Ultimate Country
So I think everyone knows I am a huge country music fan. With this in mind, I decided to finally finish my Top 20 must have country music downloads. I started this after I wrote my 1st Blog, but just let it sit forever. Trying to make the list as diverse as possible, each artist is limited to one song on the countdown. (Tim McGraw would have probably been the entire list otherwise.) I think the one guy I left out was Keith Urban, just for the fact he doesn’t have that one single that really stands out, download his live version of You’ll Think of Me if you want a song of his. All these songs are just solid. Without further delay, here is the list, in alphabetical order, with explanations for each song.
1) Alan Jackson – Chatahoochee
Alan Jackson has so many good songs but Chatahoochee just stands out. It is about a kid growing up on a river & all the fun he has. The song is just carefree country fun.
2) Brooks & Dunn – Boot Scootin’ Boogie
You have been living in a cave if you haven’t heard the Boot Scootin’ Boogy. This is another country party classic.
3) Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colors
Dolly is best known for her cans but believe it or not, she can sing. Coat of Many Colors is about being unique & being proud of who you are.
4) Garth Brooks – The Dance
Garth Brooks is Garth Brooks. Some country stations have all Garth weekends & they play all of his hits continuously. I think this song stands out for me personally because it is extremely inspirational. It talks about going through a painful situation but not regretting it because the experience out weighed the pain.
5) George Straight – Check Yes or No
I have just always liked this song a lot. It’s about a guy reminiscing back to the time he met his wife when they were kids. If only love were as simple as Check Yes or No.
6) John Michael Montgomery - Sold (The Grundy
This is all fun. It is about a guy meeting a chick at an auction & just rocks.
7) Joe Diffie - Pick Up Man
Although I have a car, I think everyone knows I am a Chevy Truck guy at heart. Pick Up Man just speaks of the advantages of having a pick up, “I never have to wait in line at the popcorn stand/ cause there's somethin' women like about a pickup man.”
8) John Denver - Thank God I’m A Country Boy (Covered by Billy Dean)
This is all about enjoying the country. John Denver’s version is good, Billy Dean’s cover adds a rock flair to it.
9) Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
It was hard choosing just one Johnny Cash song. You have been living under a rock if you haven’t heard ROF. This is an absolute classic by the greatest country star of them all. “The Taste of Love Is Sweet / When Hearts Like Ours Meet / I Fell For You Like A Child/ Oh, But The fire Went Wild.” He may have fallen in love but the song ends with the perils of love, “& it burns, burns, burns/The ring of Fire/ The ring of fire.”
10) Johny Horton – Battle of
Most country fans haven’t heard of Johny Horton. He sang in the 50’s & 60’s & died in a plane wreck if I remember right. Most of his songs are the story teller types that get to the roots of country music. Although North To Alaska is probably his biggest hit, Battle of New Orleans is my Favorite. It is about the War of 1812 the
11) Kenny Chesney – Don't Happen Twice
I went from hating Chesney to seeing him once & loving his music. What I respect the most about him is that he writes most of his own material. Don’t Happen Twice is about falling in love for the 1st time & how nothing compares to it.
12) Kenny Rogers – The Gambler
“You've got to know/ When to hold 'em,/ Know when to fold 'em/ Know when to walk away,/ Know when to run”. I think everyone has heard this song. When I was a kid, my parents brought me to see Kenny Rogers & I still remember sitting in the stands at the fair singing along.
13) Lee Greenwood – God Bless The
This song still gives me chills whenever I hear it. It made a huge comeback after 9/11 but never went away in my house.
14) Lonestar – Not A Day Goes By
This is a heartfelt song about break ups. If you have ever broken up with someone, this will bring back some emotions.
15) Lynyrd Skynyrd –
Skynyrd really isn’t country but every country cover band does this song. I think it is required or something. In any event, it is just a kick ass song.
16) Rascal Flatts – These Days
This & Tim McGraw’s Angry All the Time are what got me back into country music. This is a song that is on just about every country mix CD I make. It’s a break up song about a guy who runs into the woman he still loves.
17) Reba McEntire – Fancy
This was a controversial song back in the day. It is about a mother sending her daughter out into prostitution to escape poverty.
18) Tim McGraw – Just To See You Smile
I didn’t hear this song until right around the time Red Ragtop came out. It was one I would never forget. Had I ranked this song it would have been #’s 1-5. At 1st listen I thought it was a love song but it is about dealing with a break up. “Yesterday I knew just what you wanted/ when you came walkin' up to me with him/ So I told you that I was happy for you/ & given the chance I'd lie again/ Just to see you smile.”
19) Toby Keith – Should’ve Been A Cowboy
It was a toss up between this & Beer for My Horses but I went for the classic. It is just about living life up so you don’t regret taking a shitty path in life.
20) Trisha Yearwood – She’s In Love With The Boy
I don’t remember when I 1st heard this song but it was always on the radio when I was in my dad’s truck. It is about a girl’s dad disapproving of her boyfriend only to realize he was the same way 20 years earlier.
Like I said before, you can’t go wrong with any of these. I just finished this between studying & I have 2 others I think I am going to finish. One is exclusively Tim McGraw & the other is an interesting one on dating. Until then….
