I'm feeling nostalgic today, in particular about the kind of music I grew up listening to. Specifically, classic country music. Some things change for the better. Some things just change. One thing that doesn't, though. The old classics are still, well, classic. Take a trip back with me to a time when music was music, when singers could sing live without electronic enhancement, when even sad songs made you smile. Enjoy! ~ JH
1) Hank Williams ~ "Hey Good Lookin'"
2) Johnny Cash ~ "I Walk The Line"
3) Merle Haggard ~ "Mama Tried"
4) Jimmie Rodgers ~ "In The Jailhouse Now"
5) George Jones ~ "She Thinks I Still Care" (BONUS! Video also includes a medley of "Love Bug" and "The Race Is On")
6) Waylon Jennings ~ "Good Hearted Woman"
7) Dolly Parton ~ "Coat Of Many Colors"
8) Loretta Lynn ~ "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)"
9) Willie Nelson ~ "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain"
10) Buck Owens & His Buckaroos ~ "(I've Got A) Tiger By The Tail"
11) Marty Robbins ~ "El Paso"
12) Patsy Cline ~ "Crazy"
13) Tennessee Ernie Ford ~ "Sixteen Tons"
14) Glen Campbell ~ "Rhinestone Cowboy"
15) Tammy Wynette ~ "Stand By Your Man"
16) Jim Reeves ~ "He'll Have To Go"
17) Kitty Wells ~ "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels"
18) Eddy Arnold ~ "You Don't Know Me"
19) Dottie West ~ "Here Comes My Baby Back Again"
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Technically speaking, "ain't" may be improper English, but it just so happens to be a word contained within the titles of some of the greatest popular songs ever written, several of which are represented here. My personal favorites among these are #5 and #8. Which ones do you like best? (This doesn't *have to* be a rhetorical question.) ~ JH
1) Weezer ~ "Say It Ain't So"
2) Bon Jovi ~ "This Ain't A Love Song"
3) Cage The Elephant ~ "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked"
4) Craig Morgan ~ "This Ain't Nothin'"
5) Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell ~ "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"
6) Alicia Keys ~ "If I Ain't Got You"
7) Eric B. & Rakim ~ "I Ain't No Joke"
8) Patty Smyth & Don Henley ~ "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"
9) Bachman Turner Overdrive ~ "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
10) Fats Domino ~ "Ain't That A Shame"
11) Sweet Brown ~ "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That"
12) Four Tops ~ "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)"
13) Jennifer Lopez ~ "Ain't It Funny"
14) Brett Dennen ~ "Ain't No Reason" (Just try to ignore the ridiculous hairdo – this guy can sing!)
15) The Hollies ~ "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"
16) Shania Twain ~ "Home Ain't Where His Heart Is (Anymore)"
Part two in a five-part miniseries, this post features songs with "Down" in the title. If you were disappointed by the lack of familiar artists in part one, you may find that you recognize a larger number of artists in this particular collection. Enjoy! ~ JH
1) Group 1 Crew ~ "Goin' Down"
2) Linkin Park ~ "Burn It Down"
3) Kimbra ~ "Settle Down"
4) Goo Goo Dolls ~ "Long Way Down"
5) Nine Inch Nails ~ "Down In It"
6) Mikky Ekko ~ "Pull Me Down"
7) Audio Adrenaline ~ "Get Down"
8) Dash Berlin ~ "Till The Sky Falls Down"
9) Jack Johnson ~ "Upside Down"
10) Johnny Cash ~ "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
11) Cage The Elephant ~ "Shake Me Down"
12) Alice In Chains ~ "Down In A Hole"
13) Emmy Rossum ~ "Slow Me Down"
14) Amy MacDonald ~ "Slow It Down"
15) Charlie Daniels Band ~ "The Devil Went Down To Georgia"
16) Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers ~ "I Won't Back Down"
For most of my life, I have gone back and forth between being a die-hard country music fan to a casual country fan to a country music hater. I'm wishy-washy by nature anyway, but on this matter I have wavered more than usual. Here lately, I've been listening to some of the newer popular country music, but still only occasionally. Which got me thinking, what are some of my... A) favorite country music songs all-time? B) favorite country music artists/bands of all time? and C) which do I like better, classic old-school country music or the country/pop hybrid that's so prevalent today? In predictable wishy-washy fashion, my answer to that last question is "a little of both." In answer to the first two questions, I present this list. Some of the songs below are among my favorite all-time country songs. Some of the artists/bands are my favorites, but the songs I've picked are not. I'll leave it to you to figure out which is which. It doesn't really matter either way. Here goes...
1) Keith Whitley ~ "When You Say Nothing At All" Keith's was a voice that country music lost too soon. This song is his legacy, and it's still amazing twenty-some years later.
2) Sara Evans ~ "Born To Fly" You can't help but admire the plucky optimism of Sara Evans. Well, at least I can't.
3) Willie Nelson ~ "Always On My Mind" Politics and weird behavior aside, Willie's one of the best there ever was.
4) Sherrié Austin ~ "Lucky In Love" I think I'm the only person who had this girl's album, but I still remember most of the songs off it after a decade and a half.
5) Johnny Cash ~ "Rusty Cage" Who can take a hard-rock song (originally written and recorded by Soundgarden) and make it his own? Johnny Cash, that's who.
6) Taylor Swift ~ "Speak Now" I know, I know...I'm not a teenage girl, so I shouldn't like this poppy drivel. But I do. I can't help it. The kid cracks me up, and she can carry a tune to boot.
7) Kenny Rogers ~ "The Gambler" The movie's better than the video, but the song's still a classic. You gotta know when...
8) Lady Antebellum ~ "Just A Kiss" Play. Repeat. Play. Repeat. I've got this group on loop on my iTunes as we speak.
9) Ronnie Milsap ~ "Any Day Now" This guy was a favorite of mine and my parents growing up. We even saw him in concert a few times. These days, nobody seems to even remember who he is, though he was quite popular in his day. This video's really lame, but the song's good.
10) Martina McBride ~ "A Broken Wing" Man, can she sing! Get it, girl! (Okay, that wasn't very manly of me. Um...go, Pirates! Or something...)
11) Shania Twain ~ "From This Moment On" Overly commercial? Yeah. Overly poppy? Yeah. Good music? Yeah.
12) George Strait ~ "Amarillo By Morning" This guy has had so many good songs, it's hard to pick just one.
13) Alison Krauss ~ "When You Say Nothing At All" Yes, I know this is a repeat. There's a reason for that, though. Nobody can sing this song like Keith Whitley. No man at least. Alison, on the other hand – well, she's in a league of her own. It's got a completely different vibe than Whitley's original, but Krauss's version is equally as beautiful.
14) Edens Edge ~ "Too Good To Be True" New-wave country pop at its finest. You can keep your Sugarland. I'll take this group any day.
15) Alabama ~ "Song Of The South" Sweet potato pie, and a-shut my mouth! 'Nuff said.
16) Little Big Town ~ "Little White Church" I absolutely love a group that can harmonize really well. This group absolutely can. Really well.
17) Charley Pride ~ "Kiss An Angel Good Morning" One of the few African Americans to achieve great success in country music, Charley Pride has always been one of my favorites.
18) The Judds ~ "Love Can Build A Bridge" Remember what I said before about a group that can harmonize really well? Yeah? Well, it still applies. I loved, loved, loved The Judds back in the day! (P.S. I don't really think you need "cute little 3-D glasses" to enjoy this video/mini-movie.)
19) Lindi Ortega ~ "Little Lie" A little bit country, a little bit alternative, a lot of awesome. Mix well and enjoy!
20) George Jones ~ "He Stopped Loving Her Today" One of the saddest yet most hauntingly beautiful songs you'll ever hear. (Or hear again, if you already know it.)
