by Nathan Kanuch, Zackary Kephart & Julian Spivey When I heard that famed documentarian Ken Burns was putting together a definitive history of country music for an eight-part series on PBS I knew The Word had to compile a list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All-Time. I also knew that I wanted to collaborate on such a list with Zackary Kephart of The Musical Divide and Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country, whom I’ve worked with a few times on other collaborations. Methodology: When coming up with the idea to collaborate on a list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All-Time I asked Zackary Kephart of The Musical Divide and Nathan Kanuch of Shore2Shore Country to make up their own personal list of what they considered to be the 100 greatest country music songs of all-time. I had done the same. To get our definitive list I took songs that all three of us included on our lists and averaged those together. If a song was on all three lists, it automatically went to the top. So, if all three of us had a song ranked in the nineties on our list it could theoretically come out higher on the definitive list than a song that appeared very high on two lists but was left completely off the third (this did happen). Zack, Nathan and I were unanimous when it came to 32 songs. This is where the methodology is a bit imperfect, but it’s the closest I could figure to get a definitive list of the greatest country songs of all-time. If a song appeared on two out of the three lists, it would be averaged and slot in behind the 32 songs we all agreed should be in the top 100. There were 41 such songs. The remainder of the list (27 songs) features songs that only appeared on one of the three lists and to get the most accurate ranking for the definitive list it was a “highest remaining song comes first” system. 60. "Too Cold at Home" by Mark Chesnutt (1990)Mark Chesnutt is not just one of the most underrated and underappreciated country artists of the 1990s, but of all-time for my money. The Beaumont, Texas native has a near perfect voice for country music, especially a beer-soaked, tear-jerker ballad like “Too Cold at Home,” the very first single he ever released off his 1990 album of the same name. The Bobby Harden-penned song has just the perfect amount of lonesome in its tale of a man seeking respite at the local bar from his cold relationship at home. JS 59. "The House That Built Me" by Miranda Lambert (2010)“The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert is the most recent song to make our list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs of All-Time being released in 2010. The ode to remembering where you came from is both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time and sees Lambert with the finest vocal of her already stellar career. The song, written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, would become the first No. 1 hit of Lambert’s career and go on to win Song of the Year at the CMA and ACM Awards, in addition to winning her a Grammy. The song was originally supposed to be recorded by Lambert’s then fiancé Blake Shelton, but when she heard it, she knew it had to be hers. It turns out it’s maybe the best thing she got out of that relationship. It’s a modern classic no doubt. JS 58. "Gone Country" by Alan Jackson (1994)“Gone Country” is an anthem, plain and simple. Ironically, like “Murder On Music Row,” the message of “Gone Country” resonates to this day; that is, it’s questionable how many people hopping on “yeehaw culture” are in it for the love of the music or just hopping on a fad. When country music went widespread in the early ‘90s, “Gone Country” poked fun at that very same thing, and very few artists could sing it without coming across as hypocritical. Thankfully, Alan Jackson, one of the genre’s best performers, handled it with class. For a twist of irony, Bob McDill, the writer of this song, initially tried to write pop and rock songs until he heard George Jones’ “A Good Year For The Roses.” Perhaps it’s a pot-meets-kettle situation, but not too many people hear a Jones song and still don’t consider themselves country music fans. ZK 57. "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson (1980)Willie Nelson admittedly has “better” songs in his catalog, but it’s hard not to view “On the Road Again” as anything less than an iconic classic. In a nutshell, it’s Nelson’s right to brag about how much he tours. While we’ve heard many singers adopt the perspective of how draining the road can be in song, Nelson’s upbeat, positive approach brings a different angle to the story. And, like with just about any Nelson song, it’s hard to find much fault with it. ZK 56. "Don't Close Your Eyes" by Keith Whitley (1988)You could throw all of Keith Whitley’s songs into a hat and randomly pick which one would make this list, and chances are it wouldn’t be wrong. Still, there’s always going to be something special about his first No. 1 single, “Don’t Close Your Eyes.” First of all, it’s the song that provided him with the game-changing song he needed, and it also signaled a more traditional direction for him. And like any Whitley song, its strengths often come from Whitley himself, bringing that no-frills delivery to one of the best slow dance songs in the entire genre. ZK 55. "Seven Year Ache" by Rosanne Cash (1981)There were a lot of high expectations when Rosanne Cash broke out in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s simply based on her lineage with her father being the iconic Johnny Cash. She lived up to these expectations with a sound of her own in 1981’s No. 1 hit “Seven Year Ache,” the pop-infused with the unusual use of synthesizers in country music tale of a man who goes out on the town to forget his marital issues at home while his wife, the song’s narrator, imagines a conversation with him. It was a crossover success for Cash, becoming a top 25 Billboard Pop hit. JS 54. "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley (1968)Before Kacey Musgraves, there was “Harper Valley PTA.” “Harper Valley PTA,” written by Tom T. Hall, finds the narrator deriding her conservative community as a bunch of hypocrites after the local PTA criticized the widowed narrator’s fashion choices and personal behavior. Many similarities can be drawn between the hypocrisy of a small, conservative town and the Nashville industry circa-1968 (and now). Riley herself later distanced herself from the song but continued to perform it, even as she became a gospel singer. NK 53. "I'm Not Lisa" by Jessi Colter (1975)Jessi Colter stuck by Waylon Jennings’ side for years, and her patience paid off when he quit cocaine cold turkey in the early ‘80s. Colter also recorded some of the most tender, sincere country music of the ‘70s. I’ve always been struck with a vivid portrait of the events of “I’m Not Lisa” when I hear it. I can just see a wounded woman sitting up in bed while her lover is crying in his sleep, calling out the name of his former love. It must be such a helpless feeling. Knowing your loved one isn’t cheating. Rather, some memories just don’t burn out and fade away. Colter’s vocal is sweet and soothing and fits perfectly with the mood of the song. NK 52. "Golden Ring" by George Jones & Tammy Wynette (1976)George Jones and Tammy Wynette were destined to be intertwined. Both lived through chaos - with and without each other. Both were massive stars who recorded some of the greatest songs of all-time in any genre. Listening to a Jones and Wynette duet is like somehow hearing the world stop. The chemistry, the magic. “Golden Ring” is their greatest work and possibly the best duet in country history. Bobby Braddock’s writing is as clever as always, and George and Tammy’s interpretation is authentic and believable. Plus, Billy Sherrill didn’t let his countrypolitan leanings get in the way - as they too often did. NK 51. "Hello Darlin'" by Conway Twitty (1970)I am of the opinion that Conway Twitty is one of the most underrated artists country music has given the world. Sure, he’s known for his hits, but when we talk about the greats, rarely does Twitty get mentioned. And yet listen to a song like “Hello Darlin’,” and you can’t help but be struck by Twitty’s ability to write heartbreaking and relatable love songs that would be considered overly-sappy by any other artist. The listener only hears his side of the conversation in “Hello Darlin’,” as he speaks to an ex-lover who has found someone new. But it’s so easy to follow where the conversation is going. And how we’ve all been there at some point in time. NK
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