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)"
As promised earlier, here's a collection of otherwise unrelated songs which all bear the word "Good" somewhere in their titles. Enjoy! ~ JH
1) Better Than Ezra ~ "Good" (Back in the day, this was my jam!)
2) Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen ~ "Good Time" (I'm a big Owl City fan, but this isn't my favorite song of his; it is extremely catchy though)
3) OneRepublic ~ "Good Life" (The official music video looked and sounded better than this one, but it didn't edit out a certain offensive word like this version does – it's a better song without it anyway!)
4) Chris Malinchak ~ "So Good To Me" (Any music video that prominently features a giraffe is alright by me!)
5) Michael Bublé ~ "Feeling Good" (This guy's voice is almost too smooth; I keep waiting for him to strain to hit a note – nope!)
6) Frank Ocean ~ "Swim Good" (I've heard a lot about this guy, but never listened to any of his songs before now – not bad!)
7) Kimbra ~ "Good Intent" (Quirky female pop singers will be the death of me – or at least the death of my bank account [not really, but sort of])
8) Daughtry ~ "Start Of Something Good" (Another good song by a great band)
9) Nelly Furtado ~ "All Good Things (Come To An End)" (How true that is...)
10) Kenny Chesney ~ "The Good Stuff" (I've never heard this song before today – it almost made me cry [not really, but sort of])
12) Shania Twain ~ "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" (A YouTube user made the following comment on this video: "Her styling [here] is an example that you can look fierce and classy, instead of looking like a freakshow, aka Lady Gaga, Ke$ha, and Nicki Minaj!" So true!)
13) The Beach Boys ~ "Good Vibrations" (This post wouldn't be complete without this classic summer song)
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.)
