- 7 weeks ago
Get ready to feel all the feels with some of country music’s most heart-wrenching tunes. From tales of love lost and grief to stories of hardship and hope, these songs capture the rawest emotions through unforgettable lyrics and soulful performances. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the genre or just discovering its depth, these classics will strike a chord deep in your heart.
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00:00He stopped loving her today
00:02Welcome to Ms. Mojo
00:07And today we're counting down our picks for those country songs
00:10that will forever tug upon even the toughest heartstrings
00:14I don't wanna play out
00:16I know it can be fun
00:21Number 10. Holes in the Floor of Heaven
00:24Steve Warner
00:26The decision to approach any kind of song
00:36with this level of laid bare sentimentality
00:38doesn't appeal to every listener
00:40That said, those country music fans
00:42possessing an appreciation for old-fashioned weepers
00:45should have a lot to love-slash-cry about
00:48with holes in the floor of heaven
00:50This tune from notable country songwriter Steve Warner
00:53details a double shot of tragedy
00:56as the protagonist describes his sorrow
00:58concerning the deaths of his grandmother and wife
01:01But there's holes in the floor of heaven
01:05And your tears are pouring down
01:09These depressing tales are juxtaposed
01:11against the otherwise happy day
01:13of the protagonist's daughter's wedding
01:15In the end, however, it's this close familial bond
01:19between father and daughter
01:20that allows the finale of Holes in the Floor of Heaven
01:23to come to a bittersweet conclusion
01:25Number 9. Go rest high on that mountain
01:36Vince Gill
01:37The deaths of a loved one
01:46can sometimes serve as inspirational incidents
01:49a means for us as people
01:50to create something meaningful in tribute
01:52to those we've lost
01:53It took the death of Vince Gill's half-brother
01:56to push the singer-slash-songwriter
01:58into finishing a tune he had originally started
02:00in the wake of another friend's passing
02:02country singer Keith Whitley
02:04Go rest high on that mountain feels like a eulogy
02:07because it is one
02:08while the third verse
02:10which was added by Gill during a Christmas live show
02:12in 2019
02:13lent the song a strong ecclesiastical bent
02:17One doesn't need to be religious
02:27in order to enjoy this song, however
02:29since Go rest high on that mountain
02:31is just a simple and heartfelt ballad
02:33Number 8. Travelin' Soldier
02:43The Chicks
02:44The cultural backlash against the group
02:53then known as the Dixie Chicks
02:55hadn't yet occurred back when they released
02:57this single in 2002
02:59Travelin' Soldier was originally written
03:01and recorded by Bruce Robeson in 1996
03:04before receiving another spin
03:06via a Thai-England version in 1999
03:09The Chicks and their record label
03:18believed enough to release this take
03:20on Travelin' Soldier as a single, however
03:22a decision which reaped creative
03:24and commercial dividends
03:25Their version of Travelin' Soldier
03:27is seen today by many fans
03:29as the definitive edition
03:30a sad song about a Vietnam-era soldier
03:33whose only place of remembrance
03:35is within the heart and mind
03:36of his young pen pal
03:37Number 7. She thinks his name was John
03:49Reba McIntyre
03:50The world of country music radio
04:00has historically speaking
04:01been a generally conservative place
04:03with a lot of old guard gatekeeping
04:05going on with regards to approved content
04:08This attitude hasn't only affected
04:10country newcomers
04:11but also established stars
04:13like Reba McIntyre
04:14whose 1994 single
04:16She Thinks His Name Was John
04:18was initially faced with some pushback
04:20on the airwaves
04:21This was despite the tune's
04:30otherwise traditional way
04:31of telling a story
04:32that of a woman dying
04:33from tragic disease
04:35The only difference here was
04:36the protagonist of
04:37She Thinks His Name Was John
04:39happens to be suffering from AIDS
04:41while the song's release date
04:42still had to battle against
04:44certain outmoded ways
04:45of public perception
04:47She Thinks His Name Was John
04:52Number 6. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
04:58Hank Williams
04:59He sounds too blue to fly
05:04The legacy of Hank Williams
05:08justifiably sits near the very apex
05:10of definitive country music voices
05:12a day one pick for the genre's
05:14Mount Rushmore
05:15This is thanks to songs like
05:17I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
05:19a song that works not in spite of
05:21but due to its simplicity
05:22It's a song where the lyrics speak
05:24directly to the listener like poetry
05:26of universal melancholy and sadness
05:29To hide its face and cry
05:34Meanwhile, the Pleasant Valley boys
05:38back up Williams with some beautiful fiddle
05:40and steel guitar
05:41to counterpoint the singer's laid back
05:44but hugely influential delivery
05:46It's perfectly classic sounding stuff
05:49I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
05:54Number 5. Whiskey Lullaby
05:58Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss
06:01What is it about the voice of modern bluegrass icon Alison Krauss
06:13that makes it such a perfect fit for melancholy?
06:16This collaboration with Brad Paisley evokes memories of Krauss's own work with her group Union Station
06:22As Whiskey Lullaby tells a story of adultery and one's relationship with alcohol
06:27The tune benefits from a video that presents the lyrics in a manner that feels sad, stark, and dramatized
06:33A story of broken promises and undying regrets
06:43Meanwhile, the musical arrangements of Whiskey Lullaby
06:47underline the song's intrinsic worth as a tearjerker
06:50leaving not a soul unmoved by the end
06:53While the angels say the whiskey lover
06:57La la la la la la la
07:00Number 4. Concrete Angel
07:03Martina McBride
07:04Nobody knows what she's holding back
07:11The subject matter of Concrete Angel by Martina McBride is difficult to stomach
07:16and this goes double for the video clip that accompanied the song's release as a single
07:21McBride's song describes in harrowing detail the injustices of childhood abuse
07:26while the video places disturbing pictures against the song's achingly sad melodies
07:31A fragile soul caught in the hands of faith
07:36Concrete Angel, sadly, isn't a song with any answers as to why some young people are forced to suffer so much in this world
07:44One thing's for sure, however
07:46and that's how this song still feels absolutely heartbreaking
07:49regardless of whether or not one happens to be a parent
07:52She's loud
07:54Concrete Angel
07:58Number 3. Stand By Your Man
08:02Tammy Wynette
08:03Sometimes it's hard to be a woman
08:08What is it about the voice of Tammy Wynette that brings us to tears?
08:14Maybe it's her inflection or her ability to express herself with an approachably emotional resonance
08:19Whatever her magic was, there was indescribable passion present on Stand By Your Man
08:24that allowed for this song to transcend the pop charts to inhabit a sad space all its own
08:30When nights are cold and lonely
08:33Stand by your man
08:36Critical analysis of Stand By Your Man also dares to ask questions of its audience
08:41For example, is it tragic if a protagonist sticks by a man who doesn't deserve her?
08:47Or are we affected by Wynette's performance based solely on how she sings this song
08:51rather than what she's expressing in the lyrics?
08:54Either way, Stand By Your Man has something to say
08:57Stand By Your Man
09:02Number 2. Crazy
09:07Patsy Cline
09:08It's perhaps the most obvious pick on this list
09:19but sometimes those choices also happen to be the correct ones
09:22Crazy by Patsy Cline possesses an almost inescapable sadness to it
09:27A permeative melancholy that's allowed this 1961 version to eclipse the composition of Willie Nelson's original
09:34I'm crazy
09:35For thinking that my love could hold you
09:43Cline's voice is smoky, bluesy, and mournful
09:46As the backing of piano and choral voices bolstered the arrangements of Crazy with style and class
09:52It's a personal sort of sadness really
09:54One that can be internalized by a single listener huddled with headphones in the dark
09:58Or on a grand stage
10:00Sharing that grief with the world in a sort of shared coping mechanism
10:04There's no wrong way to listen
10:06And I'm crazy for loving you
10:14Before we name our number one pick
10:19Here are a few honorable mentions
10:21Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?
10:24Alan Jackson
10:25A moving tribute to the victims of 9-11
10:28But I know Jesus and I talk to God
10:32And I remember this from when I was young
10:36New Favorite
10:37Alison Krauss and Union Station
10:39Haunting Bluegrass Balladry
10:42I know you've got a new favorite
10:48Waiting Around to Die
10:51Town's Van Zandt
10:53Country music's prescient poet and doomsayer
10:56Lots of booze and lots of rambling
10:58It's easier than just waiting around to die
11:02If you're reading this
11:05Tim McGraw
11:06Honoring American Troops in Song
11:09Before we continue
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11:291. He Stopped Loving Her Today
11:34George Jones
11:35She told him you'll forget in time
11:39Is He Stopped Loving Her Today the greatest country song of all time?
11:47Some folks think so
11:48With even more agreeing upon another thing
11:50It's almost certainly one of the saddest
11:53The legendary production of Billy Sherrill
11:55Works wonders with what's already a beautifully composed song
11:58While Jones' heartfelt vocals and delivery
12:01Seals the deal with a performance of a lifetime
12:03He Stopped Loving Her Today
12:08He Stopped Loving Her Today
12:12Has been interpreted in a number of ways over the years
12:14With most interpretations describing how only the finality of death
12:18Has allowed for the subject of this song
12:20To escape the curse of loving somebody who went away
12:22It sits proudly alongside other George Jones stunners
12:26Like The Grand Tour
12:27As a genre milestone of epic proportions
12:30Are there any country songs that possess a certain special meaning to you?
12:43Let us know in the comments
12:45Thank you
12:54Thank you
12:59Thank you
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