A Country Music Conversation: Sirius Top 1000 Country Songs of All Time, #870-#861

Another ten entries on a list that has too much Florida Georgia Line and not enough Dixie Chicks.  This section has both.

#870

Florida Georgia Line, “Stay”

#1 | 2013

JK: Nah, I’m good. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

KJC:  It goes Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs > David Bowie > Sugarland > Shakespear’s Sister > Four Seasons > Rihanna > [All the other songs called “Stay”] >>>>> Florida Georgia Line.   So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

BF: Florida Georgia Line proves that they can suck at serious songs just as bad as at party songs. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

#869

Marty Robbins, “Don’t Worry”

#1 | 1961

KJC:  A smooth vocal from Robbins gives so much nuance to the delivery of the title here that it works as well as a statement of confidence as it does as a masquerade of deep despair.  About Right

JK: Robbins is one of the genre’s finest vocalists; this isn’t my favorite song he recorded, but he could’ve made Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” at least sound decent. About Right

#868

Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”

#1 | 2007

JK: It’s so easy for songs like this to come across as pandering, and it’s one of Jackson’s singular gifts that his songs in this vein never do. About Right

KJC:  Jackson always scores when he writes about his dad.  This doesn’t have the raw grief that made “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” so viscerally moving, but this reflection from a distance is carried instead by gratitude and admiration.  About Right

#867

Vern Gosdin, “Chiseled in Stone”

#6 | 1988

KJC:  A masterclass in country music songwriting, paired with the perfect vocalist for its delivery.  Too Low

JK: I am always surprised that this stone classic wasn’t a #1 hit. Not just Gosdin’s career-defining record, “Chiseled In Stone” belongs in any serious discussion about country music as an art form. Entirely Too Low

#866

Sara Evans, “Born to Fly”

#1 | 2000

JK: That Ozark drawl has always been far too thick to mask in a pop-diva production: Singles like this are where Evans shines. Too Low

KJC:  A signature song from an underrated artist.  Still sounds great today. About Right

BF: Evans’ finest moment. A coming-of-age classic that imbues just enough detail to create a relatable central character while still allowing just about any listener to see something of himself or herself in the story. It perfectly captures the wide-eyed optimism of a young adult ready to explore her potential in life.  About Right

#865

Brooks & Dunn, “My Next Broken Heart”

#1 | 1991

KJC:  It’s still somewhat shocking just how good the debut album from Brooks & Dunn was.  For an act assembled at a record label boardroom table, their genuine chemistry still shone through.  About Right

JK: I’ve always liked them more as a singles act than an albums one; that’s not a criticism, just an assessment of their relative strengths. Not the best single from their opening run– but what a murderer’s row of hits that was– but this one does belong on the list. Maybe just not quite this high. Too High

#864

Jason Aldean, “Crazy Town”

#2 | 2010

JK: Rewrites a well-worm trope in the broadest and, frankly, dumbest and most artless terms, and performed with Aldean’s typical brand of almost-competence. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

KJC:  This makes Kenny Chesney’s “Big Star” sound like Trisha Yearwood’s “Wrong Side of Memphis.”  So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

BF: Many fine country songs have been written about the pursuit of Nashville stardom. This isn’t one of them. This one is nothing but loud. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

#863

Dixie Chicks, “You Were Mine”

#1 | 1998

KJC:  I do love the Chicks, but this particular record always felt undercooked to me.  I think Maines sings in too low of a register. Wide Open Spaces is way too present on this list, providing four of the seven Chicks entries.  The missing singles from Home and Taking the Long Way should be much higher, so I’d replace this one with a Fly entry.  Too low for “Goodbye Earl,” so I’ll go with “Some Days You Gotta Dance” or “Without You.”  So Wrong (This Song)

JK: I’ll never understand Kevin’s relative antipathy toward Wide Open Spaces; “You Were Mine” was the first single to prove that the Chicks were capable of far more than just pluck and sass. I agree that they’re under-represented on this list, but this ballad belongs here. About Right

#862

Don Williams, “(Turn Out the Light and) Love Me Tonight”

#1 | 1975

JK: I like this single, but I’d also replace it with “If Hollywood Don’t Need You (I Still Do)” if Williams’ hits were a zero-sum game for this list. About Right

KJC:  This is the most polite one night stand invitation I’ve ever heard.  But Williams always was the perfect gentleman. About Right

#861

Craig Morgan, “Bonfire”

#4 | 2009

KJC:  The trend toward obnoxiously loud production doesn’t work in Craig Morgan’s favor here, as his pure hillbilly voice should be accompanied by acoustic instruments and a whole lot of fiddle and steel.  So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

JK: Morgan was the male equivalent to Martina McBride in his era: It seemed like he would bellow and bluster about damn near anything, whether or not it actually made sense to get so worked up. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

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