100 Greatest Country Songs of All-Time: Part 7 (40-31)

9/22/2019

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.

40. "Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline (1957)

In a twist of pure irony, some of country music’s greatest songs were pure accidents. “Walkin’ After Midnight” is one example, a song Patsy Cline never wanted to record, and yet went on to become her first huge hit. More than that, though, the song would go on to define the quintessential Nashville Sound. Sadly, it was Cline’s only hit for several years until she signed to Decca Records, where she’d have several hits until her untimely demise in 1963. Still, “Walkin’ After Midnight” was the hit that showed the world why Cline needed to become a star, a huge presence behind the microphone who cemented her legacy right then and there. ZK

39. "Silver Wings" by Merle Haggard (1969)

It's going to sound negative when I make the following statement, but Merle Haggard stood in stark contrast to, say, Townes Van Zandt or Guy Clark. All of them are phenomenal songwriters, and lyrics are the backbone of country music, but the difference stems from how these writers approach a song. Whereas performers like Van Zandt or Clark (among many other names) veiled their poetry behind dark metaphors or hidden meanings, Haggard always performed and wrote his songs direct and to the point. Some of his best compositions, like “Misery & Gin” or “If We Make It Through December,” are stories told through sparse production and with an easy frankness. “Silver Wings,” one of his earlier hits, was one of his first moments of truly shining in that regard. The meaning is simple – an airplane carries away his lover on “silver wings” - but the way Haggard delivers the sentiment is downright crushing, and if one were to watch any old footage of this song performed live, sooner or later there wouldn't be a dry eye in the audience. ZK

38. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait (1983)

George Strait has compiled a country music (and all music for that matter) record of 60 No. 1 hit songs over his almost 40 year career, but his greatest song of all-time “Amarillo By Morning” only topped out at No. 4 on the Billboard country chart in 1983. Funny how things happen sometimes. “Amarillo By Morning,” co-written by Paul Fraser and Terry Stafford and originally released in 1973 by Stafford, is the greatest rodeo song ever written. It tells the tale of a rodeo cowboy giving his life to the sport he loves. The fiddle solo that plays the song out is one of the quintessential sounds in country music history. JS

37. "The Grand Tour" by George Jones (1974)

“The Grand Tour” is the greatest artist in country history singing the saddest song you’ll ever hear. I don’t want to even try writing about “The Grand Tour,” because just like “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” no words can do it justice. All I’ll say is if the last verse doesn’t just rip your heart right out, you can’t call yourself a fan of country music. Absolutely heart-wrenching. NK

36. "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams (1953)

As the old cliché usually goes when discussing this artist, Hank Williams truly lived every song he wrote. But there's always been something (even more) eerie about his final recordings. Released posthumously, “Your Cheatin' Heart” was like picking the lock to a diary that revealed more than anyone could have ever wanted to know. Those around Williams knew of his spiral downward, and no, this wasn't exactly the first time the audience caught a glimpse at what was going on behind the curtain, but it was certainly the most damning song of his yet. It's a tragic reminder of what might have been. ZK

35. "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell (1968)

“Wichita Lineman” is the second great collaboration between Glen Campbell and songwriter Jimmy Webb on this list and is the beautifully sung and performed ballad of a lineman for a telephone company daydreaming about the girl he loves back home while performing his lonely job. Webb got the idea for the song while driving through rural Oklahoma and seeing the silhouette of a lineman working atop a pole in the distance and thinking it was “the picture of loneliness.” Campbell’s vocal on the song is the epitome of capturing the idea of lonesome through one’s voice. JS

34. "Jolene" by Dolly Parton (1974)

When you break it down to the nitty-gritty, “Jolene” is just a simple song about a woman begging another woman not to take her man, but it’s one of Dolly Parton’s most covered songs for good reason. When it comes to her autobiographical songs, the “flavor” of those tunes stems from her warm ability as an emotive interpreter, inviting the listener to hear her story. Therefore, it’s no wonder she’s able to play up the drama and add some higher stakes to this song. But “Jolene” has always been the complete package of a perfect song, featuring an instantly recognizable guitar lick matched against a minor key, which adds to the urgency and sorrow of the plea. The audience knows the deal is already done from that first note, and that’s because Parton is one of country music’s best performers. ZK

33. Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By) by The Carter Family (1935)

This was my personal No. 1 song for this list, not so much because it’s a favorite of mine or anything, but because of what it symbolizes to country music history. As it is, “Can The Circle Be Unbroken” is a gospel standard that A.P. Carter reworked for commercial release. Today, not only does the title loom over the top of the rotunda of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, it’s also the everlasting question of country music. As the genre continues to embrace the future (I’m hesitant to use the word “evolves”), country music is a genre that always needs to be cognizant of its past in order to thrive. The music itself is a circle that tests us at points, as music fans. Yet the core of the genre’s roots always remain intact – the simple instrumentation and the real-life storytelling the genre was built upon. Thankfully, the circle remains unbroken. ZK

32. "Smoke Rings in the Dark" by Gary Allan (1999)

It might sound like heresy to say this, but Gary Allan was better off ditching the tired neotraditional shtick of his first two albums. Of course, it’s a good sound, but certain artists thrive better in certain environments than others. When Allan embraced his California roots for his third album, the results were pure magic. Among his greatest songs, and the greatest songs of country music, was the title track, a dark, dusty, yet moody tune that cast Allan in a new light. Among showcasing his incredible knack for selling the role of the wandering troubadour, “Smoke Rings In The Dark” draws on the classic country music antihero and gives him no rest as his relationship with another draws to a close. As for what makes it stand out, however, is the frank honesty in which it’s portrayed – neither side has any love left for one another, his loneliness hasn’t faded despite the companionship, and yet it all ends with him simply lurking back to the shadows from which he came. As I mentioned before, too, Allan is a key part of why this is so excellent. ZK

31. "Act Naturally" by Buck Owens (1963)

As great of a song as “Act Naturally” is, it’s another example of its cultural influence shining even brighter than its quality. It’s the original take of a song written by Johnny Russell (who failed to garner any attention with it at first) that’s gone on to inspire countless cover versions. The best known version, of course, is by the Beatles, showing that country music could appeal to outside popular culture for more than just its backward, incorrect stereotypes of Southern culture. There’s naturally going to be (and already has been) a lot of pining for nostalgia on this list, and justifiably so. But the other key driver to country music’s success is knowing where to turn for the future. “Act Naturally” wasn’t the first song to showcase Buck Owens’s trademark Bakersfield Sound to the country music public, but it’s certainly one of his best known ones. ZK

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