"New" Country Classics

[Ed Iarusso]

We all know of plenty of country classics from the 60', 70's and 80's by the likes of Twitty, Haggard, Jones, Pardon to name a few but how about the last ten or fifteen years. What are some songs that might be considered "classics". I'm kinda hard pressed to name some and I am a fan of "some" the the "modern country". I'm a big fan of Jackson, Strait, Paisly to name a few. What do you all think.
Ed

[Charles Davidson]

Ed,I have a post here on the music section similar to yours,I am hard pressed to think of a song be it country,pop, rock,or whatever,that I would call a classic,the old songs that have stood the test of time,in every type of music,like Stardust,Cheating Heart,Folsom Prison,Johnny Be Goode,Harbor Lights,Spanish Eyes,etc,Can you think of ANYTHING in the last few years that will still be around,40,50,or 60 years from now ? I can't. DYKBC.

[Alvin Blaine]

Here are a few songs that have been out for the past 15 or 16 years. Most of these are pretty much played in many of the clubs and bands I work with. Most of them have been over played to the point that I wish they would kind of go away.
I'm not sayin' they are all "Classics", but most are now standards on many honkytonk bandstands.

"Don't Rock The Jukebox" (This one is was song of the year 16 years ago)
"Chattahoochee"
"Murder On Music Row"
"It's Five O’clock Somewhere"
"How Do You Like Me Now? "
"Should've Been a Cowboy"
"Carrying Your Love With Me"
"Write This Down"
"I Just Want To Dance With You"
"Check Yes Or No"
"Give It Away"
"Wrapped Around"
"Whiskey Lullaby"
"Don't Take the Girl"
"I Like It, I Love It"
"Live Like You Were Dying"
"It's Your Love"
"Just To See You Smile"
"Neon Moon"
"Boot Scootin' Boogie"
"My Maria" (Yes this was a B&D remake of an old song)
"Only in America" (This one has already been used as a theme song for 3 presidential races)
"A Thousand Miles from Nowhere"
"Fast as You"
"You Don't Even Know Who I Am"
"Blue"
"How Do I Live"
"Never Again, Again"
"I Hope You Dance"
"A Little Past Little Rock"
"I May Hate Myself in the Morning"
"Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy"
"Cadillac Ranch"
"Life Is a Highway"
"Unbelievable"
"Beautiful Mess"
"Bubba Hyde"
"Mirror, Mirror"
"What Was I Thinkin'"
"Lot of Leavin' Left to Do"
"Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)"
"Wide Open Spaces"
"Tonight the Heartache's on Me"
"Cowboy Take Me Away"
"Goodbye Earl"
"Travelin' Soldier"
"Redneck Woman"
"Here for the Party"
"When I Think About Cheatin'"
"Long Black Train"
"Your Man"
"Would You Go with Me"
"Firecracker"
"Brokenheartsville"
"What's a Guy Gotta Do"
"Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off"
"The Whiskey Ain't Workin'"
"T-R-O-U-B-L-E"
"It's a Great Day to Be Alive"
"Papa Loved Mama"
"The River"
"Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)"
"American Honky-Tonk Bar Association"
"Callin' Baton Rouge"
"The Beaches of Cheyenne"
"Longneck Bottle"
"Two Piña Coladas"
"Wild Horses"
"Good Ride Cowboy"
"Bubba Shot the Jukebox"
"Goin' Through the Big D"
"Gonna Get a Life"
"It's a Little Too Late"
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
"Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous"
"Watermelon Crawl"
"The Keeper of the Stars"
"Heaven in My Woman's Eyes"
"I'm from the Country"
"Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo"
"Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)"
"Third Rock from the Sun"
"Pickup Man"
"Next Thing Smokin'"
"Honky Tonk Attitude"
“God Blessed Texas”
"Three Wooden Crosses"
"No News"
"Amazed"
"Smile"
"What About Now"
"I'm Already There"

[Per Kammersgaard]

What makes a song a classic? Well back when I started listening to country, it was the kind of song, that all the major stars recorded as albumtracks, after it had been a hit for somebody else. Just think how many times some of Kristoffersons early songs was recorded. Many of those are considered classics today. But since Garth Brooks came on the scene in the late 80,s, things changed. No-one records other folks recent hits - they pack their albums with new songs, that you'll probably never hear again.
I can't think of one song from the last 20 years, that I would call a country classic.

[Charles Davidson]

Alvin,some of those songs you listed are good songs,and are still being played by cover bands,I was thinking along the line of songs that have come out in the last four or five years,When I think of a classic song,it's one that's still popular and recognized by the public even 50 or 60 years or longer after they were written,in all styles,the old big band songs,songs written by Hank Sr.even a simple tune like Johnny Be Goode has passed the test of time,It's true some of this stuff that artist today are making millions of dollars on,artist like Rascal Flatts,Big and Rich,Montgomery Gentry,I really doubt that 30,40,or 50 years from now if anyone will even remember who these people were.wonder how long it will take for Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey,Glenn Miller,Patsy Cline,Hank Williams,Frank S.[old blue eyes]Mr. Welk,etc will become unknown.In the country field,I can't think of ONE in the top twenty today,that will stand the test of time,DYKBC.

[Carl Morris]

I realize this is getting beaten to death on the radio as I type, and taste is a personal thing, but I like Jamey Johnson and I think that "In Color" is pretty close to a modern classic. I admit the the chord sequence is closer to rock & roll, though...the song makes me want to segue into a verse of Gun's & Roses "Sweet Child O' Mine" just to mess with people .

[Ed Iarusso]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. There's many, many songs that I liked that have "hit the charts" in the past dozen years or so but not very many that will stand the test of time down the road. Does this say something about the state of country music over that time? I don't know. Maybe only more time will tell.
Thanks to all who have replied and will.
Ed

[Rick Campbell]

The question is about classic country songs.

"Johnny Be Goode" is NOT a country song. Chuck Berry 1958 Rock and Roll. According to Rolling Stone magazine, it's the seventh greatest song of all time.

I don't know what the other six are, probably something by Darius Rucker.