A Country Music Conversation: Sirius Top 1000 Country Songs of All Time, #590-#581

Weak early efforts from great artists weigh down this section of the list.

 

#590

George Jones, “The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)”

#3 | 1985

JK: Not Jones’ best single, but certainly a far sight better than a lot of its competition from that era. Too High

KJC:  If that title isn’t enough to jog your memory, this is the “hotter than a two dollar pistol” song.  It’s a throwback to the sound of his early records, and must’ve sounded so refreshing alongside the final days of the wan pop crossover era.  Too High

 

#589

Carrie Underwood, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me”

#2 | 2006

KJC:  I will go to bat for all three of the #1 country singles from Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood’s debut album.  This, however, was the forgettable filler single between “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats.”  It’s a fine performance, but with so many better Underwood records on the list, its presence is completely unnecessary and bewilderingly high. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

JK: And I’ll say “Some Hearts” was the best single off her debut. Even finding out a few years ago that Morgane Stapleton co-wrote this dreck wasn’t enough to change my mind about it. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

 

#588

George Strait, “Fool Hearted Memory”

#1 | 1982

JK: Like far too much of Strait’s material, this settles for being one standard deviation above the mean when it comes to radio fodder, but it’s hardly great on its own merit. He’s over-represented on this list, so this one’s an easy cut. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

KJC: George Strait’s first #1 single is pleasant enough, but it’s really only a notable record because it’s his first #1 single.  So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

 

#587

Ray Charles with Willie Nelson, “Seven Spanish Angels”

#1 | 1984

KJC:  Willie Nelson had so many great collaborative records in the eighties, and this might be the coolest of all of them.  About Right

JK: I just love this record. Would love to see Charles mentioned at least a couple more times on this countdown, but this inclusion made my heart happy. About Right

 

#586

Easton Corbin, “All Over the Road”

#3 | 2013

JK: Distracted driving ain’t cute, pal. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

KJC:  Dude tries to talk his way out of a ticket by blaming the “pretty little mess” in the passenger seat.  It’s a testament to Corbin’s charm as a singer that this doesn’t come off as terrible as it could have, but it has no business on this list.  So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

 

#585

Brooks & Dunn, “Lost and Found”

#6 | 1992

KJC: They didn’t need to include all five singles from Brand New Man. This should be replaced by the best Kix Brooks lead vocal hit, “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” which was left off entirely.  So Wrong (This Song)

JK: What Kevin said, verbatim. So Wrong (This Song)

 

#584

Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”

#18 | 2006

JK: Look, it’s not like Tom Cochrane’s original rendition of this song is some untouchable classic; it was a slightly edgier variation on Bryan Adams’ MOR pop. But my God, is this cover just wretched and shrill and soulless. My favorite film critic, Walter Chaw, likes to point out how baffling it is that people use, “it’s just for kids,” as a defense for something of shitty quality that’s marketed toward children. Here’s Exhibit A. So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

KJC:  A Kids Bop cover.  Nothing more, nothing less.  So Wrong (Doesn’t Belong)

 

#583

Travis Tritt, “Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)”

#2 | 1991

KJC:  I’m trying to think of a better country kiss off line than this one. Like, a single one in the history of country music.  I can’t name one.  They got it right by ranking “Anymore” even higher than this, but I’d still bump this one up a few notches.  Too Low

JK: Oh, I’d have this one in the top 200 or so, and there really isn’t a better kiss-off line in country music. Pity that references to pay phones make so little sense now. Too Low

 

#582

Brennen Leigh, “Saginaw, Michigan”

LP Cut | 2015

JK: I really like Brennen Leigh’s album of Lefty Frizzell covers: I even had it on my ballot for our year-end feature. And I love the idea that a woman with limited name recognition made this list. But to quote the late, great Amy Winehouse: What kind of fuckery is this? So Wrong (This Song)

KJC:  I’m not even passing judgment on the worth of Brennen Leigh’s cover of “Saginaw, Michigan.”  There’s simply no excuse for this version being in the top 600 and the Lefty Frizzell classic not being on the list at all.  So Wrong (This Song)

 

#581

LeAnn Rimes, “I Need You”

#8 | 2000

KJC:   If nothing else, “I Need You” demonstrated how Rimes had grown as a vocalist. It’s not nearly as good a song as “How Do I Live,” but it’s a much better record than the Rimes version of “Live” from three years earlier. But I still wouldn’t put it “I Need You” on this list.  Swap it out for “What I Cannot Change” or “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way.”  So Wrong (This Song)

JK: Rimes emerged as one of my favorite artists of this century… starting with the album she released after this one. This is a caterwauled mess of a song. “Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way” would be my first choice to replace this one, but most any single she released from 2003 onward would be better. So Wrong (This Song)

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