What Is The Greatest Country Music Song Of All Time?

Those who know Fred know:

 

There's one country song that has an entire book written about it: "He Stopped Loving Her Today."

 

One of my “Greatest”

 

The vocal melody on "Rose Colored Glasses" verses is about as pretty and unusual as I've heard. Seems the power of many country songs is the vulnerability of the lyric and being brave enough to share it.

 

"Folsom Prison Blues"

 

A couple more contenders from Hank:



My Heart Would Know

 

And another gem ~



"Together Again" and "I Don't Care" are two other ballots for Buck.

Buck Owens I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)

 

And, of course, "A Satisfied Mind." Myriad great versions ('cause it's just a great song).

 

I can't pick one. If I could it would definitely be something from Hank Williams.

 

Written by Bobby Braddock., the youngest person ever elected to the Country Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He's the father of my friend, Lauren Braddock, who's a talented singer/songwriter in her own right (she just released an EP a couple of weeks ago).
.

 

"Gentle on my mind" -John Hartford.

 

I like this one.

 

JMO, "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson (1971) a country/pop crossover smash hit.

Here's a live performance from Hee Haw.

 

Going into the golden era of the nineties, Hugh Prestwood’s “The Song Remembers When” is pure poetry set to music. Originally given to Kathy Mattea, who recorded it but never released it, the song became a signature tune for the incomparable Trisha Yearwood.

 

If We Make It Through December

 

He certainly does. For my money the greatest country songwriter of all time. Ironically this one was written by Snuff Garrett and John Durill, but Merle delivers it like no one else could.

 

I'm a huge country music fan. I can't pick the greatest song but when people who are unfamiliar with country music ask me for recommendations, I always start with "The Cold Hard Facts of Life" by Porter Wagoner (written by Bill Anderson). The ending is the best ending to a country song ever in my opinion.

If they like that one, I direct them to the sequel, "The First Mrs. Jones". Bill Anderson was a sicko, LOL.

 

Ween - Piss up a rope

 

El Paso by Marty Robbins. Never heard one to best it!

 

It's pretty tough to beat "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". Hank has a few contenders for the crown, but I wouldn't nominate "Lovesick Blues" because I think it's very derivative of the earlier Rex Griffin version. Even if Hank didn't write the lyrics to "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry" (though he may have), it's very much his song.

Besides that obvious one, I'd like to mention two others that I really like:

1st:

The Carter Family -- "John Hardy was a Desperate Little Man":

 

..and 2nd:

Lacy J. Dalton -- "16th Avenue":

 

To me, Crazy isn't really a country song. It's more of an old-school pop torch song.

 

for me, Your Cheatin' Heart s the first one the springs to my mind

 

A lot of country songs are also torch songs. They're not mutually exclusive. I don't think of "Crazy" as a pop song, though.

 

If you come across me in a honky tonk bar ,then do not play this song