CMT's 100 greatest songs in country music

[Dooby]

CMT's 100 greatest songs in country music
06/05/2003


Country Music Television's list of the 100 greatest songs in country music, along with the artist who popularized it:

1. "Stand by Your Man" by Tammy Wynette

2. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones

3. "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson

4. "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash

5. "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams

Also Online
CMT picks 100 greatest country music songs

6. "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks

7. "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline

8. "Galveston" by Glen Campbell

9. "Behind Closed Doors" by Charlie Rich

10. "Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" by

Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson

11. "Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe

12. "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait

13. "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn

14. "The Dance" by Garth Brooks

15. "Forever and Ever, Amen" by Randy Travis

16. "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton

17. "Hello Darlin"' by Conway Twitty

18. "Country Roads" by John Denver

19. "Hey Good Lookin"' by Hank Williams

20. "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" by Foggy Bottom Boys

21. "Okie from Muskogee" by Merle Haggard

22. "Wide Open Spaces" by Dixie Chicks

23. "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" by Willie Nelson

24. "The Chair" by George Strait

25. "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

26. "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers

27. "Fancy" by Reba McEntire

28. "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan

Jackson

29. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams Sr.

30. "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack

31. "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash

32. "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell

33. "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson

34. "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeannie C. Riley

35. "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" by Tammy Wynette

36. "Will the Circle be Unbroken" by Carter Family, Nitty

Gritty Dirt Band

37. "King of the Road" by Roger Miller

38. "Breathe" by Faith Hill

39. "Make the World Go Away" by Eddy Arnold

40. "Hello Walls" by Faron Young

41. "Sweet Dreams" by Patsy Cline

42. "El Paso" by Marty Robbins

43. "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker

44. "When I Call Your Name" by Vince Gill

45. "Guitars, Cadillacs" by Dwight Yoakam

46. "Desperado" by the Eagles

47. "Don't Come Home A Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" by

Loretta Lynn

48. "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks & Dunn

49. "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles

50. "Independence Day" by Martina McBride

51. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" by Kitty Wells

52. "On the Other Hand" by Randy Travis

53. "Walking the Floor Over You" by Ernest Tubb

54. "Coat of Many Colors" by Dolly Parton

55. "Act Naturally" by Buck Owens

56. "Mama He's Crazy" by the Judds

57. "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" by Lefty

Frizzell

58. "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" by Charlie Pride

59. "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams Jr.

60. "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill

61. "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams

62. "Don't Rock the Jukebox" by Alan Jackson

63. "Tennessee Waltz" by Patty Page

64. "When You Say Nothing at All" by Alison Krauss

65. "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood

66. "Green, Green Grass of Home" by Porter Wagoner

67. "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw with Faith Hill

68. "There Stands the Glass" by Webb Pierce

69. "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels

70. "Chiseled in Stone" by Vern Gosdin

71. "Don't Toss Us Away" by Patty Loveless

72. "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash

73. "You Are My Sunshine" by Gov. Jimmy Davis

74. "Flowers on the Wall" by Statler Brothers

75. "Strawberry Wine" by Deana Carter

76. "Good Hearted Woman" by Waylon Jennings

77. "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain

78. "My Home's in Alabama" by Alabama

79. "Is There Life Out There" by Reba McEntire

80. "She's in Love With the Boy" by Trisha Yearwood

81. "Smoky Mountain Rain" by Ronnie Milsap

82. "Should've Been a Cowboy" by Toby Keith

83. "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson

84. "Please Remember Me" by Tim McGraw

85. "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes

86. "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" by Freddie Fender

87. "Passionate Kisses" by Mary Chapin Carpenter

88. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" by Gene Autry

89. "Here's a Quarter" by Travis Tritt

90. "He'll Have to Go" by Jim Reeves

91. "Seven Year Ache" by Rosanne Cash

92. "Sunday Morning Coming Down" by Johnny Cash, Kris

Kristofferson

93. "Take this Job and Shove It" by Johnny PayCheck

94. "Something in Red" by Lorrie Morgan

95. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt & Scruggs

96. "I'd Be Better Off in a Pine Box" by Doug Stone

97. "Amazed" by Lonestar

98. "Faded Love" by Bob Wills

99. "Back in the Saddle Again" by Gene Autry

100. "Killin' Time" by Clint Black

[Dooby]

Weird list. Lots of greatness, though. Willie's on there just 4 times, but that is more than anyone else.

[Drbio]

God Bless the USA by Greenwood is too low.

[Ummmmm Ok]

59. "Family Tradition" by Hank Williams Jr.

Thought this one would have been higher!!! I love this song...

28. "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson

I thought this one was a little high, but it might have been because of 9-11.

30. "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack

Don't know why this one broke the top 50.

64. "When You Say Nothing at All" by Alison Krauss

I think her voice is a little too scratchy for my taste, but I think it should have been a little higher than 64.

[MavsFanFinley]

Am I the only one that doesn't care for Stand By Your Man that much??

Give me Patsy Cline any day. Crazy and I Fall To Pieces in the top 10. Not bad, not bad at all.

Where's Beer For My Horses? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[Murphy3]

The dance is too low.
a few years ago, it was voted the greatest American song in the last half of hte 20th century.

these people need to make up their mind

[signoftimes]

I can't believe 'Poncho and Lefty' didn't make the list.

[Ummmmm Ok]

Can't believe Indian Outlaw didn't make it:

-----

I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind

All my friends call me Bear Claw
The Village Cheaftin' is my paw-paw
He gets his orders from my maw-maw
She makes him walk the line

You can find me in my wigwam
I'll be beatin' on my tom-tom
Pull out the pipe and smoke you some
Hey and pass it around

'Cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind

I ain't lookin' for trouble
We can ride my pony double
Make your little heart bubble
Lord, Like a glass of wine

I remember the medicine man
He caught runnin' water in my hands
Drug me around by my headband
Said I wasn't her kind

Cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind

I can kill a deer or buffalo
With just my arrow and my hickory bow
>From a hundred yards don't you know
I do it all the time

They all gather 'round my teepee
Late at night tryin' to catch a peek at me
In nothin' but my buffalo briefs
I got 'em standin' in line

Cause I'm an Indian outlaw
Half Cherokee and Choctaw
My baby she's a Chippewa
She's one of a kind

Cherokee people
Cherokee tribe
So proud to live
So proud to die

[Caliente]

What about Little Sister by Dwight Yoakum and I've Got a Tiger by the Tail by Buck Owens?

[img]i/expressions/musicnote.gif[/img]

[sturm und drang]

Old country = good.

New country = unbelievably atrocious.

Simple as that! People like Faith Hill have NO PLACE amongst the pantheon of greats: Patsy, Willie, Hank Sr.

Also, I can't believe "Elvira" from the Oak Ridge Boys wasn't on the list. That was my first record, and damn if it's not a great song...

[Ummmmm Ok]

OMG I so forgot about Elvira....... Thanks!!!

[Smiles]

This list is a nice read. I'd forgotten about some of the songs... brings to mind a lot of cool memories. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[kg_veteran]

My two cents:

No way a Garth Brooks song should be in the Top 10.

No way that Foggy Bottom Boys song should be in the Top 20.

There should be more Johnny Cash and George Strait on this list.

[Dooby]

No way a Garth Brooks song should be in the Top 10.

Totally disagree. You cannot deny the impact that "Friends in Low Places" had on the music (not just country) scene. No. 1 overall album for a long time; no. 1 country record for like forever. The combined impact of "Friends in Low Places" and "Smells like Teen Spirit" destroyed the Top 40 Radio format and it took 5 years for it to recover. And I don't like Garth Brooks much, either.

No way that Foggy Bottom Boys song should be in the Top 20.

Totally agree. Gimmick song by gimmick band. Never got substantial airplay.

[Drbio]

Not that I am for the song or anything, but isn't it by the Soggy Bottom Boys...not Foggy?

[MFFL]

5. "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams
19. "Hey Good Lookin"' by Hank Williams
29. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams Sr.
61. "Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams

Only four songs by Hank Williams? Dang it.

[signoftimes]

95. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt & Scruggs

Why didn't they add the theme song to the Beverly Hillbillies

[kg_veteran]

Totally disagree. You cannot deny the impact that "Friends in Low Places" had on the music (not just country) scene. No. 1 overall album for a long time; no. 1 country record for like forever. The combined impact of "Friends in Low Places" and "Smells like Teen Spirit" destroyed the Top 40 Radio format and it took 5 years for it to recover. And I don't like Garth Brooks much, either.

I thought it was 100 greatest songs, not 100 most popular. If this is the criteria, the Macarena should be in the Top 10 of Pop and Dance All-Time Lists.

If I had the time, I could CERTAINLY come up with 10 songs better than Friends in Low Places. That's my criteria.

[u2sarajevo]

Where is the "well put a boot in their ass it's the American way...." song? [img]i/expressions/moon.gif[/img]

Edit: adding sarcastic emoticon.

[kg_veteran]

That song is entitled, "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)." Don't see it making this list.

[u2sarajevo]

Sorry kg.. My previous post should have had a moon at the end of it. I will edit it to make it look right.

[Murphy3]

Garth Brooks helped push country music more towards pop..but, he still had alot of country music in him.

Unfortunately, most "country" singers of today have little to do with country music.

Friends in low places
and
the dance

they both definitely belong.. plus a couple others

[Hitman]

What about "Something Like That" by Tim McGraw

Any song that includes the line "I had a barbeque stain on white tee shirt" is legendary.

[Murphy3]

tim mcgraw had some decent songs..but he's quickly turning into garbage

[Caliente]

I can't believe they left off "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" by David Allen Cole
" You don't have to call me Darlin', Darlin'...

[img]i/expressions/musicnote.gif[/img]

[kg_veteran]

Originally posted by: Murphy3
Garth Brooks helped push country music more towards pop..but, he still had alot of country music in him.

Unfortunately, most "country" singers of today have little to do with country music.

Friends in low places
and
the dance

they both definitely belong.. plus a couple others

I think Garth's songs should be on the list, just not in the Top 10.