, “Don’t Rock the Jukebox”
• Travis Tritt, “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)”
• Trisha Yearwood, “She’s in Love With the Boy”

This was Jackson’s first major industry award.

1991

• Alabama, “Jukebox in My Mind”
• Garth Brooks, “Friends in Low Places”
• Vince Gill, “When I Call Your Name”
• Alan Jackson, “Here in the Real World”
• Shenandoah, “Next to You, Next to Me”

Garth-mania was beginning to peak in 1991. He swept the ACMs that  year.

1990

• Clint Black, “Better Man”
• Garth Brooks, “If Tomorrow Never Comes”
• Patty Loveless, “Timber I’m Falling in Love”
• Keith Whitley, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain”
• Hank Williams & Hank Williams Jr., “There’s a Tear in My Beer”

Clint Black is one of only three artists in the last twenty years to win for their first proper single, with Carrie Underwood and LeAnn Rimes being the other two.

1989

• Kathy Mattea, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”
• K.T. Oslin, “I’ll Always Come Back”
• Ricky Van Shelton, “I’ll Leave This World Loving You”
• Randy Travis, “I Told You So”
• Keith Whitley, “Don’t Close Your Eyes”

Mattea’s award-winning hit had such a high profile that it was even referenced in the dialog of the hit movie Rain Man.

1988

• Restless Heart, “I’ll Still Be Loving You”
• Ricky Van Shelton, “Somebody Lied”
• George Strait, “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”
• Randy Travis, “Forever and Ever, Amen”
• Hank Williams Jr., “Born to Boogie”

Travis won for the second year in a row with what would become his signature hit.

1987

• Alabama, “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”
• Janie Fricke, “Always Have, Always Will”
• The Judds, “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain”
• Reba McEntire, “Whoever’s in New England”
• Randy Travis, “On the Other Hand”

This was technically his first single, but when released under the name Randy Traywick, it bombed. Warner Bros. then released “1982″ under Randy Travis, and it went top ten. They then re-released this song, and it became his first #1 hit.

1986

• Lee Greenwood, “Dixie Road”
• Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, “Highwayman”
• The Judds, “Love is Alive”
• Mel McDaniel, “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On”
• Hank Williams Jr., “I’m For Love”

So successful was this winning single that the four legends would go on to release future collaborations as the Highwaymen.

1985

• Alabama, “When We Make Love”
• Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson, “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before”
• The Judds, “Why Not Me”
• John Schneider, “I’ve Been Around Enough to Know”
• Conway Twitty, “I Don’t Know a Thing About Love (The Moon Song)”

Say what you want about this winner, but it was popular enough to sell two million 45s.

1984

• John Anderson, “Swingin’”
• Anne Murray, “A Little Good News”
• Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard, “Pancho  and Lefty”
• Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton, “Islands in the Stream”
• Shelly West, “José Cuervo”

Another pop smash that moved two million 45s. Is there anybody over 30 who can’t sing along to the chorus?

1983

• David Frizzell, “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home”
• Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
• Kenny Rogers, “Love Will Turn You Around”
• Ricky Skaggs, “Crying My Heart Out Over You”
• Sylvia, “Nobody”

Nelson’s had quite a few signature hits, but none bigger than this one.

1982

• Rosanne Cash, “Seven Year Ache”
• David Frizzell & Shelly West, “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma”
• Barbara Mandrell, “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool”
• Ronnie Milsap, “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me”
• Oak Ridge Boys, “Elvira”

This might be the most pop-flavored lineup in category’s history. Even the Mandrell hit doth protest too much.

1981

• George Jones, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
• Johnny Lee, “Lookin’ For Love”
• Dolly Parton, “9 to 5″
• Eddie Rabbitt, “Drivin’ My Life Away”
• Don Williams, “I Believe in You”

Jones capped his biggest comeback in a career defined by them with several awards for this classic hit.

1980

• Charlie Daniels Band, “Devil Went Down to Georgia”
• Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers Band, “All the Gold in California”
• Crystal Gayle, “Half the Way”
• Waylon Jennings, “Amanda”
• Kenny Rogers, “Coward of the County”

West Coast represent!

1979

• Crystal Gayle, “Talking in Your Sleep”
• Loretta Lynn, “Out of My Head and Back in My Bed”
• Willie Nelson, “Georgia On My Mind”
• Waylon & Willie, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys”
• Don Williams, “Tulsa Time”

In a category of superstars, the Gentle Giant of Country Music was the victor.

1978

• Debby Boone, “You Light Up My Life”
• Crystal Gayle, “Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue”
• Waylon Jennings, “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)”
• Kenny Rogers, “Lucille”
• Linda Ronstadt, “Blue Bayou”

All of these records made a big impact on both the country and the pop chart.

1977

• Mickey Gilley, “Bring it On Home to Me”
• Loretta Lynn, “Somebody Somewhere (Don’t Know What He’s Missin’ Tonight)”
• Marty Robbins, “El Paso City”
• Red Sovine, “Teddy Bear”
• Waylon & Willie, “Good Hearted Woman”

A surprising win, perhaps fueled by the momentum of Gilley’s previous single, “Don’t the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time.”

1976

• Glen Campbell, “Rhinestone Cowboy”
• Freddie Fender, “Before the Next Teardrop Falls”
• Mickey Gilley, “Overnight Sensation”
• Willie Nelson, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain”
• Kenny Starr, “The Blind Man in the Bleachers”

Campbell made quite the comeback with this one, and it later inspired the Dolly Parton film vehicle Rhinestone, which earned an ACM nomination of its own for the Tex Ritter Award.

1975

• John Denver, “Back Home Again”
• Merle Haggard, “Things Aren’t Funny Anymore”
• Ronnie Milsap, “(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time”
• Cal Smith, “Country Bumpkin”
• Billy Swan, “I Can Help”

Smith may not have gotten all the recognition that his talent warranted, but he made two undeniable classics: “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking”, and his winner here.

1974

• Merle Haggard, “If We Make it Through December”
• Byron MacGregor, “The Americans”
• Jeanne Pruett, “Satin Sheets”
• Charlie Rich, “Behind Closed Doors”
• Charlie Rich, “The Most Beautiful Girl”

Rich’s two hits were so big that even with vote-splitting, he still emerged the winner.

1973

• Donna Fargo, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.”
• Merle Haggard, “It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad)”
• Johnny Rodriguez, “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)”
• Jerry Wallace, “If You Leave Me Tonight I’ll Cry”
• Faron Young, “Four in the Morning”

Fargo was a local star on the West Coast before she broke through nationwide with this hit, dominating the 1973 ACM Awards as a result.

1972

• Merle Haggard, “Carolyn”
• Freddie Hart, “Easy Loving”
• Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty, “Lead Me On”
• Loretta Lynn, “One’s On the Way”
• Charley Pride, “Kiss an Angel Good Morning”

This gold-selling classic helped Hart triumph over the superstars of his day.

1971

• Lynn Anderson, “Rose Garden”
• Merle Haggard, “The Fightin’ Side of Me”
• Anne Murray, “Snowbird”
• Ray Price, “For the Good Times”
• Sammi Smith, “Help Me Make it Through the Night”

Each one of these is a classic in its own right. In a battle of Kristofferson-penned hits, Price emerged victorious, though Smith won the CMA later that year.

1970

• Glen Campbell, “Try a Little Kindness”
• Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue”
• Merle Haggard, “Okie From Muskogee”
• Billy Mize, “Make it Rain”
• Elvis Presley, “Don’t Cry Daddy”
• Freddy Weller, “Games People Play”
• Tammy Wynette, “Stand By Your Man”

Haggard’s only victory in this category came on a night where he also won Album of the Year for the only time in several nominations.

1969

• Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman”
• Merle Haggard, “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am”
• Merle Haggard, “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde”
• Merle Haggard, “Mama Tried”
• Roger Miller, “Little Green Apples”

Miller’s known for his legendary songwriting, but his winning hit here was penned by Bobby Russell.

1968

• Glen Campbell, “Burning Bridges”
• Glen Campbell, “Gentle on My Mind”
• The Gosdin Bros., “Hangin’ On”
• Bobbie Gentry, “Ode to Billy Joe”
• Merle Haggard, “Branded Man”
• Merle Haggard, “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”

A young Vern Gosdin made up half of the nominated Gosdin Bros., a nice historical footnote to the first year of this category. Glen Campbell’s victory was appropriately West Coast for the ACMs first attempt at honoring the national country music scene.

Facts & Feats:

Most Wins

• (4) – Alan Jackson
• (3) – Willie Nelson
• (2) – Glen Campbell, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers, George Strait, Randy Travis

Most Nominations

• (12) – Merle Haggard
• (8) – Willie Nelson
• (6) – Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, George Strait
• (5) – Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Tim McGraw
• (4) – Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Brad Paisley, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis

Most Nominations Without a Win

• (4) – Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Brad Paisley
• (3) – Alabama, Crystal Gayle, The Judds, Miranda Lambert, Hank Williams Jr.

Singles that Won Both the ACM and CMA Award:

• Merle Haggard, “Okie From Muskogee”
• Donna Fargo, “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.”
• Charlie Rich, “Behind Closed Doors”
• Cal Smith, ‘Country Bumpkin”
• Kenny Rogers, “Lucille”
• George Jones, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
• Oak Ridge Boys, “Elvira”
• Willie Nelson, “Always On My Mind”
• Randy Travis, “Forever and Ever, Amen”
• Kathy Mattea, “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”
• Garth Brooks, “Friends in Low Places”
• Alan Jackson, “Chattahoochee”
• John Michael Montgomery, “I Swear”
• George Strait, “Check Yes or No”
• Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert, “I Hope You Dance”
• Alan Jackson, “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)”
• Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying”

It’s no surprise that this list of Favorite Songs written by Matraca Berg is almost completely composed of female artists. So distinguished is Berg’s catalog that worthy cuts by the Dixie Chicks, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Gretchen Wilson just missed the list.  Even Berg herself is only present with one performance, despite releasing several outstanding recordings in her own right.

But the beauty of these lists is that these are my own favorite songs, so I don’t have to force anything on to the list just to make it more well-rounded. Add your own favorites in the comments, and read Matraca’s  100 Greatest Women profile to learn more about this stunning songwriter.

#25
“Wild Angels” – Martina McBride
Wild Angels, 1995

This was meant to be the title cut of an album that Berg never released. Instead, the cut went to Martina McBride. It was McBride’s first #1 single, and listening to it today, it sounds remarkably rough around the edges for an artist who’d eventually become an AC radio staple.

#24
“Fool, I’m a Woman” – Sara Evans
No Place That Far, 1998

Berg’s writing can be effortlessly snarky, as evidenced by this breezy Sara Evans track that was a minor hit in 1999. “Did I say that I’d never leave you behind?” she queries. “Well, just keep treating me unkind. ‘Cause fool, I’m a woman, and I’m bound to change my mind.”

#23
“When a Love Song Sings the Blues” – Trisha Yearwood
Real Live Woman, 2000

Trisha  Yearwood is Berg’s finest vessel, the only voice elegant enough to equal Berg’s words. This melancholy closer to Yearwood’s excellent Real Live Woman set finds the protagonist seeking solace in a dusty old piano, playing “Faded Love” and “Born to Lose” so she doesn’t have to cry alone.

#22
“Give Me Some Wheels” – Suzy Bogguss
Give Me Some Wheels, 1996

A tense struggle between being herself and living up to an idealized creation formed by her lover leads to choosing the car keys over sticking around. “I’ll never be the angel you see in your dreams. Give me some wheels if I can’t have wings.”

#21
“The Last One to Know” – Reba McEntire
The Last One to Know, 1987

Berg’s talents came to full fruition in the nineties, but there are a handful of treasures in her catalog from the previous decade. McEntire’s dignified performance is tasteful and understated, as she asks herself, “I believed you really loved me. Why can’t I believe you said goodbye?”

#20
“Demolition Angel” – Pam Tillis
The Collection, 2006

A variety of CD and MP3 albums have been compiled from the live DVD released by Pam Tillis in 2005. She debuted several new songs in that concert, including “Demolition Angel”, a stellar Berg song that has yet to be included on a studio album. She’s asking God to send down a “demolition angel” to tear down the walls she’s built around her heart, which she describes as a “monument to pride.”

#19
“Everybody Knows” – Trisha Yearwood
Pure Country, 1992

I once saw Yearwood remark durin a concert that she had to record this song because it included the words “jerk” and “chocolate.”  She’s growing frustrated with everyone in her life that has a different opinion on how to get over her heartache.  She’s be happy to be left alone with “some chocolate and a magazine.”

#18
“You Should’ve Lied” – Lee Ann Womack
Something Worth Leaving Behind, 2002

A deliciously bitter rejection of a cheater’s apologetic confession. “You overestimated me,” Womack seethes, “thinking I would understand. Believing that your honesty would make me see a bigger man. Was that all part of your plan?”

#17
“You Are the Storm” – Dusty Springfield
A Very Fine Love, 1995

Springfield covered this evocative track from Berg’s debut album, a weary goodbye to a man plagued by his own inner demons. “I tried to love you, I tried to keep you from harm,” she rues, “but I can’t give you shelter when you are the storm.”

#16
“You’re Still Here” – Faith Hill
Cry, 2002

This shamefully overlooked gem from Hill’s Cry collection is painfully poignant. A woman sings to her husband who has passed on, but is still everywhere that she goes. My personal favorite moment is when she sings, “I heard you in a stranger’s laugh, and I hung around to hear him laugh again. Just once again.”

#15
“Cry on the Shoulder of the Road” – Martina McBride
Wild Angels, 1995

Levon Helm provides the killer harmony track as McBride finally leaves a troubled relationship behind, content to find her comfort out on the interstate. “I’d rather break down on the highway with no one to share my load, and cry on the shoulder of the road.” I’ve always thought that the lyrics of Lee Ann Womack’s “A Little Past Little Rock” were heavily influenced by this song.

#14
“For a While” – Trisha Yearwood
Inside Out, 2001

Another Berg song cut by Yearwood that uses the word “jerk”, though I suspect it was the undercurrent of self-deprecation that truly appealed to the songstress when she cut this song. Watching an old Road Runner cartoon, she notices the “poor old coyote. Someone had a worse day than me for a change.”

#13
“Mining for Coal” – Randy Travis
No Holdin’ Back, 1989

This deep and moving performance by Randy Travis makes me wish more male artists would cut Berg’s songs. He’s so surprised to have found a true love while he was just looking for someone to ease his loneliness. “It’s like finding a diamond when you’re mining for coal.”

#12
“Come Back When it Rainin’” – Trisha Yearwood
Real Live Woman, 2000

Here, Yearwood is refusing to indulge her rainy day lover, who only seems to come around when he’s feeling down. “I’m just someone to call when you need a place to fall,” she notes, showing him the door.

#11
“You Can Feel Bad” – Patty Loveless
The Trouble With the Truth, 1996

Loveless turns the tables on the man who thinks he’s letting her down easy. “Your head is hanging and you look real sad. Maybe you should have called?”  Her heart may be broken but her dignity – and biting wit – remain intact.

#10
“Strawberry Wine” – Deana Carter
Did I Shave My Legs For This?, 1996

Berg’s signature song of lost innocence is a perfect match for Carter’s sandpaper vocals. For those of us who “still remember when thirty was old”, this remains a beautiful commentary on the passage of time.

#9
“Calico Plains” – Pam Tillis
Sweetheart’s Dance, 1994

The earliest entry in Berg’s trilogy of songs inspired by her grandfather’s farm. I don’t know if this one is as autobiographical as “Strawberry Wine” and “The Dreaming Fields”, but it’s certainly as beautiful. “Calico Plains” tells the story of an older sister sharing her dreams with her younger sister.  Little sis ends up making that dream her own when the elder Abilena finds herself with child and must marry and stay at home.

#8
“Nobody Drinks Alone” – Keith Urban
Be Here, 2004

A cautionary tale sung to a man who thinks he is at home by himsef, drowning his sorrows and painful memories with a bottle of wine. “Don’t you know nobody drinks alone?” Urban warns. “Every demon, every ghost from your past, and every memory you’ve held back follows you home.”

#7
“Wrong Side of Memphis” – Trisha Yearwood
Hearts in Armor, 1992

If there’s a better song out there about chasing the dream of country music stardom, I haven’t heard it. As the opening track of Yearwood’s landmark sophomore set, it announced her arrival as one of country music’s greatest album artists.

#6
“On Your Way Home” – Patty Loveless
On Your Way Home, 2003

Loveless earned a Grammy nomination for this confrontation of a cheating spouse who isn’t quite as forthcoming as his spurned lover needs him to be. “The truth is gonna set you free,” she sings, wearily promising, “If you keep on lying to me, I might stay right here just to spite you.”

#5
“Diamonds and Tears” – Suzy Bogguss
Something Up My Sleeve, 1993

Berg’s finest philosophical moment, a reflection on how the journey of life is its own destination.  Even lost love is a form of “higher education”:  “I have said and heard the word ‘goodbye’, felt the blade and turned the knife sideways. But I crossed bridges while they burned, to keep from losing what I’ve learned along the way.”

#4
“The Dreaming Fields” – Trisha Yearwood
Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, 2007

A return to the wheat fields of her youth upon the death of her grandfather contains a sprinkle of social commentary, but is mostly a heart-wrenching exploration of grief over “the end of a world I love.”

#3
“My Heart Will Never Break This Way Again” – Patty Loveless
Strong Heart, 2000

The end of a first love brings not only the death of that romance, but also of the innocence that dies along with it.  “It’s too bad, it’s so sad when your innocence is gone. It’s wasted on the ones that do you wrong.”  Thus is the end result of a love “too blind with trust to know the Judas kiss.”

#2
“Back When We Were Beautiful” – Matraca Berg
Sunday Morning to Saturday Night, 1997

Berg received a standing ovation when she performed this stunning song on the 1997 CMA Awards, the same night that she won Song of the Year for “Strawberry Wine.” It recounts a conversation between grandmother and granddaughter, with the former confessing to the latter that “I hate it when they say I’m aging gracefully. I fight it every day. I guess they never see.”

The song is not available digitally and the album is out of print, but you can listen to it here.

#1
“Lying to the Moon” – Trisha Yearwood
The Song Remembers When, 1993

Berg refused to perform this song for years after Yearwood’s version was released, feeling that she couldn’t do it justice after Yearwood’s flawless rendition. Berg’s poetic style could be too precious in lesser hands, but Yearwood’s ability to be sincere without being schmaltzy makes her the perfect singer for “Lying to the Moon,” a song so breathtakingly beautiful that it’s easy to forget it’s essentially about getting stood up.

“I told the starry sky to wait for you. I told the wind to sigh to like lovers do.  I even told the night that you were true, and that you would be here soon, and now I’m lying to the moon.”  It’s one of Berg’s finest songs, combined with one of Yearwood’s finest vocal performances, a high-water mark for two of the genre’s greatest talents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-xQoNDFwlE

In the song, The Band, originally consisting of Robbie Robertson, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko and Levon Helm, draws from a familiar cast of characters and American mythology to tell a universal story set in the town of Nazareth, PA. First released in 1968, “The Weight” only reached #63 on the U.S. charts, but has since achieved iconic status. It has become an American standard in a way few songs have accomplished. Indeed, Rolling Stone lists it as the 41st greatest song of all time. 

Further cementing its iconic status, check out a very small sample of the artists  – across genres, of all ages – who have covered the song:

• Van Morrison
• Bob Dylan
• The Black Crowes
• Little Feat
• Grateful Dead
• Travis
• Old Crow Medicine Show
• Gillian Welch
• The Staple Singers
• Joan Osborne
• John Denver
• Deana Carter
• Weezer
• Lee Ann Womack
• Cross Canadian Ragweed
• Diana Ross, the Temptations and the Supremes
• The Allman Brothers Band
• The Marshall Tucker Band
• Panic at the Disco
• Aaron Pritchett

Songs with enduring power like “The Weight” are few and far between, and seem to be even more so nowadays. So tonight’s discussion asks:

What songs of the past decade have enduring power? What songs will we be listening to and hear covers of in the next 50 years?

For fun, here’s a version by Gillian Welch & Old Crow Medicine Show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXf-SuBbJa0