The Johnny Cash Show, February 18, 1970.
You can go in many directions when compiling a list of the all-time best country music songs. Which criteria do you use? Record sales, most streamed, most googled, number of weeks on the country charts? Or perhaps you take a look at how well they were written, their place in country music history, their influence on the genre, their name recognition and familiarity, and how often they’ve been covered by other artists.
Country music also different sub-genres such as bluegrass, traditional country, country rock, outlaw country, modern country and others. And if you’re making lists of top songs, you can certainly create an individual list for each category.
Best Country Songs
For this list of the Top 30 Country Songs of All Time, I’ve chosen well-written, classic songs that are immediately recognizable and helped define the overall genre.
Whether or not this matches the list you might compile, hopefully we can all agree – every one of these songs made an indelible mark on country music. And the minute you hear them, you know the song and exactly who sang it.
30. “Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker (1972)
Tanya Tucker was the young girl who burst onto the country music scene with this haunting song about a mysterious woman named Delta Dawn. Although others had recorded it before her, the 13-year with the husky, grown-up voice, sang it in a way that resonated with country fans so well, it became a Top 10 hit.
The lyrics tell the story of a woman, apparently jilted by a man she cannot forget, so she “walks downtown with a suitcase in her hand, looking for a mysterious dark-haired man.”
29. The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1979)
This 1979 classic highlights Charlie Daniels multiple gifts as a singer, songwriter/storyteller and musician. This song famously pits the devil against “Johnny” as they square off in a fiddle contest. When Daniels went into the recording studio, he wanted the devil’s part to sound dark and ominous, so he used multiple fiddles.
He explained once, “We did it organically then, nowadays, they’d probably do it electronically. I played seven fiddles on the devil’s part.” (And one of those fiddles was a specially rigged with eight strings.) All of those fiddles combined certainly did the job.
28. “Kiss An Angel Good Morning by Charley Pride (1971)
This was a big hit in the early 70s and helped shape the music career of the late Charley Pride. It’s a song with a universal message about making sure to consistently do what it takes to show someone you love them. As he sings, “You’ve got to kiss an angel good morning.”
Pride’s baritone voice and approach to the song gave it a warm, comfortable feel. It went on to become one of his signature songs.
27. “I Saw the Light” by Hank Williams (1947)
Singer/songwriter Hank Williams had an extremely short career, but he made it count, paving the way for what country music would become and leaving a huge body of work behind him. One of the genre’s greatest songwriters, his song “I Saw the Light” was actually a country gospel song.
It wasn’t a big hit for him initially but became more popular as time went on and became the closing song during his live shows. Like all of Hank’s songs, it’s been covered time and time again by other artists.
26. “Coat of Many Colors” by Dolly Parton (1971)
This biographical song by Dolly Parton paid tribute to her mother as it tells the story of a young girl growing up in poverty in East Tennessee. Parton describes how her mother lovingly made her a coat from a box of colorful rags someone had given the family. As Parton goes to school, so proud to show off her new coat, she’s met with other kids laughing at her because of the way it looked.
Despite the harsh reaction, Parton understands what truly matters most of all. As she recounts in the lyrics, “I know we had no money, but I was rich as I could be, in my coat of many colors, my mama made for me.”
25. “Long Black Veil” by Lefty Frizzell (1959)
Others, including Johnny Cash and Dave Matthews, have recorded this song, written by Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin. But it’s Lefty Frizzell’s version that’s become the country music classic. In 2019, the Library of Congress added it to its National Recording Registry.
It’s a great example of a country music “story song” that leaves the listener “thinking” long after the last note. It’s about a man accused of murder who won’t provide an alibi because, on the night of the crime, he was having an affair with his best friend’s wife. To protect her, he refuses to tell the truth. So, “she walks these hills in a long black veil, she visits my grave when the night winds wail. Nobody knows, nobody sees, nobody knows, but me.”
24. “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash (1955)
Johnny Cash recorded this song in the mid-50s, but it became iconic after he performed it live at Folsom Prison in 1968 for his live album.
There’s an interesting story from the original recording session you hear when you visit Sun Studio in Memphis. There was no drummer there that day, so Cash ingeniously created a sound to compensate for it. He inserted a dollar bill under the guitar strings, then strummed it, to the beat making sort of a swishing sound to replicate a snare drum.
The song won Cash a Grammy in 1969.
23. “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams (1953)
His ability to pour heart, soul, and life experience into the lyrics of a song has made this a country music standard. Hank Williams wrote the song about his ex-wife Audrey. It was released just after his death in January of 1953 and became a huge posthumous hit.
Many have covered this song, but when he sings it, you can hear the angst in his voice. “Your cheatin’ heart will tell on you.”
22. “I Fall to Pieces” by Patsy Cline (1961)
It’s hard to imagine how much more she might have contributed to country music had her life not been cut short. Patsy Cline was only 30 years old when she died in a plane crash, but she left an incredible legacy of music. She was one of country’s all-time great female vocalists and she shows both her vocal control and her range in “I Fall to Pieces.”
Written by legendary songwriters Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard, the song portrays the pain felt when you happen to run into someone you desperately love but doesn’t love you back. Patsy sings it as no one else can, “You walk by, and I fall to pieces.”
21. “Okie from Muskogee” by Merle Haggard (1969)
One of Merle Haggard’s most famous songs, he wrote it about Vietnam protesters. It highlighted the between traditional American values and the hippie counter-culture movement at the time. As he began playing it around the country, it got a massive response from people who heard it and went on to become a big hit.
He once summed up the core meaning of the song with the word “pride,” as in pride in country. “Okie from Muskogee” became a patriotic anthem, reflecting the divide in the country at the time.
20. “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks (1990)
Garth Brooks took the 1990s by storm with his high energy shows and series of massive hits, several of which would become signature songs for the Oklahoma-native. “Friends in Low Places” is one of them. Written by Earl Bud Lee and Dewayne Blackwell, this song about hanging out with those who know you best, has become so popular, Brooks chose it as the name of the downtown Nashville honky tonk he opened in early 2024.
19. “Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis (1987)
This is a country favorite about a forever love (no matter what) made famous by Randy Travis. Written by Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz, it’s an upbeat, positive, feel-good song made all the better by Travis singing it. It has many classic lines like, “As long as old men sit and talk about the weather, as long as old women sit and talk about old men,” that all come back to the main theme: “I’m gonna love you / Forever and ever / Forever and ever, Amen.”
18. “All My Ex’s Live In Texas” by George Strait (1987)
George Strait has more chart singles than any other country artist and this is one of his biggest. Written by Whitey and Lyndia Shafer, the song touches on a man’s love for his home state of Texas, but his frustration at not being able to live there for fear of running into all of his ex-wives. And so, as Strait sums up, “That’s why I hang my hat in Tennessee.” Not a true story, however. Strait is a longtime Texas native married to his wife of more than fifty years.
17. “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers (1978)
This song blends amazing lyrics by songwriter Don Schlitz and the verbal, storytelling skills that always made Kenny Rogers shine as an artist. The song has a number of wonderful lines, including a couple that offer great guide for life in general. “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em / Know when to fold ‘em / Know when to walk away / And know when to run.”
16. “Sunday Morning Coming Down” by Johnny Cash (1970)
This song was written by Kris Kristofferson, one of country music’s greatest all-time songwriters. Kristofferson was a Rhodes Scholar and former U.S. Army helicopter pilot with dreams of writing and recording music, so he went to Nashville and got a job as a janitor at a record studio. He wrote this song about struggling during those early days as he contemplated his future. His idol, Johnny Cash, recorded it, the song shot to No. 1, and the rest is history.
15. “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” by Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings (1975)
This song recorded by Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings helped solidify their role as country outlaws and became an anthem their push against the Nashville music established to create their own sound. The song that advises mothers against letting their songs grow up to be cowboys (and explains why) was written by Ed and Patsy Bruce.
14. “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton (1974)
Dolly Parton wrote and recorded this song in 1973 as a farewell gift-of-sorts to country music star Porter Wagoner. He’d served as a mentor, but she was ready to leave his TV show and pursue a solo career. It was a hit for Dolly and would later become a pop hit for Whitney Houston who made it a top 90s song for the soundtrack of the 1992 film The Bodyguard.
13. “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” by Willie Nelson (1975)
Willie Nelson had some big hits as a songwriter, then a couple of songs chart as a solo artist, but it was this song by Fred Rose, that first garnered major success as a singer/performer. He included this song on his Red-Headed Stranger album, and it won him his first Grammy. Many other artists have covered this song, but his version remains one of the best.
12. “Stand By Your Man” by Tammy Wynette (1965)
It’s a mid-60s country standard featuring Tammy Wynette’s unique and warbling vocals as she talks about the challenges, but necessities (in her words), of “standing by your man.” Wynette wrote the song with Billy Sherrill. The song did receive some criticism from women’s liberation groups. It would become a signature song for Wynette, but despite her well-intended advice, she herself would end up marrying five times.
11. “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash and June Carter (1963)
Johnny Cash made the song famous, but it was written by June Carter who wrote it, describing how she felt about the Man in Black, long before they got married. Carter, who was touring with Cash in the early 60’s felt herself falling in love with him, at a time both were married to other people, which was similar to falling into “a ring of fire.” She co-wrote the song with Merle Kilgore. Cash recorded the song five years before they eventually married.
10. “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” by the Carter Family (1935)
An original Christian hymn, this song was reworked by A.P. Carter, recorded by the original Carter Family, and has become a country music anthem. Often called by its original title “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” it’s a song artists sing at the end of many country music shows and celebrations, and the words are also on the walls of the Country Music Hall of Fame Rotunda bearing the names of Country Music Hall of Fame members. The meaning of the original hymn symbolized life is a circle which doesn’t end even in death.
9. “Coal Miner’s Daughter” by Loretta Lynn (1970)
Loretta Lynn had a long string of hits but “Coal Miner’s Daughter” told her true, rags-to-riches story. She described growing up in poverty-laden Eastern Kentucky with a family who had very little, but provided everything she needed. “We were poor / but we had love / that’s the one thing Daddy made sure of.” A movie of the same name featuring Sissy Spacek later told Loretta’s life story.
8. “Green, Green Grass of Home” by Porter Wagoner (1965)
This song has resonated with people around the world for decades, including many overseas in the military, because of the way it vividly portrays longing and missing for one’s “home.” Written by Curly Putman Jr, the lyrics are a little darker. The song is about a man happily visiting his old hometown, but it turns out it’s just a dream, the final dream of a man on Death Row. In addition to Wagoner, Johnny Cash, Tom Jones, and even Elvis have recorded this song.
7. “Walkin’ After Midnight” by Patsy Cline (1957)
The song is about a woman’s endless search for a lost love and Patsy Cline’s stunning vocals brought it to life. Written by Alan Block and Don Hecht, it was the song that launched her career giving her a country hit that also crossed over onto the pop charts. People everywhere could identify with the lyrics. “I go out walkin’ after midnight / Out in the starlight, just hoping you may be / Somewhere a-walkin’ after midnight / Searchin’ for me.”
6. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton (1973)
Dolly Parton was inspired to write “Jolene” about an attractive bank teller who had a flirtatious interaction with her husband many years ago. It’s a relatable song that many other artists have covered through the years, most recently Beyonce who included the song on her 2024 country album.
5. “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard (1968)
Many of Merle Haggard’s songs were autobiographical and this one tops the list. As the lyrics state, he DID turn 21 in prison (although he wasn’t sentenced to life without parole). He had a troubled upbringing after his father died when Haggard was just a young boy, and the song honors his mother for trying to “steer him straight.” Haggard would turn out okay, becoming one of the greatest singer/songwriters in country music.
4. “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash (1956)
One of Johnny Cash’s signature songs (of which there are several) remains one of the most recognized songs in music today. He wrote it during his first marriage. Cash drew inspiration from his traveling musician lifestyle as he pledged to remain faithful, even as he “walked the line” between loyalty and temptation. There was also a 2005 movie on Johnny’s life called “Walk the Line.”
3. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline (1961)
Willie Nelson wrote the song and played it for Patsy Cline’s husband at a club in downtown Nashville. Nelson then followed Charlie Dick home to let Patsy hear it. The song, with its haunting lyrics about holding on to a lost love, was one of Cline’s biggest hits, and went on to become one of the most popular songs ever played on American jukeboxes.
Today, her version is a country music classic.
2. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams (1949)
Hank Williams was country music’s first superstar both in terms of songwriting and performing. Elvis once described “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” as perhaps the saddest song he ever heard. The lyrics portray a depth of emotion clearly demonstrating why Williams was considered “the Hillbilly Shakespeare.”
“Hear that lonesome whippoorwill / He sounds too blue to fly. / The midnight train is whining low / I’m so lonesome I could cry.”
1. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones (1980)
It’s one of the most iconic country songs of all time with rich lyrics sang in a mournful, beautiful way by the late George Jones, and underscored by the soulful sounds of the steel guitar and harmonica. Written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putnam Jr, it tells the story of a powerful and unwavering love for a former partner so deep, it only ends only in death. “He stopped loving her today / They placed a wreath upon his door / And soon they’ll carry him away / He stopped loving her today.”
Bottom Line
This list looks at the Top 30 country songs that helped define the genre to such an extent, country fans immediately recognize the song and the artist. They paved the way for the singers and songwriters who followed them, and continue to write and create the new music country fans enjoy today.
