Angelina’s Picks 

1. Reba McEntire – “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” 
2. Jason Michael Carroll – “Alyssa Lies” 
3. Keith Urban – “Days Go By” 

Reba McEntire is a Queen of country music and has a whole playlist of iconic songs, one of which is “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia.” Country music is known for its songs about trucks, boots, beer, losing your girl and, of course, murder. “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” fits the country murder theme perfectly. The lyrics describe a man who just came home to find his woman cheating on him, with a friend of his Andy. From that moment on, the man is determined to get revenge on his friend. He grabs his dad’s old gun to get the job done, but when he gets to his friend’s house he finds Andy already dead. Next to the dead body is a set of footprints “too small for Andy to make.” The man is arrested, accused and hanged for the murder of Andy. Then the lyrics are revealed to be sung by the man’s sister – “you see little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun.” 

Jason Michael Carroll’s “Alyssa Lies” is one that can bring anyone to tears. From a father’s perspective, the song illustrates the struggle of a father  explaining a heavy topic to his little girl. You see, his daughter met a new friend at school, Alyssa. The daughter tells her dad that she is worried about Alyssa because she lies. She says, “Alyssa lies to the classroom / Alyssa lies every day at school / Alyssa lies to the teachers as she tries to cover every bruise.” That night he overhears his daughter’s bedtime prayer. The little girl prayed for her friend because she knew how much help Alyssa needed. The father explained that he had the worst night of sleep, as he couldn’t think of a way to help the situation and his daughter. But when they got to school on Monday the little girl looked around and asked her father why everyone seemed so sad. Her dad told her that Alyssa wouldn’t be at school, “‘cause she doesn’t lie in the classroom / she doesn’t lie anymore at school / Alyssa lies with Jesus / because there’s nothing anyone would do.” 

On a much happier note, Keith Urban’s “Days Go By” – great song. It’s a simple song about how time flies and days go by. Urban describes the feeling of driving down the road with your hand out the window. He sees cars driving by way too fast, much like how we speed through life. “We think about tomorrow then it slips away, we think about forever, but we only got today.” It’s a fun, upbeat song that is a simple reminder to cherish the time we have because it all goes by way too fast. 

Caleb’s Picks 

1. Lady Gaga – “You and I” 
2. Taylor Swift – “Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)”
3. Steve Grand – “Stay” 

“You and I” is one of my favorite Lady Gaga songs and one of her country inspired songs from her early days. “You and I” was first released in 2011 as a part of her “Born This Way” album. Something about the song’s country and pop beats just hit me the right way. “You taste like whiskey when you kiss me, oh / I’ll give anything again to be your baby doll / This time I’m not leaving without you,” These lyrics just hit me the right way and soothe my soul.  

I love how “Fifteen” just captures my early teenage angst so much. The song was first released in 2008 as a part of Swift’s “Fearless” album. The song was rerecorded and rereleased in 2021 due to Swift losing rights to her original music and Swift wanting to reclaim her early works as she still owned the lyrics. I love the song’s country pop vibes so much and just listening to it fills me with joy. 

“Stay” was first released in 2015 as a part of Steve Grands album “All American Boy.” I love how relatable this song is and it makes me so happy to listen to a gay male country singer singing about a guy he likes. Growing up it was almost impossible to see real representation in music. I also really appreciated the lyrics “Stay with me, we don’t never have to leave / You my southern king, we live it for the daydreams.” The lines just always reminded me of my first crush and I really enjoyed this. 

Nick’s Picks

1. Molly O’Day – “Living The Right Life Now” 
2. Lead Belly – “In the Pines”
3. Marty Robbins – “Big Iron”

In the world of country music, there are three main types of artists: Christians, cowboys and criminals. Molly O’Day is the perfect example of church country. Only releasing music for a little over a decade, O’Day quit country and instead focused on the church circuit and evangelical work. Her most famous track “Living The Right Life Now” is the epitome of this type of music. With a lineup of traditional old-time strings – banjo, guitar, bass and mandolin – and vocal duets straight out of the West Virginia hollers, O’Day’s song feels like the music of the mountains that started the country genre. Combined with the standout lyrics, especially when O’Day sings that she’s “warshed” in God’s blood during the chorus, this song is an old-school banger that I’ve had on repeat ever since I found it. 

Lead Belly is probably the exact opposite kind of country than O’Day. Only recorded late in his life after a couple of stints in prison, Lead Belly is one of the first true outlaw country musicians. His most well known song, “In the Pines,” has been covered by everyone from Nirvana to Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys to the Grateful Dead. Lead Belly’s take is probably my favorite of the mix, taking guitar playing straight from Delta blues and mixing it with folk traditions. Like most songs in this style, it consists of acoustic guitar and Lead Belly’s haunted voice. Unlike most recordings of this song who changed the song after Lead Belly wrote it, he is still singing “Black girl, black girl, don’t lie to me / Tell me where did you sleep last night?” rather than the watered down (and completely different) “My girl, my girl.” 

When I think cowboy, I think Marty Robbins. The ‘50s and ‘60s star is best known for his iconic “Big Iron” from the aptly titled album “Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs.” Known for his strong voice, Robbins performs the cowboy persona perfectly on this track. Telling the story of Texas Red, an outlaw, being tracked down by an Arizona ranger, the song follows a very consistent structure in its storytelling.  Robbins’ vocals are paired with backing vocals, guitars and drums. The setup of the song, telling the story of how great Texas Red is at gunfights, pairs perfectly with the end where the Arizona ranger defeats him in a duel. 

Emily’s Picks

1. Lonestar – “Amazed”
2. Randy Travis – “Forever And Ever, Amen”
3. Chris Stapleton – “Tennessee Whiskey”

“Amazed” by Lonestar is the epitome of a loving relationship that will last forever. This song is the perfect wedding song and makes for a perfect slow first dance song due to the slow pace and ballad feel of the song. The song describes how the artist loves and cares for his significant other. The lyrics “I wanna spend the rest of my life / With you by my side / Forever and ever” describe a relationship where the artist declares that they want to spend the rest of their life with their significant other and also loves and cares for his significant other.

“Forever And Ever, Amen” by Randy Travis is another love song that represents forever love. The song represents Travis expressing to his significant other that he will be faithful and will love them for the rest of their life. The lyrics “Oh, darlin’, I’m gonna love you forever / Forever and ever, amen” express that Travis deeply cares for his significant other. In an article published by Wide Open Country, the idea for the name of the song came from songwriter Don Schlitz’s son who tells his mom that he will love her ‘forever and ever, amen’ after a prayer. 

Ending with a classic, “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton is a ballad that describes how Stapleton bounces back after a relapse from a drinking problem. The lyrics “Used to spend my nights at a barroom / Liquor was the only love I’d known / But you rescued me from reaching for the bottom / And brought me back, being too far gone” tell a story of how Stapleton was at a low point in his life where he became a heavy drinker, but then his significant other helped him recover. Stapleton’s voice adds an angsty vibe to the song. 

Lindsay’s Picks

1. Glen Campbell – “Southern Nights”
2. Dolly Parton – “Jolene”
3. America – “A Horse With No Name”

“Southern Nights” was originally written and recorded by Allen Toussaint but was later covered by Glen Campbell and released as a part of Campbell’s 1977 album  “Southern Nights.” The original song is a trippy arrangement that utilizes the electric keyboard with Toussaint’s modified vocals to add to the feel of the track. Campbell’s version transforms the original track into a cheerful, bright, country pop song. The track begins with a unique guitar lick that is repeated throughout the song in isolated moments that leads into the next verse. The lyrics describe the scenery and beauty associated with the South. Even if you have never lived in a rural area, this catchy song makes any listener nostalgic for the “good ol’ times.”

Dolly Parton’s most popular song, “Jolene,” was released as a single and title track of her album of the same name. The song is about the narrator confronting a beautiful woman named Jolene who she believes is trying to steal her husband from her. According to Parton, the story of “Jolene” is based on a bank teller who continuously flirted with Parton’s husband while Jolene herself was based on a beautiful, red-headed little girl that attended one of Parton’s concerts.  The narrator feels insecure compared to Jolene by pleading with her to “please don’t take him even though you can.” Singing lyrics like “Your smile is like a breath of spring / Your voice is soft like rain / And I cannot compete with you Jolene,” it’s clear that the narrator holds contempt for Jolene, but still respects her as a woman by describing in detail her beauty and attributes.

America released “A Horse With No Name” as a part of their self titled album which was released in the US in 1972. The track begins with an acoustic guitar that plays throughout the background of the song. The vocalist joins in accompanied by the guitar before the bass guitar and drums enter halfway through the first verse. Each chorus ends with a “La, la, la lala la la la, la, la” from multiple voices. The lyrics of the song tells the story of a man trapped in a desert with a horse for nine days as he recounts the wildlife and scenery around him.

Tamya’s Picks

1. Taylor Swift – “Teardrops On My Guitar (Pop Version)”
2. Morgan Wallen – “7 Summers”
3. Zach Bryan – “Revival”

“Teardrops On My Guitar” is featured on Taylor Swift’s self-titled debut album. This song was the breakout single of the album that prepared the world for the pop queen herself. The album itself is a country album with elements of pop that were popularized by radio versions. The song holds an old country twang that Swift heavily exaggerated even though she is from Pennsylvania. The song’s nostalgic feel transports you back to the first listen with the first strum of the guitar.  

“7 Summers” is featured on Morgan Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album.” This song is considered to have popularized the current country megastar. The song is a cute, classic country song filled with beers, love and pickup trucks. The love song crooner reminisces on a past summer fling that Wallen can’t seem to shake. While lacking in lyricism, the song is a cute head bopper that many will enjoy.

“Revival” is featured on Zach Bryan’s “Elisabeth” album that debuted in 2020. The new breakout country star has been receiving raving reviews for his most recent project self-titled album. However, “Revival” is your typical country song centered around the redneck revival. Zach Bryan’s raspy voice draws you into his storytelling like lyrics. The idea of bringing back real country men is apparent on the fun track. This song feels like a campfire song to share while roasting s’mores.

Sarah’s picks:

1. Taylor Swift – “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)”
2. Dolly Parton – “9 to 5”
3. Luke Bryan – “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”

Taylor Swift released the ultimate crush song in 2008 with her song “You Belong With Me.” Swift pours her heart out to a guy she likes, saying that they belong together instead of the guy being with his girlfriend. Swift acknowledges that the way she dresses and acts in school is different, but she is sure she is the right girl to make her crush happy. This country bop is so easy to scream in the car, especially if you’re in the situation Swift is in. Every girl has been where Swift is at least once in their life. 

Dolly Parton is a country star icon, and her song “9 to 5” is heard by everyone growing up. It’s a classic when it comes to country song hits, and Parton’s voice, which has enough gusto in it to get up and dance, is made distinct because of this song. The lyrics talk about working a typical work day, five days a week, and repeating that each week. Working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. would surely drive the average person crazy, says Parton in her song. As a child, I remember thinking that that was what the typical workday looked like for adults. 

Country is an impossible genre to like, but Luke Bryan’s song “Country Girl” is the only country song I find myself enjoying. Blasting this song through headphones and dancing is a great way to work a sweat. The beat is very vigorous in the way that it has a constant upbeat groove. I could never get bored of this song, and I wish I could remember where I heard it for the first time so many years ago. Bryan’s voice is hypnotizing in the way that he could get everyone to sing his lyrics while having fun.