From Dolly Parton to Hank Williams to (early) Taylor Swift, most of us have a favourite country song. But have you ever found the time to rank the greatest country songs of all time? Probably not.
That’s where Rolling Stone comes in.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rolling Stone Country, a special site devoted to the beloved genre, the publication released its ranking of the 200 greatest country songs of all time last week. This was an expansion of its previous list of the 100 greatest songs of the genre.
“What makes a great country song? It tells a story. It draws a line. It has a twang you can feel down to the soles of your feet. Some get mad, some get weepy, some just get you down the road. And these are the songs that map out the story of country music — from Hank Williams howling at the moon to Ray Charles giving “hillbilly” music an R&B makeover to Shania Twain taking her karaoke-cowgirl feminism worldwide, and much more,” Rolling Stone wrote.
The updated list arrives at a good time, with more potential song inclusions popping up month by month, from Morgan Wallen to, yes, Beyoncé. The R&B and pop superstar made the transition to country this year, and her she duly appears on Rolling Stone‘s list thanks to her new album, Cowboy Carter.
Elsewhere on the list, legends including Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Garth Brooks, Waylon Jennings, and Hank Williams make the list.
You can check out the top five below, and peruse the full list here.
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There might be plenty of debate as to what the 200 best country songs ever are, but there probably won’t be anyone upset about which song took out the top spot, as you’ll see below…
Rolling Stone‘s Greatest Country Songs of All Time: Top 5
5: George Jones, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
4: Hank Williams, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
3: Patsy Cline, “Crazy”
2: Johnny Cash, “I Walk the Line”
1: Dolly Parton, “Jolene”
