From Hank Williams to Carrie Underwood, country music has produced some of the most emotionally powerful songs in American history. Which track stands above the rest as the greatest country song ever recorded?
1He Stopped Loving Her TodayGeorge Jones' 1980 landmark ballad about undying love, voted the #1 Greatest Country Song of All Time by Grand Ole Opry fans.
2I Will Always Love YouDolly Parton's 1974 farewell anthem written for mentor Porter Wagoner, a timeless declaration of bittersweet love.
3JoleneDolly Parton's 1973 plea to a flame-haired temptress, one of the most immediately recognisable guitar riffs and melodies in country history.
4Ring of FireJohnny Cash's blazing 1963 Mexican-mariachi-horn classic, co-written with June Carter Cash, about the all-consuming power of falling in love.
5CrazyPatsy Cline's 1961 Willie Nelson-penned torch song, considered one of the greatest vocal performances in all of American music.
6Friends in Low PlacesGarth Brooks' 1990 defiant, boot-stomping anthem about rejection and solidarity, still a staple of honky-tonks and stadium crowds worldwide.
7Take Me Home, Country RoadsJohn Denver's 1971 ode to West Virginia, a warm nostalgic anthem that has become a beloved singalong far beyond country audiences.
8Tennessee WhiskeyChris Stapleton's 2015 slow-burn soul-country tour de force, a raw reinvention of a 1983 classic that showcased his extraordinary voice.
9Stand By Your ManTammy Wynette's 1968 controversial yet iconic anthem of devotion, the best-selling country single by a woman for decades.
10The DanceGarth Brooks' 1990 meditation on whether knowing the end of something would stop you from experiencing it, hailed as one of country's greatest ballads.
11Before He CheatsCarrie Underwood's 2005 empowerment anthem about a cheating partner's fate, the defining crossover hit of early 21st-century country.
12Mama TriedMerle Haggard's 1968 autobiographical tale of a son who turned to crime despite his mother's best efforts, a cornerstone of outlaw country.
13Wagon WheelOld Crow Medicine Show's 2004 hitchhiker's ballad built on a Bob Dylan sketch, later given new life in Darius Rucker's 2013 crossover hit.
14JacksonJohnny Cash and June Carter Cash's fiery 1967 duet about a couple whose marriage has gone cold, bursting with wit and chemistry.
15Luckenbach, TexasWaylon Jennings' 1977 back-to-basics outlaw country anthem, calling for simplicity and honesty in a commercialised music world.
16Blue Eyes Crying in the RainWillie Nelson's gently plaintive 1975 cover of a Fred Rose classic that launched his comeback and became one of his signature recordings.
17Need You NowLady A's 2009 midnight-longing duet, one of the best-selling country singles ever and a crossover pop success.
18Family TraditionHank Williams Jr.'s 1979 rowdy autobiography defending his hard-living lifestyle against critics, a defining anthem of Southern rock-country.
19Whiskey LullabyBrad Paisley and Alison Krauss's devastatingly sad 2003 duet about alcoholism and heartbreak, featuring some of country's finest harmonies.
20Live Like You Were DyingTim McGraw's 2004 bucket-list ballad inspired by his father's cancer battle, urging listeners to seize life's fleeting moments.
21Achy Breaky HeartBilly Ray Cyrus's 1992 line-dance phenomenon, one of the most commercially successful — and divisive — country singles of the 1990s.
22Bless the Broken RoadRascal Flatts' 2004 inspirational anthem about how life's detours lead you to where you're meant to be, a wedding-day favourite.
Comments 1
Luckenbach has three buildings and a number-one country single from 1977: https://youpick.best/articles/texas-ranked-many-ways
YP
ypb-teamSep 20
