What Is The Greatest Country Music Song Of All Time?

Cup Of Lonliness by George Jones
Or maybe Dreaming My Dreams With You by Waylon Jennings
Probably Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Did I mention I'm single?

 

You clap hands and I'll start howlin'
We'll do all the law's allowin'
Tomorrow I'll be right back plowin'
Settin' the woods on fire

 

Yes.

 

The Ride - David Allan Coe

There's so many good ones of course, but this one always sticks with me.

 

Since this is obviously an absurd question, I'll just pick one which I think is pretty damn good.

Curtis Potter & Darrell McCall - Fraulein

 

Me and Bobby McGee

 

love Willie & Merle's version!

 

Country Roads-John Denver

 

Impossible to pick one but if I had to:
The Window Up Above - George Jones

My 12 runners up include:
Whiskey Bent and Hellbound - Hank Williams Jr
We Had It All - Waylon Jennings
Pancho And Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash
San Antone Rose - Ernst Tubb & Texas Troubadors
Tall Dark Stranger - Buck Owens
The Back Row - Jerry Lee Lewis
Some Told My Story - Merle Haggard
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
Hickory Wind - Gram Parsons
One Of These Days - Emmy Lou Harris
Nothing But The Wheel - Patty Loveless

 

I can't pick one, but in the spirit of the thread, this is a pretty great one, excuse the long (but great) intro, he starts around the 8 minute mark...

Spoiler

Vince Gill solo performing "It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long

 

a "name every country song ever written" thread....i'll bite.....

okie from muskogie

 

But there's no real "twang" in it. I honestly don't hear any "country" in it whatsoever.

 

I've got that album on CD, although I'd choose Truck Driving' Man or Truck Stop Rock. It's a great album. Cost me a lot as it's an import, but worth every penny. Had it for over 20 years now. My mate had the vinyl album back in the 70's, I think it came out in '72.

 

Another Loretta classic:

Coal Miner's Daughter

 

Whichever one it is there's a good chance Kris Kristopherson wrote it.

 

Me and Bobby McGee - Kristofferson.
Boulder to Birmingham - Emmylou
I Walk the Line - That Man in Black

 

Tom T Hall

 

More Country Pop, but the theme rings home for me.

Johnny Lee Looking For Love

 

"I'm so lonesome I could cry" would be a lot of people's pick - and I got no problem with that at all. Not my favorite Hank tune, but I get it.

No problem at all with "Coal Miner's Daughter" - very strong contender

No problem with a George song, I'd pick "The Grand Tour"

Could almost go with "Coat of many colors" meaningful, sincere, original and fully covers the most universal theme that defines the genre: being really poor. Demerits for no loneliness, cheating, drinking, or prison.

"Ode to Billie Joe" - a real dark horse, but I could see it. Supremely original; swampy, but folky groove; strong, mysterious, involving story; flat out perfect performance. Peaked at #1 billboard hot 100, #7 easy listening, #8 R&B, #17 country. I'll leave it up to you to draw your own explanation for those numbers, but fact is it was enormously popular and has sustained that popularity over many, many years.

In case you can't tell, I'm finding it hard to pick a single song here.

 

I know ... another movie tune, but it's the great Jerry Reed!

Jerry Reed - East Bound And Down

 

When I Stop Dreaming, by the Louvin Brothers.

 

"Sally G" by The Wings

 

This is the one.

 

LA Freeway- Guy Clark