Every album tries to starts off strong, but it’s usually the second track that convinces you to keep listening to the rest.
What do you think are the best second tracks on albums?
Here’s my list:
- “Straight Tequila Night”, John Anderson (Seminole Wind)
- “Blown Away”, Carrie Underwood (Blown Away)
- “Dry Town”, Miranda Lambert (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
- “Guitars, Cadillacs”, Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.)
- “Let Him Fly”, Patty Griffin (Living With Ghosts)
1. “A Better Man”, Clint Black (Killin Time)
2. “Out of My Bones”, Randy Travis (You and You Alone)
3. “One’s a Couple”, Lee Ann Womack (There’s More Where That Came From)
4. “Only Prettier”, Miranda Lambert (Revolution)
5. “Better Life”, Keith Urban (Be Here)
1. “The Richest Fool Alive”, Patty Loveless (Mountain Soul) – the track that for me, optimises this idea
2. “Aces”, Suzy Bogguss (Aces)
3. “Landslide”, Dixie Chicks (Home)
4. “This Is Me You’re Talking To”, Trisha Yearwood (Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love)
5. “Not That Different”, Colin Raye (I Think About You)
BONUS: “You and Me”, Sara Watkins (Sun Midnight Sun)
1. Jennifer Nettles – “Me Without You” (That Girl)
2. Suzy Bogguss – “Aces” (Aces)
3. Hal Ketchum – “Mama Knows the Highway” (Sure Love)
4. Mary Chapin Carpenter – “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” (Come On Come On)
5. The Western Swing Authority – “One of Us Is Lying” (Now Playing)
1. “High Cost of Living”, Jamey Johnson (That Lonesome Song)
2.”From a Table Away”, Sunny Sweeney (Concrete)
3.” Platinum” Miranda Lambert (Platinum)
4. “Sinners Like Me”, Eric Church (Sinners Like Me)
5.”I’m Gonna Miss Her” Brad Paisley (Part II)
I usually love the 3rd songs from albums, but I did find five #2 songs
1. Seven Year Ache – Rosanne Cash (Seven Year Ache album)
2. Back On My Mind Again – Ronnie Milsap (Only One Love In My Life album)
3. If You Ever Change Your Mind – Crystal Gayle (These Days album)
4. Always The Love Songs – Eli Young Band (Jet Black And Jealous album)
5. Who Wouldn’t Want To Be Me – Keith Urban (Golden Road album)
My five:
1. THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS–Linda Ronstadt (Get Closer)
2. WITCHY WOMAN–The Eagles (Eagles)
3. LOVE HAS NO PRIDE–Linda Ronstadt (Don’t Cry Now)
4. I WAS CRUEL–Caitlin Rose (The Stand-In)
5. I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY–The Eagles (The Long Run)
Alan Jackson – “Small Town Southern Man” (Good Time)
Drew Kennedy – “Ramblin’ Heart” (Dollar Theatre Movie)
Johnny Cash – “Hurt” (American IV)
Randy Houser – “Anything Goes” (Anything Goes)
Rodney Crowell – “Fate’s Right Hand” (Fate’s Right Hand)
1 Guitars, Cadillacs – Dwight Yoakam (Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.)
2 Broke My Heart – David Nail (I’m a Fire)
3 High Cost of Living – Jamey Johnson (That Lonesome Song)
4 A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young – Eric Church (The Outsiders)
5 Can’t Tell Me Nothin’ – Travis Tritt (Strong Enough)
1. If We Ever Make It Home -Wade Bowen (If We Ever Make It Home)
2. Electric Bill -Jason Boland & the Stragglers (Dark & Dirty Mile)
3. If Money Didn’t Matter -Granger Smith (Dirt Road Driveway)
4. Lotta Boot Left to Fill -Eric Church (Carolina)
5. This Old Guitar and Me -Jason Eady (AM Country Heaven)
1. “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her”: Mary Chapin Carpenter (Come On Come On)
2. “Songs For Sale”: David Nail (Sound Of A Million Dreams)
3. “Shine”: Keith Urban (Love, Pain and the whole crazy thing)
4. “Sleepy Little Town”: JT Hodges (JT Hodges)
5. “The Eye”: Brandi Carlile (The Firewatcher’s Daughter)
1. Janie Fricke- I Hurt All Over ( Somebody Else’s Fire)
2. Pam Tillis- Sweethearts Dance (Sweethearts Dance)
3. Kathy Mattea- Whole Lotta Holes (Time Passes By)
4. Emmylou Harris- Tougher Than The Rest (Brand New Dance)
5. Chely Wright- She Went Out For Cigarettes (Single White Female)
1. Good Directions – Billy Currington (Doin’ Somethin’ Right)
2. Run – George Strait (The Road Less Traveled)
3. Rainy Day in June – Alan Jackson (What I Do)
4. Whatever It Is – Zac Brown Band (The Foundation)
5. My Old Friend – Tim McGraw (Live Like You Were Dying)
Am I the only one here realizing that “Guitars, Cadillacs” was the SIXTH song on that album. “It Won’t Hurt” was track two. Both the original LP and any subsequent reissues.
1. One Step Closer – Wade Bowen (Lost Hotel)
2. The Other Side of Abilene – Jason Eady (Daylight/Dark)
3. Golden Shackles – Stoney LaRue (Aviator)
4. Somebody Take Me Home – Randy Rogers Band (RollerCoaster)
5. Broken Heart Tattoos – Ryan Bingham (Fear and Saturday Night)