Top 5 Country Love Songs

Top Lady

1) I Fall to Pieces, Patsy Cline
Aside from showcasing THE great female country voice, this song manages to be painfully emotional without getting pathetic. Plus, we’ve all been there—we don’t have to wonder how Patsy’s going to be just his friend.

2) I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
It’s easy to say “I love you” in a song, but (though he would screw up many, many times after he wrote it) John knew that actions speak louder than words.

3) Always on My Mind, Willie Nelson
And then there’s that bad boyfriend who always screws up…and says he’s sorry. And damn if you don’t go running back every time…

4) Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash (written by June Carter)
As Heart would express less elegantly years later: Love Hurts. The peppy Nashville sound and mariachi trumpets on the most famous recording undercut some pretty emo lyrics, making for an unforgettable song.

5) I’m the Man Who Loves You, Wilco
Is Wilco still an alt-country band? Ah, who cares. Much like “There She Goes” by The La’s, there’s not a gal who hears this song who doesn’t wish it was written about her.

Top Guy

1) I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
It's a beautiful love song, but it tops the list for the innovative click-clack rhythm (achieved through the use of a dollar bill underneath the guitar strings), the unusual chord progression and the the use of five key changes through the song.

2) I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes, Carter Family
This song could make the list on its own merits, but it ranks this high because a radio performance of the song actually led to love. Sara Carter sang the song when the trio had a radio residency in Texas, and her true love, Coy Bayes (who was Sara’s husband A.P. Carter’s cousin, and who was kept away from Sara by the extended family), heard it, drove to Texas and reunited with his love. It’s complicated, but it’s really sweet.

3) Hey, Good Lookin’, Hank Williams
Looking back over Williams’s catalog, I was surprised to see that he didn’t write that many love songs. Most of the songs he wrote about his beloved Audrey were broken-hearted laments such as “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Half as Much” and the saddest song ever written, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Still, a country-music list wouldn’t be complete without Williams, and “Hey, Good Lookin’” is sweet slice of folksy fun.

4) Far Away Eyes, Rolling Stones
Even though the Stones are considered a blues-rock band, they always could write a country song that would make Hank Williams proud. “Far Away Eyes” is a bit of a joke, but it does give hope to all those guys down on their luck who can’t harmonize. They might not get the model, but they can find love with the bleary, worse-for-wear-and-tear girl with…well you know what kind of eyes she’s got.

5) Right In Time, Lucinda Williams
This song is secretly dirty. It seems like an ode to a good man. But it’s really about a good man who’s an even better lover, a man who can match Williams move for move. My favorite part of the song is the knowing “Ohhhhhhh baby” wails before each chorus.