What In Your Opinion Is The Greatest Ever Country Song

[George Rozak]

John Wesley Ryles "Kay" has always been ONE of my favorites.

I'll second that one Rick.

I'd put Red Foley's "Old Shep" at the top of my list too. I know several people who refuse to listen to it because of the emotions it stirs up in them.

[Larry Baker]

I have to go with 2 songs, both by Vince Gill.
1. Go rest high on that mountain
2. Which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn as performed on R.F.D. TV's Family Renuion show. Great song. Larry

[Tom Stolaski]

Mama Hated Diesels

[Brett Day]

For me, it's hard to tell because I've heard so many great country songs in my life. One song that really makes me stop and listen is a song that country singer Mark Wills recorded called "Don't
Laugh at Me" because as a guy with cerebral palsy, I've been laughed at and made fun of because of cerebral palsy, but I now have a lot of wonderful friends in the Steel Guitar World!
Brett

[Jaclyn Jones]

I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In Bed While I Cry Over You

I think it was Jimmy Dickens. You don't get more country.

[Mark Lavelle]

I thought Steve Goodman already settled this.

"You've Never Even Called Me by My Name"

+1 with a bullet!

[Bill Moran]

There are so many great songs but this one rates at or near the top. She Sure Looks Good in Black. Daryle Singletary.
Never released as a single !!
Don't know the steeler. Franklin, more than likely. Could be Mike Johnson. Here it is. ENJOY.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iGO4zZv7b8

[Ben Rubright]

Put Bobby Flores on fiddle, Dicky Overbey on steel, and make it a SHUFFLE, and then.... Bobby, Johnny Bush, Darrell McCall, Justin Trevino, Jake Hooker, Amber Digby, Dottie Jack, Heather Myles, Leona Williams...... can make anything my favorite.

As President Eisenhower once said, "To enumerate is to omit", therefore, the above is NOT intended to be a complete list.

[Alan Miller]

When it was first released I heard George Jones sing the the first three words of "He stopped loving her today",my senses exploded and by the time he had sung the first line my neck hairs were standing on end and I thought Oh my goodness that is a great great country song, you just knew the rest of the song was going to be awesome.

If I was forced to pick just one song ever that would be it for me, but imho no one else but George could possibly sing this....( cant think of anyone else who has recorded it successfully ) without George there are great lyrics but he breathes life into them.

[Theresa Galbraith]

Miranda's "House That Built Me" is pretty great!
My guess is the greatest hasn't been written yet..

[David Griffin]

"Sunday Morning Comin'Down" or dang near anything else by Kristofferson. The man can't sing a lick(like me! ),but he sure can write!

[Dan Hatfield]

There are so many, but the first one that jumped in my head is "You Don't Know Me", penned by the great lady of song writing, Cindy Walker.

[Jesse Adams]

My favorite's gotta be Wayne hancock's Thunderstorms and Neon Signs. that song is one of the reasons I took up steel!

[Steve Becker]

Two great contemporary tunes that come to mind are:

When I think About Cheating- Gretchen Wilson
When I call Your Name- Vince Gill

[Rick Campbell]

Two great contemporary tunes that come to mind are:

When I think About Cheating- Gretchen Wilson
When I call Your Name- Vince Gill

+1 for "When I Think About Cheating" one of the few country songs I've heard in the last several years that have any substance to them. I like Vince, but to me his stuff all starts to sound alike after awhile. Another good one of this era is Leann Womack's "Am I The Only Thing You've Done Wrong" and a little older but Ty England's "Don't Tell Mama I Was Drinking" was a good one. Also, the TX people keep turning them out. Justin Trevino wrote and recorded "Don't Leave The Leaving Up To Me" super song, and Curtis Potter's "Let Me Love In Peace" It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite. Jimmy Dicken's "She Always Got What She Wanted",Dolly's "I Wish I Felt This Way At Home", and Paycheck's "Memories of A Memory" would be in the top ten though.

[Kelly Hydorn]

I kinda like Johnny Paychecks "For A Minute There" and George Jones version of "Blue side of Lonesome" Course if it doesn't have a steel gitar in the song somewhere, it ain't country anyway!!!

[Joe Miraglia]

Here in the UK, not much "Country Music" is played on the BBC, on a daily basis.

Dunne Eddy was just picking songs on the BBC Radio 2 Morning Programme. One of the songs he picked was: -
"He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones.

A few years ago there was a live show in Nashville, where the top 100 Country Songs were played, as voted by folks.

"He Stopped Loving Here Today" was No2 and George was there to sing it.

No1 was "Stand By Your Man", by Tammy Wynett.

What is you favourite country song of all time?

JR

He Stopped Loving Her Today,great song. I think there wasn't a steel guitar on the recording?That says something .
If some pop singer had sang it ,would it have been called Country?
My favourite- that would be like trying to pick my favourite steel guitar player,that would be hard to do. I might say "Look At Us" I loved that song, and I know there was a steel guitar on it . I'll add, one of my favourite steel guitar players.Joe

[Rick Trolinger]

One of my favorite country songs is "Just Someone I Used to Know". It is an excellent song to for a male/female duo to show off their harmony. Here are two of many that have recorded this great song.

Rick

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qt_ixpI ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXr7JoK7 ... re=related

[Alan Miller]

Hi Joe , although the steel was minimal in Georges" He stopped loving her today" it was in there played by Pete Drake, great session player, he knew when,what and when not to play....and importantly for future work play what the producer wants which was not to much at that time as Billy Sherrill was into strings and things.

Tom Jones recorded "He stopped loving her today" in the 90s but he absolutely ruined it, compare it to a high speed train derailment it was that bad.
I was pleased it wasn't promoted as Tom Jones goes country......no he sang it with the same powerful voice as all his other songs such as 'whats new pussycat"?

[John A. Russell]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the thread.

How Are Songs Written
I have been very blessed in meeting a Country Music song writer, who told me personally how songs that he wrote came about. One such song was called "My Infinite Love"

My friend "Billy Yates" wrote two George Jones massive hits and one song that George Strait recorded.

Billy and his wife Nancy had a friend called "Annette Grosberg"
Billy says, she was always giving him ideas for songs, all which were terrible.

On day she called him and told him that she was dying of "Cancer" and that there was nothing that could be done for her. She said "Billy, will you write a song for my funeral?"
Billy did write a song with a buddy. It was based on a letter written by Annette to her family, which she had ended "With Infinite Love".

Billy sat on her bed and sang it to her and her family before she died. Billy said that Annette was always fun loving and said "Do You Think We Will Get Rich?"
She asked that if the song was a hit, could her third of any royalties go to the work of the organisations that had helped her through her cancer.
Billy said the song would never be a hit and that he had written it just for her.

Billy did sing the song over her open coffin at her funeral and a year or so later, George Strait included it on his Honkytonksville CD. Track 13.

My friends. That is what Country music is. Songs about people.

Kindest regards

John